Why
To inspire writers to a passionate commitment to clear communication
Communication is clear if the details are readily found, understood, retained and acted on. It matters:
- what you say and what you leave out
- how your language engages your readers
- how you structure information at document, paragraph and sentence level
- that you use design elements to help your readers process material efficiently in a workplace crowded with information
- that you provide navigational tools for those readers who skim or who scan or who search.
A clearer and fairer world
In a world in which our information load is increasing exponentially every year, clear communication is essential to making the world clearer for busy people. Educated, confident, informed writers owe it to the less confident, the less articulate, the less powerful to ensure that they understand what they read and can make informed decisions. That contributes to a fairer world.
Your brand depends on it
Your documents embody your organisation’s values and culture. If your values include being service-focused and transparent then you want all your communications to reflect those qualities. All external communications — letters, emails, websites, pamphlets, contracts — need to represent the values your organisation stands for. And internal documents do too — even memos and file notes reflect your corporate heartbeat. They inform the energy that flows from your organisation.
A time and money saver
Clear communication makes your readers’ choices, decisions and understanding easier. Relying on succinct, persuasive, efficient documents, your readers are better able to find your information, understand it and act on it. And being able to readily engage with your message makes your readers feel more confident in their relationship with you..
A significant benefit for clients
Leaving information out is an important element of clear communication that allows your readers to ‘hear’ your message distinctly. Unnecessary detail and busy document design add to the overwhelming and excessive noise that readers have to contend with in the workplace. It’s easy to tell readers everything. It’s less easy to tell them only what they need to know … but doing so is an essential value-add in the modern workplace.
Improved decisions
Clear writing produces clear recommendations, which increase the likelihood of readers making good decisions and reduces the likelihood of ambiguities and contradictions staining your text. On the other hand, jumbled and unclear writing makes it harder for your readers to decipher the main message in your documents and increases the chance of your reader missing or misunderstanding.
