Finding the right voice

On occasion, I hire a ghostwriter to produce a first draft that I can "personalize".

Last week, Ace Ghostwriter raised with me the issue of "voice". A new client (that I referred) was concerned whether Ace could write in "newclient voice". Ace told me she had not realized she had been "channelling" my voice, but now was certain she could channel another.

This got me thinking. "Voice" is a well-explored concept in professional writing, but in plain language work we focus so much on being "reader-centered" that we don't talk much about voice.

It occurs to me that I have been hiring Ace whenever I feel that I have not got the internal resource to achieve the voice that is required for a particular reading audience.

I am still pondering this, and into my email box pops a great article on voice from Ragan Communication.

Check out How to find the right voice in your writing by Jim Ylisela.

Define corporate-speak

"corporate-speak" -- language that is bland, undifferentiated, hard to read with meaning obscured by jargon, waffle, hype, verbiage, legalese and conventionality.

adapted from "Writing as branding" by Matthew Stibbe of Articulate Marketing on BadLanguage http://www.badlanguage.net/ which is a very readable blog.

E is for efficient, effective, economical writing

Plain language techniques can help you get the message through efficiently and effectively. It takes effort but it’s worth it.

Poorly written documents contribute to inefficiencies, management problems, higher administrative costs, and poor public relations. Clear communication gives you a positive image as efficient, responsive, and friendly. Isn't that how you want your clients to see you?

Improving your writing saves both time and money. Think of the time spent writing and editing. And the time wasted correcting misunderstandings. Imagine the gains to be achieved by making your written material more efficient and effective.

One of my clients prized brevity above all and insisted that all staff memos be limited to one page. But sometimes clarity requires more text or more space, and clarity is what we are really after.

A few weeks ago, Kenneth W. Davis put it this way:

Be economical

Some trainers and textbooks talk about conciseness or brevity. I prefer the word economy. It suggests dollars, pounds, and euros, and reminds us that business is about money. As someone once said, in the game of business, money is how we keep score. This week, as you revise your drafts, look for ways to save money, especially by making smaller demands on your readers' time.

B is for Boilerplate

Everybody wants to use shortcuts whenever possible. So boilerplate came to be to allow lawyers (and other professions, I presume) to save time when producing legal documents. In other fields, one might have "standard forms" or "precedents" or form letters, and so on.

The use of boilerplate text and boilerplate code has become a necessity in producing machine-assembled documents and software, respectfully.

But it is negligent to use boilerplate under 2 conditions:
1. you do not know what it means,
2. you have not read it carefully to determine whether it suits the present use you have in mind.

Young lawyers seem to worship boilerplate even though they do not have a clue whether it properly reflects current law or suits the client's interest. I caution them in my book, Plain Language Legal Writing:

"... remember you will always need to reinvent the product for each client and legal situation since you cannot rely on boilerplate clauses and precedent or standard forms."

Since we call boilerplate documents precedents here in Canada, I wrote:

A Caution on Precedents

It is a mistake to use wording from a precedent if you do not understand the meaning and effect of the wording. You should never assume that a precedent is adequate for your needs even if that precedent is commonly used in the legal community or in your office.

An effective way to edit a precedent written in out-dated legalese is to follow this two-step process:

First, rewrite the material in your own words to confirm that you understand its meaning and effect.

Second, edit and revise your version for clarity and conformity with the firm’s official style.

In working with precedents, you will often find gaps, omissions, and ambiguities that have been overlooked in previous uses. By revising and updating the material, you are actually making it more accurate and effective.

When you are drafting fresh material, it helps to look at a precedent after your first draft – to check if you have missed any common components.

Often formbooks containing precedents and model agreements also have checklists for contents. Review and use these checklists when appropriate."

Beware the AutoAntonym

Today's post is inspired by a recent Word of the Day from dictionary.com

Word of the Day Archive
Wednesday December 19, 2007

discursive \dis-KUR-siv\, adjective:
1. Passing from one topic to another; ranging over a wide field; digressive; rambling.
2. Utilizing, marked by, or based on analytical reasoning -- contrasted with intuitive.

Discursive comes from Latin discurrere, "to run in different directions, to run about, to run to and fro," from dis-, "apart, in different directions" + currere, "to run."

Wikipedia

A word that can be used, depending on the circumstance, to mean both of two opposite concepts.

• Auto-antonyms are the same words that can mean the opposite of themselves under different contexts or having separate definitions
  • enjoin (to prohibit, issue injunction; to order, command)
  • fast (moving quickly; fixed firmly in place)
  • cleave (to split; to adhere)
  • sanction (punishment, prohibition ; permission)
  • stay (remain in a specific place, postpone; guide direction, movement)

Sanctions are frequently called for on the politcial stage and in the law. Sanction is one of those duplicitous words-- it can can mean both reward and punishment.

This is a type of word to avoid. You cannot count on you reader giving the same interpretation to the circumstances that you do. So you cannot be sure your meaning will be understood. Far better to choose a simpler word.

Is there a more effective framework for teaching writing?

There is a program in elementary schools is called 6 Trait writing developed by NorthWest US educators (see: http://www.thetraits.org/about). It was developed to replace a simple grading system and provide teachers with a more effective method for evaluating and giving feedback on student writing.

The traits are: idea development, organization, word choice, voice, and sentence fluency. Here you can find definitions: http://www.nwrel.org/assessment/definitions.php?odelay=0&d=1

I am just now looking into this system to figure out how I might use it as a framework for my own training of business and legal professional.

But I want to share it with other trainers and perhaps generate some conversation on this.

Proper Behavior by Copyright Owner

Hurrah for civility and wit!

We seldom encounter a (U.S.) law firm with any common sense. But Darren Barefoot now knows that the lawyers representing Second Life Know where the sunshines from other places.

Instead of threatening him over his parody at the Get a First Life site, Linden Lab sent him a "Permitted and Proceed" letter. Here it is:

"We do not believe that reasonable people would argue as to whether the website located at http://www.getafirstlife.com/ constitutes parody – it clearly is. Linden Lab is well known among its customers and in the general business community as a company with enlightened and well-informed views regarding intellectual property rights, including the fair use doctrine, open source licensing, and other principles that support creativity and self-expression. We know parody when we see it."

Read the post at Darren's blog