Round Table Blog

Game of Signs—Episode 5: what a good sign!
We collect signs because it’s fun to analyze them—a mini exercise in clarity. It turns out making a clear sign is not so easy.
We think this City of Calgary sign is genius! Here's why.
By the Wordsmith team, September 23, 2021
Improve documents, their efficacy, and their cost, all at the same time—a case study
The Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) has committed to communicating in plain language. The result? Their documents work better, and they’ve saved significant time (and cost) in the writing process.
By the Wordsmith team, September 23, 2021
Game of Signs—Episode 4: would you eat here?
We collect signs because it’s fun to analyze them—a mini exercise in clarity. It turns out making a clear sign is not so easy.
What we find interesting is the quotation marks. Maybe someone said it was clean and they’re quoting them. Or maybe it’s just sarcastic. Either way, not inspiring if you’re considering eating there.
By the Wordsmith team, August 17, 2021
Do you understand the financial documents that govern your day‐to‐day life?
If you don’t, they may not be meeting the federal plain-language guidelines. Read this article to learn more about the requirements and the extent to which they are being applied. Plus, we include specific before‐and‐after examples to show some of our work helping banks meet those guidelines
By the Wordsmith team, August 13, 2021
Are we doing a good job of helping Canadians be financially literate?
The short answer? Financial literacy in Canada is improving, but we can do more. The majority of Canadians do not feel financially knowledgeable, and financial literacy is significantly lower for vulnerable populations.
So what can we do to change this? According to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, the #1 priority for reducing barriers in the financial system is…Communicating in ways people can understand.
By the Wordsmith team, August 13, 2021
Guest post!
We can't tackle financial illiteracy without tackling the language
If we tried, it would be rather like teaching a person to fish without a fishing rod. It’s possible, but neither practical nor effective.
Veronica brings her experience as a securities lawyer to explain why there is a gap between the language the financial industry uses and consumers’ understanding.
By Veronica Armstrong, August 17, 2021
Plain language in practice
Gems from a recent conference—Access for all
We attended the virtual Access for all: plain language is a civil right conference last month. It brought together people and organizations who are committed to putting plain language into practice (and doing so successfully!).
This article shares our highlights with you, along with some practical tools you can use in your everyday work.
By the Wordsmith team, May 25, 2021
Game of Signs—Episode 3: oop's!
We collect signs because it’s fun to analyze them—a mini exercise in clarity. It turns out making a clear sign is not so easy.
The problem here is maybe obvious, but it’s a mistake we see more and more in workplace writing. Read the article to see the dos and don’ts (or do’s and don’ts??!) of mixing apostrophes and plurals.
By the Wordsmith team, May 27, 2021
Clear writing doesn't need to be hard to produce
The change that happens between the before-and-after examples we use in workshops often looks like magic. But we don’t wave our simplification-wizard wand. It is an achievable skill for anyone who is interested in learning it. In this article, we share why it looks like magic, and we give concrete tools to learn to get from point A to B yourself.
By the Wordsmith team, May 25, 2021
Writing clearly is not just practical, it's ethical
Consider for a moment how much of the world we navigate by reading. Imagine trying to speak up for yourself if you couldn’t understand the guidance documents. From this perspective, clear, accessible documents are essential to upholding fundamental human rights.
Read four examples of this in practice.
By the Wordsmith team, April 27, 2021
Game of Signs—Episode 2: hunter or hunted?
We collect signs because it’s fun to analyze them—a mini exercise in clarity. It turns out making a clear sign is not so easy. Can you spot the problem with this sign? Read our analysis here.
Keep your eyes peeled
We’ll post ones we find every so often, but send us ones you find too! We can feature them on the next episode.
By the Wordsmith team, April 27, 2021
Punctuation tidbits—dashes
First up on our series of “Punctuation tidbit” articles is dashes. Have you ever wondered what’s with the long dash and short dash? And when you use them? Find out here.
By the Wordsmith team, March 31, 2021
Game of Signs—Episode 1: hotel lobby
We collect signs because it's fun to analyze them—a mini exercise in clarity. It turns out making a clear sign is not so easy. Let's sharpen our wits on this one from an unnamed hotel lobby. Read our analysis here.
Keep your eyes peeled
We'll post ones we find every so often, but send us ones your find too! We can feature them on the next episode.
By the Wordsmith team, March 31, 2021
Let’s change how we evaluate our writing
Most of us assess our writing as if we were our old English teacher. We worry about it, struggle with it, even obsess on it.
There’s an easier standard
Find out what to do instead.
By the Wordsmith team, March 31, 2021
Welcome to our round table blog! The antidote to writing in isolation at work
We notice that writing is too often a solitary act. And not an easy one at that. In this article, we share ways to bring back the ease of writing. The key? Breaking the cycle of writing in isolation. Read more.
Help us build a community to do just that!
On this blog, we’ll think about and resolve problems together. Join in the virtual conversation over a cup of coffee. Send us insights, struggles, examples, and questions.
By the Wordsmith team, March 31, 2021

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