Blog
Writing tip: Rid your writing of redundancy
Want to immediately boost your writing skills and the impact of your written message? Rid your writing of redundancy. You don't have to be Hemingway, but do respect your reader's time by avoiding superfluous words. Try it. See how much you can edit down a message to...
The cost of not proofreading: a story of frustration and rejection
Mark was a senior consultant who’d had a great idea to boost what his organisation could offer by partnering with another. He'd done some initial research and was fairly sure the other organisation could be a great fit. He was just waiting for Tim's report to land in...
Small but mighty – a personal reflection on the hummingbird
My family and I were supposed to be in Colombia right now, heading into the last week of a trip we'd excitedly booked on Christmas Eve, 2019. I'm reminded of this every time I see my business name and remember that, had it not been for 2020, I might have been in...
What’s the difference between editing and proofreading?
By the time a document is ready to be proofread, it should have been edited already. It should already be well organised, well written, and easy to understand. Proofreading is then the final step of checking that document before it's published. It is about finding...
Proofreading tip: stationery vs stationary
Do you ever forget which you should use? No matter how excellent our writing skills and how high our professional level, we sometimes forget the difference between such common words. It can be a bit embarrassing to make such an error in a professional email or...
Keep it simple – an example of reducing wordiness
I thought it might be helpful to break down my process for editing a sentence through sharing this example from my work today. It comes from a 25-page report I’m editing for a state-wide mental health support unit. Original sentence: There were three main priority...
7 steps to plain English: boost your writing skills
Heard about writing in plain English but not sure what it actually means? It's so important for clear communication. Well, there are seven core principles of plain English writing. Understand these principles if you want to write in a way that's more accessible and...
How to write with a positive tone
Tone is the attitude communicated by our words in both speaking and writing. Just like in speaking, the tone we use in writing has a direct effect on the success of our communication.