How to Cut the Gobbledegook: an introduction to plain language writing and clear design

We created this manual to use with our workshop. It is part of our Fostering Plain Language in Public Communications project funded by the National Literacy Secretariat.

The manual contains:

• information about literacy levels in PEI
• questions to consider before writing
• some principles of plain language and clear design
• exercises and examples to reinforce the principles

We hope that you will find the manual useful as a reference for your writing. We believe these techniques will help you become a better communicator.

Catherine O’Bryan, Executive Director
Norman Finlayson, Project Coordinator

November 2006