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Saturday, January 26, 2013

The Costs of Poor Writing | William H. DuBay

Don't think it's worth the time, energy or expense of improving the writing in your documents or the documents of your organization?

Think again.

Plain-language advocate Bill DuBay makes a convincing case in this article about the costly consequences of writing that's hard to read and hard to comprehend.


He asks these questions:
How much money and time do you waste in:
  • Unnecessary support calls caused by unclear instructions?
  • Poorly written forms and applications that are badly filled in?
  • Manuals, reports, and specifications that are hard to understand?
  • Confusing internal procedures and regulations?
  • Ineffective memos and business letters that are never answered?
  • Undecipherable legal notices and briefs?
  • Uninteresting press releases that are ignored by the media?
DuBay's website provides other articles and resources for making documents more readable by following plain-language principles. For more information and advice on clear, concise writing, visit Garbl's Plain-English Writing Guide.

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DuBay's article is featured today, Jan. 26, in my daily online paper, Garbl's Plain English Paragraphs, available at the Plain Language tab above and by free email subscription.

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