DGT Branding Toolkit and Style Guidelines

LANGUAGE STYLE

Overall our tone should be open and friendly, speaking directly to the person reading it. Use first person words like we, you, us.

These guidelines emphasise the need for simple, plain English. Why say, ‘If there are any points on which you require explanation or further particulars we shall be glad to furnish such additional details as may be required by telephone’, when you could say, ‘If you have any questions, please ring’?

Here are some general tips:

• Strike out meaningless modifiers or superlatives (for example, take out the ‘rather’ in ‘rather unique’ or the ‘absolutely’ in ‘absolutely monopolised’)

• Write in plain English. Use familiar, everyday words wherever possible

• Don’t use a scientific word or jargon when you can think of an everyday English equivalent

• Place the ‘do-er’ early in the sentence. For example, ‘the board decided’ is better than ‘it was decided that the board….’

• Write in a logical order and don’t try to say everything at once. Plan it first, then write a draft and read it back to yourself

• Don’t use ‘virtually’ or ‘literally’

• There is no rule saying you cannot start sentences with ‘And’ or ‘But’.

• If you can cut out a word, then do so

Remember, first impressions count. What you say and how you say it will impact on that person’s confidence – positively or negatively – in our ability to do a good job.

• Long paragraphs, like long sentences, confuse the reader. Short, simple sentences are clearer

• Break up your writing into digestible chunks. Small pieces of information are easier to take in

• Help readers by using headings, lists and plain numbering