Five people sit in a row on chairs. They each hold up a speech bubble above their heads. The 5th person's bubble has the number 5 in it.

This is the last of a series of articles exploring widely held misconceptions that diminish many workplace writers’ efficiency and effectiveness.

Five people sit in a row on chairs. They each hold up a speech bubble above their heads. The 4th person's bubble has the number 4 in it.

This is the fourth of a series of articles exploring widely held misconceptions that diminish many workplace writers’ efficiency and effectiveness.

Five people sit in a row on chairs. They each hold up a speech bubble above their heads. The 3rd person's bubble has the number 3 in it.

This is the third of a series of articles exploring widely held misconceptions that diminish many workplace writers’ efficiency and effectiveness.

Five people sit in a row on chairs. They each hold up a speech bubble above their heads. The 2nd person's bubble has the number 2 in it.

This is the second of a series of articles exploring widely held misconceptions that diminish many workplace writers’ efficiency and effectiveness.

Five people sit in a row on chairs. They each hold up a speech bubble above their heads. The 1st person's bubble has the number 1 in it.

This is the first of a series of articles exploring widely held misconceptions that diminish many workplace writers’ efficiency and effectiveness.

Have you noticed writing standards in your team are starting to slip? Are drafts getting wordier? Is reviewing getting harder? It might be time to consider a refresher!

A rocket blasts off from a supermarket trolley. The rocket and trolley are in a music stadium.

Dynamic pricing one day, dynamic definition the next. This year, Oasis fans found that prices soared instantly and did not come back down, which even impacted the tickets already in their shopping carts.

When you join one of our writing workshops, you'll be starting a plain language journey. Come with us as Tom Wadsworth imagines the road ahead in this article that first appeared in 'The Mandarin'.

A composite image shows a photograph of a person drawing a self-portrait over their face using a pencil. The photograph is in colour but a section of the face is overlaid with a black and white sketch.

Mastering the art of self-editing is the key to becoming a more efficient writer. In this blog, we share 6 sure-fire tips to help you self-edit your writing with confidence and panache!

Viking ships with dragon motifs and oarsmen with heavy shields in sepia-toned scene

We unpack the grammar behind vigorous verbs - the powerhouses of plain language. And we also take a couple of detours to explain why no-one else talks like Yoda and why vigorous verbs really took off after the Vikings invaded England.

A 3-dimensional green arrow trends downward and then heads upwards

The forgetting curve is often considered a curse by L&D professionals. But it can also be a force for good. Find out how you can take advantage of the early memory dips that happen after training and embed new learning into your organisation.

Two head silhouettes face each other. In 1 is a jumble of differently shaped blocks. In the other, the blocks join together to form a cohesive shape.

If we asked professionals to name 3 skills central to critical thinking, we’d guess writing in plain language might not be the first that comes to mind. But dig deeper into the best ways to develop good critical thinking, and clear parallels soon emerge.

Cartoon woman stands in front of a whiteboard saying: Celebrate International Apostrophe Day with us.

Apostrophes are tricky, but did you know that mastering them can boost your career and improve your love life? Let us show you how.

If you had the chance to enrol in a plain language workshop to improve your reviewing efficiency, would you take it? In this article, we take a look at how training can change your life!

Cappuccinos sit beside an open laptop. The chocolate powder on top of each coffee forms an emojis sad face, laughing face, heart, angry face, thumbs up and surprised face.

Love them or loathe them, emojis are part of how many people communicate. But what happens when they appear in professional contexts?

Want your workplace writing to be plain sailing? Be part of the plain language movement and join forces with practitioners around the world to magically transform your writing into texts that are more precise, more persuasive and more successful.

A smiling professional is persuaded by what he reads.

Workplace writing cannot succeed with a one-size-fits-all approach. Yet most of us enter the workforce having learned exactly that: the essay. Why do we use this approach and how does it limit successful communication?

In a classroom, a teacher supervises a class of primary school students who are writing

We worked with the NSW Education Standards Authority to transform their school registration and accreditation manuals. We created new streamlined documents that are 25% shorter, simple to navigate, and written in clear, precise terms that are easy to read.

Young professional woman in white shirt and blue jeans holds a pen and clipboard. She looks thoughtful.

Workplace writing cannot succeed with a one-size-fits-all approach. Yet most of us enter the workforce having learned exactly that: the essay. Why do we use this approach and how does it limit successful communication?

Photo of major Sydney landmarks, including the Opera House, Circular Quay and the Harbour Bridge. This is the home of our Sydney writing courses.

Find the benefits of attending one of our Sydney writing courses. Our workshops help you meet an international standard for communication.

A piggy bank sits on the keyboard of a laptop.

In business, every cent matters. But companies are still overlooking plain language. This communication method can save businesses millions of dollars.

Aerial view of airplane with red jet engines.

Every year we hunt for the year’s worst words: the most cringe-worthy buzzwords, jargon, doublespeak and corporate spin.

