Speech Talk 5: Alan Siegel – plain English – striving for simplicity
As a speech pathologist, lawyer, plain English lover and a small business owner, this one is close to my heart!
Official documents don’t need to be complicated. Government forms shouldn’t take an hour – or a PhD – to fill in.
Alan Siegel is a business communication expert specialising in plain English and simplicity. He’s done some fantastic work through his “Simplicity Lab” with legal documents like credit agreements and tax forms. His work helps everyone who uses his documents, but particularly those with language and communication problems.
My key takeaway from Mr Siegel’s talk is that:
simple writing = clarity, transparency + empathy.
In writing reports, forms and other documents, we should all strive for simplicity. We should remember we are writing to people – not machines. We should inject some humanity into the things we write.
Related articles:
- Want your writing to sound smarter? Get rid of pointless, long words!
- 25 rules of effective writing from a plain English legend
- Reading heroes: The Fantastic Mr Flesch – phonics warrior and plain English pioneer
Hi there, I’m David Kinnane.
Principal Speech Pathologist, Banter Speech & Language
Our talented team of certified practising speech pathologists provide unhurried, personalised and evidence-based speech pathology care to children and adults in the Inner West of Sydney and beyond, both in our clinic and via telehealth.
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