Welcome to the Communication Pursuit website!
The Communication Pursuit website is a continuation of my lifelong career in clear communications work. The core goal is to make documents and content easier to read and enjoy for both the reader/consumer of the content and just as importantly for the creator/leader or business behind the document.
Whether you’re a leader, manager, the boss, the ‘big’ boss, a senior executive, owner of your small business, the subject matter expert as a key part of a project, the author of a non-fiction book, then it is important that you get your messages across well, every time. Why? Because each time you communicate has a big IMPACT. Whether that impact is positive, negative or ignored, it’s still an impact. Send an email to your 10,000 employees and you’ll want to be confident that your messages are well considered, as the impact of your messages has a big flow-on effect, potentially affecting time and productivity of your employees.
Also in many organisations documents intended for many customers often need to go through a sign-off process that requires input and agreement from a number of stakeholders, which could include you.
The principles of clear communication apply both to the writing process and the sign-off process, which we’ll explore in more detail to come.
Clear communication is not about blanket principles that apply to all, all the time. For example, it is not about necessarily replacing all big words to smaller words, rather it is about finding the apt words that suit the situation at the time for the right audience, whether they are big and/or small and/or words for specific expertise. The writer can simultaneously use their voice, adhere to their organisation’s brand voice, using a variety of words and communicate clearly with an appropriate tone.
This website and blog is also about dispelling myths. For example, there is no need for two spaces after every fullstop because that principle only applied in the days of typewriters (circa 1970s) when there was no ability to adjust the spacing between words. As all word processors, devices such as tablets and phones automatically adjust word spacing now, there is only a need for one space after a fullstop. Also even in the 1970s book publishers only used one space after fullstops, as using two spaces after each fullstop in a 200 page book created approximately 10 extra pages, which was not environmentally or economically viable.
We are here to help you by providing services and resources to make the skills of writing and sign-off more effective for you, so you can write using your voice and approve messages confidently in less time. I look forward to hearing from you how we can assist your pursuit of clear communication.
Regards
Roslyn Abela
Founder, Communication Pursuit Pty Ltd