Tired of trying to read information that is confusing, complex, and irritating?
I believe that as citizens we have the right to receive information that is clear, concise, and credible. This talk with teach you what you can do to insist on clarity.
BY DEBORAH S. BOSLEY, OWNER AND PRINCIPAL, THE PLAIN LANGUAGE GROUP — October 27, 2015
As published on THE CONTENT WRANGLER
“People who lean on logic and philosophy and rational exposition end by starving the best part of the mind.”
This quote by William Butler Yeats, one of Ireland’s most famous writers, illustrates a problem we have in the content creation community. We create a multitude of written material, but we rely primarily on logical structures, building authority, plain Read more [...]
A new movement strives for simplicity.
BY VICTORIA CLAYTON, THE ATLANTIC — October 26, 2015
“Persistence is one of the great characteristics of a pitbull, and I guess owners take after their dogs,” says Annetta Cheek, the co-founder of the D.C.-based nonprofit Center for Plain Language. Cheek, an anthropologist by training who left academia in the early 1980s to work for the Federal Aviation Commission, is responsible for something few people realize exists: the 2010 Plain Writing Act. Read more [...]
BY CONOR POPE, THE IRISH TIMES — Needlessly complicated communication from pharmaceutical companies and medical professionals could be putting patients’ lives at risk, a conference on plain language taking place in Dublin has been told.
The 10th International Plain Conference, which promotes clearer language among businesses and state organisations, heard that communication in the health sector was frequently a matter of life and death - and fear of litigation rather an attempt to communicate Read more [...]
BY THE ACROLINX TEAM — We recently had the opportunity to run a webinar with Deborah Bosley. Deborah is the owner and principal of The Plain Language Group, a consulting and strategy firm based out of the Southeastern United States. For more than 20 years, Deborah has worked with some of the largest companies in the world, helping them figure out how to make plain language part of their content strategies. The Q&A that follows is adapted from her presentation.
Acrolinx Team: Deborah, you Read more [...]
FROM DEBORAH S. BOSLEY — I’m on the board of the Center for Plain Language. Time Magazine Online contacted us about assessing the understandability of privacy policies for a variety of companies. I was one of the judges. Google was the best.
TIME teamed up with the Center for Plain Language to rank privacy policies from readable to ridiculous
BY KATY STEINMETZ — August 6, 2015
Only the most diligent among us actually read technology companies’ privacy policies, though Read more [...]
Deborah Bosley of The Plain Language Group has been invited to join the Council of Advisors for the Institute for Fiduciary Standards. She will advise the board on Best Practices for RIAs and Plain Language.
From the News Release:
Washington D. C., July 9 — The Institute for the Fiduciary Standard today inaugurated a Chairman’s Council of independent advisory firms who espouse strong fiduciary business practices and place their client’s best interests ahead of their own at all times.
Nine Read more [...]
Deborah Bosley of The Plain Language Group is Guest Editor for Issue #72 of The Clarity Journal, published by Clarity, the international association promoting plain legal language.
FROM DEBORAH - "When Julie Clement asked if I would guest edit an issue of Clarity, I jumped at the chance. She asked that the issue consist of articles from presentations given at the October 2013, PLAIN conference in Vancouver, CA. This is that issue.
The conference provided me with a wealth of possible articles, Read more [...]
On Demand: Plain and Simple: Create Great Content with Plain Language Strategies
Good writing is good business. Join Deborah S. Bosley Ph.D., to learn how using plain language saves time, increases profits, and improves customer trust.
http://www.acrolinx.com/webinars/ Read more [...]
“Dr. Bosley’s knowledge of legal requirements for plain language is deep. She has been an excellent resource for several articles about employee benefits.”