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Site picks
- Once we hated business jargon… Back in the day, Plain Text railed against corporatese like everyone else…
- …but now we've changed our minds. It’s quite useful really, in its proper place. Why resist?
Great writing picks
- Gizmodo Flip, punchy copy that makes gadget freaks salivate.
- Tim Harford Not scared of full stops.
Archives
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RSS Links
Writing resources
As we gradually added more stuff to this site, it occurred to us that we should
group some of our material together to make it a more useful resource for visitors.
After all, we know where to find all the stuff relevant to, say, presentations,
but there’s no reason why you should.
So here are some quick links to business writing topics that have been covered
in the Gazette and our A-Z of Plain Text.
Some links are to content on this site; others point elsewhere on the web.
Briefing
The essential questions to ask when composing a business writing brief.
Brochures
Some tips on writing, or avoiding, the ‘Brochure of Doom’.
Case studies
How to keep case studies credible.
Intranet writing
An article published in the Freepint newsletter on how effective writing can make information work harder.
Letters and emails
Some thoughts on email newsletters and the art of letter-writing. Or some impassioned ranting about promotional letters and emails.
Press releases
A necessary evil. Examples of good and bad press releases from the first Plain Text Gazette.
Speeches and presentations
An article about how to get presentations wrong and right. Some brief
guidelines. Musings on why Powerpoint is ever used at all. Edward Tufte’s site,
from which you can buy his excellent Powerpoint counterblast ‘The Cognitive
Style of Powerpoint’.
Straplines
A rant and some practical thoughts on this subject.
Structuring copy
Musings on why this is important.
Writing for the web
How to use writing to scare readers off, or attract them. Some quick guidelines.
Usability guru Jakob Nielsen’s thoughts and links on the subject.