Plain English at Work: A Guide to Writing and Speaking

by Edward P. Bailey

Everyday we write countless memos, letters, and reports without a second thought. Likewise, we give presentations, both formal and informal. Often this writing and speaking gets criticized for being jargon-ridden, obscure, or long-winded--in short, for not being in "plain English." But what is plain English, and how do we go about writing and speaking it? In Plain English at Work, Edward Bailey gives the answer, with down-to-earth tips and practical advice. Bailey, an expert in business communication, gives us a simple model for


· Style : write more the way you talk.


· Organization : make your point easy to find.


· Layout : use headings, lists, and other white space so readers can see the structure of your writing.
Psycholinguists, Bailey points out, have proven that the techniques of plain English writing are far easier on your readers; experience has proven that writing in plain English is easier on you--the writer, too. Bailey also gives you a wealth of practical advice for presentations


· How to remember your talk.


· How to design visual aids.


· How to design computer presentations.


· How to set up the room you'll be speaking in.


· How to develop a successful delivery style.
Perhaps most impressive are the many detailed tips he gives here. For instance, when using a pointer, hold it in the hand closer to the screen (otherwise, you turn your back on the audience, making it harder to hear you). When designing a visual aid, use at least 28-point type, and seldom use all capital letters (which are harder to read). And when presenting a bar chart during a computer presentation, build it--a bar at a time--to focus your audience's attention.
Drawing on two earlier and popular books, The Plain English Approach to Business Writing and A Practical Guide for Business Speaking, this new volume has been significantly updated. It includes up-to-the-minute information on using computers, computer graphics, and typography for your writing, and on using the same technology for designing your presentations. The result is an authoritative and comprehensive single volume that will be the essential guide for everyone wishing to communicate more easily and effectively at work.

Genres: Writing

304 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Dr. Edward P. Bailey Jr. is a retired writing and speaking teacher. Before his retirement, he was a Professor of Business Communication at Marymount University.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plain English at Work, a non-fiction, by Edward P. Bailey provides common sense ideas to writing. He suggests using contractions, defining jargon, and large font in power point presentations. Some unfortunate programmer in an insurance company had to read this guide to help do some technical writing in 2004. If you want to read a book that even now 22 years later is helpful, then this is the book for you.

[Ian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended to me by a speaking / speech coach.

Fast read with common sense recommendations for speaking and presenting simply and effectively. Communications is part of my everyday work portfolio and most of this, but not all, was content I've heard in various places. For many of the technical staff I've worked with, this would be worthwhile reading.

The book is split into writing and presenting. The presenting half is more outdated - there is a lot in here on technology and at the time this was written transparencies were at their heyday and power point was just becoming popular. Still, the material on planning, practice and execution still relevant.

The author practices what he preaches - this book is written so that it's easy to read. Very fast read.