Hands of different skin colours hold up the Earth, celebrating Human Rights Day.

Plain language improves transparency and clarity to support a healthy, functional and inclusive democracy that protects citizens’ human rights.

Star-shaped confetti spills out of a golden cup trophy.

When the Department of Human Services asked us to evaluate their website, we were delighted to find a government website that lives up to its name. It focuses on the humans and makes it easy for them to find the services they need!

A finger presses a button on a computer keyboard. The button has a folder with a tick and the word ‘certified’ on it. The person pressing the button has plain language certified documents.

Ever had a hard time understanding a bill? For Australian energy bills, this is a thing of the past with plain language billing guidelines.

A pen, a lightbulb and some coins sit on top of the bill.

Ever had a hard time understanding a bill? For Australian energy bills, this is a thing of the past with plain language billing guidelines.

A robot points to a blackboard. Writing on the board reads 'macine learning'.

Want to use ChatGPT like a pro? Talk to it like a human to get the best results from your prompts. And the best way to do that is to use plain language.

White-collar worker performs magic on a stack of templates.

Wondering why your boss is leaving you on read? Read this article to discover the secret to great business writing.

Woman holds up a 5-star excellent rating.

Your reputation has never been more important. So how do you make your business stand out? One easy way is with plain language.

Button on keyboard unlocks accessibility.

Is your message reaching everyone? Now’s the time to consider plain language. It supports equity, accessibility and inclusion.

Office worker sits despondently at her laptop. She’s stuck two sticky notes with eyes drawn on them over her eyes.

If you're suffering from staffing cuts or need to improve productivity and efficiency at work, switching to plain language can help.

A lawyer shows their client where to sign a contract.

It's time to ditch the legalese and create plain language contracts that everyone can understand.

A finger presses a button that reads, 'ISO certified'.

This standard includes principles, guidelines and techniques to help writers everywhere communicate clearly. But what does it mean for you?

Worker receives multiple urgent emails

After years of critically analysing emails – the good, the bad and the ugly – we’ve come up with 2 recommendations that will guarantee your email gets read.

Woman with grey hair reads a letter.

In the age of instant messaging, do you still have to know how to write a business letter? Read our blog about how to write a formal letter.

A woman in a spotty shirt speaks persuasively to her colleagues. She uses the tools she learned in our persuasive writing workshops.

Persuasive writing helps you get what you want. Whether you write marketing copy or policies and procedures, these persuasive devices are worth knowing.

A woman in a leather jacket works on her laptop. She’s writing to inform her readers.

Writing for government can be dense and difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Our writing courses show you how to communicate clearly and quickly.

A focused woman looks through the pages of a report. She’s able to navigate the document because the writer followed our report writing advice.

Report writing can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. See how in our blog about writing reports using plain language.

A smiling participant attends an online business writing course.

Wondering why your boss is leaving you on read? Read this article to discover the secret to great business writing.

To sign up for grammar courses, person pushes button on keyboard reading, ‘English grammar’.

Grammar courses have a bad reputation and can strike fear into the most seasoned professional. But don't be anxious – we're here to help.

Smiling Indian woman in spotty business shirt reads the document she wrote using tips from our written communication courses.

Our written communication courses can help you avoid the pitfalls of communicating at work. Let's start by looking at the curse of knowledge.

Paper cut-out of people holding hands surrounding a globe and pile of coins. People, globe and coins are on soil that has green shoots poking through the dirt.

Plain English Foundation is excited to announce that EdventureCo has been certified as a B Corporation by global network B Lab.

A professional stands outside a government building and carries writing resources for their government job.

Writing for government can be dense and difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Our writing courses show you how to communicate clearly and quickly.

A man works at his desk on website content writing.

Why is website content writing so challenging? We’ve got you covered. Let's look at what you need to know about writing for the web.

Legislator signs bill

In an exciting win for plain language, the US Senate has passed the Clear and Concise Content Act of 2022. One official says, ‘This bill does exactly what its name implies – it makes government communications easier to understand.’

Brisbane city, where we hold our Brisbane writing courses.

Want to be an excellent communicator like it says in your CV? Then read on for information about our Brisbane writing courses.

A smiling woman stands with her arms crossed in a corporate training room. She’s confident because she attended our professional writing courses and learned to communicate effectively.

Writing professionally is a critical skill in today’s workplace. The rise of remote work means that we communicate in writing more than we ever did before.

Skyline of Perth where our Perth writing courses happen.

Want to ensure that what you write reaches more people? Our Perth writing courses can help you reach this goal.

A team of professionals uses our communication skills course to communicate effectively and get more done. Two men and two women collaborate at a desk.

In an age where AI can write for us, do we still need to be skilled communicators? Will a communication skills course improve your messaging?

A thoughtful professional carefully reviews a technical document on her laptop. She uses information from our technical writing course to create policies and procedures people can follow easily.

You may not think you’re a technical writer, but most of us are. A technical writing course with us will help you do it at your best.

Part of Lumify Group