A quote attributed to Winston Churchill in “The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill” compiled by Dominique Enright offers one of the best rules for Clear Writing - “Short words are best and the old words when short are best of all.”

When writing any type of business report, memo, or communication, it’s best to remember:

• Short and familiar words - limit jargon, technical terms and acronyms
• Short sentences  – a good average to keep in mind is 15-18 words 
• Short paragraphs – focus on the important idea with logical links between thoughts

The Osborne Group Principal Janet Carnegie offers Clear Language training to help those who want to write more clearly and connect effectively with any audience.

Janet Carnegie

Winston Churchill, universally acknowledged as a champion of motivational speech, was an early proponent of Clear Language.  The following anecdote from “The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill” compiled by Dominique Enright makes the point.

When an American general asked Churchill to look over the draft of an address he had written it was returned with the comment “Too many passives and too many zeds.”  The general asked what he meant and was told: “Too many Latinate polysyllabics like “systematize”, “prioritize” and “finalize”.  And then the passives.  What if I had said, instead of “We shall fight on the beaches”, “Hostilities will be engaged with our adversary on the coastal perimeter”?

The Osborne Group Principal Janet Carnegie offers Clear Language training that brings the battle against passives and zeds right to your office. 

Janet Carnegie