For Organisations

Communicating with Different Audiences

Organisations often need to communicate the same information to different people and departments. A status report may be written for board members or stakeholders, while a general departmental update may be all that is required by office managers. A newsletter might be written specifically for participating charities, while the general public requires information that informs without relying on company jargon.

We work with charities, associations, foundations, community groups and other organisations on reports, guidance, publications, website content, newsletters and other written material. The purpose is to make sure that the information is clear and appropriate for the people who need to read it.

Making Information Easier to Follow

People working within an organisation are usually very familiar with its terminology, policies and subject matter. The reader may not be. Information that seems obvious internally can be difficult to understand when it reaches somebody encountering the subject for the first time.

We look at the structure of the document, the order in which information is presented and whether important points are easy to find. Unnecessary repetition, unexplained terminology and passages which assume knowledge the reader may not have can be identified and discussed.

Consistency Across an Organisation

Publications and other material may be produced by different departments, committees, staff members or volunteers. Each contributor may have a different writing style and may use terminology in a slightly different way. Material may also have been adapted from previous documents and no longer be completely consistent with current information.

Related documents can be reviewed together to check terminology, tone, structure and presentation. Where information appears contradictory, incomplete or out of date, it is flagged for clarification rather than changed on the assumption that we know which version is correct.

Specialist Information

We do not claim expertise in your organisation's specialist subject, policies or procedures. You provide that knowledge. Our role is to look at how the information is communicated and identify places where the language may be unclear, ambiguous or unnecessarily difficult for the intended reader.

Where English is not the writer's first language, we can also help with grammar, sentence structure, phrasing and word choice so that the English reads naturally without changing the intended meaning.

Before Publication

A final proofread checks spelling, punctuation, grammar, formatting and presentation before the material is published or distributed.