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Susan Chambers

Seven Common Survey Design Errors and How to Avoid Them

March 29, 2022 by Susan Chambers | 4 Comments on Seven Common Survey Design Errors and How to Avoid Them

Not so many years ago, administering a survey to get feedback from stakeholders (e.g., clients, members) was a time-consuming and expensive venture. These days, conducting a survey study has become much simpler with the advent of web-based survey tools. But perhaps the process has become a bit too quick and easy. While it’s now easy […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 5: The Nitty-gritty

February 15, 2022 by Aaron Dalton | 3 Comments on What is Plain Language? Part 5: The Nitty-gritty

This is the fifth and last in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. I offer two half-day workshops: the first is all about the why and then we look at some document-level issues like tone. This is the workshop that I am most passionate about and try to get […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 4: Craftsmanship

November 16, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 1 Comment on What is Plain Language? Part 4: Craftsmanship

This is the fourth in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. Most of the writing that happens in an office is stream-of-consciousness. We fire off dozens of quick emails and texts a day with little thought. But the writing we do for external readers requires more care. Effective writing […]

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Lucy Payette

What’s New in the Canadian Press Stylebook

November 2, 2021 by Lucy Payette | 1 Comment on What’s New in the Canadian Press Stylebook

Since its inception in 1940, The Canadian Press Stylebook has changed “cautiously,” as stated on its website, with a motto of “evolution, not revolution.” Nonetheless, if you’ve followed Canadian Press style, you know it isn’t enough to commit to memory the style standards and leave it at that. Language and usage changes — and style […]

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Merel Elsinga

Update on the International Plain Language Standard: An Interview with Gael Spivak

October 26, 2021 by Merel Elsinga | Leave a Comment

Gael Spivak, a previous president of Editors Canada, works in-house for the federal government as a writer and editor. Part of her job is her involvement in creating an international plain language standard for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). At the Editors Canada conference on June 13, 2021, Gael gave us an update on […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 3: When You Assume …

October 12, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 5 Comments on What is Plain Language? Part 3: When You Assume …

This is the third in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. You’re preparing a speech for a community association. You disagree with a particular policy, but you moderate your language because you “know” that most people disagree with you. What nobody realizes, though, is that actually, most people disagree […]

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Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 2: Reading is a Skill

August 31, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 3 Comments on What is Plain Language? Part 2: Reading is a Skill

This is the second in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language by Aaron Dalton. Defining literacy Literacy is not just about being able to read and write; it’s also about being able to understand and use what you read. In an earlier blog post, I mentioned a standardized measure called […]

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Maggie Clark

A Day in the Life of a Content Marketing Specialist: Maggie Clark

August 3, 2021 by Maggie Clark | Leave a Comment

Writing and editing career paths can take many directions. In this “day-in-the-life” series, experienced professionals share their personal experiences in various roles related to writing, editing and communications. If you’re interested in writing a post for this series, please email The Editors’ Weekly. What is your job? I’m part of Kryton International Inc.’s marketing department, […]

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Aaron Dalton

What Is Plain Language? Part 1: A Definition

June 22, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 6 Comments on What Is Plain Language? Part 1: A Definition

This is the first in a series of articles discussing the basic principles of plain language that I’ve found successful in my teaching. These principles may not be new to my fellow editors. Perhaps some material here will be useful in your own educational efforts. My experience is with non-fiction, mostly technical, writing. I would […]

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Marianne Grier

A Day in the Life of a Communications Manager: Marianne Grier

June 1, 2021 by Marianne Grier | Leave a Comment

Writing and editing career paths can take many directions. In this new “day-in-the-life” series, experienced professionals share their personal experiences and various roles related to writing, editing and communications. If you’re interested in writing a post for this series, please email The Editors’ Weekly. What is your job? I’m an operations manager for communication and […]

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Marianne Grier

Lessons from the Big Buddha

August 6, 2019 by Marianne Grier | 2 Comments on Lessons from the Big Buddha

A recent family adventure took me to Phuket’s Big Buddha. As the name suggests, this marvel is a giant Buddha stretching 45 metres into the sky, overlooking the Andaman Sea. One of the top tourist sites on the island, the Buddha sits peacefully on his mountaintop, his white Burmese jade marble body glinting in the sun. […]

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Marianne Grier

Google as the Editor

January 22, 2019 by Marianne Grier | 6 Comments on Google as the Editor

If you’re a Gmail user, you may have adopted its new Smart Compose feature. This perplexing time-saver has made me question the future of communications since it appeared in my inbox. Smart Compose uses machine learning to help users write faster, clearer emails by anticipating what they’re trying to say and suggesting text they can […]

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Rosemary Shipton

Working With Authors

November 6, 2018 by Rosemary Shipton | 8 Comments on Working With Authors

Editors make decisions all the time as they edit, but the most important judgment call of all is how to work best with each individual author. No one-size-fits-all solution will do. Most commonly, editors make their corrections with track changes, write questions and comments for the author in the margins, and describe their overall approach […]

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