Writing for Business Success/Delivering your message/Video signpost Frank

Media

View video – The Centre for Access to Justice & Technology: Jessica Bolack Frank: Plain Language. [17:29 min.] This video presents the Western concept of plain language using text, graphics, and media clips to illustrate practical applications. The key message is that modern business contexts are diverse across first languages and cultural reference points, both internally and externally, and plain language is the most effective way to communicate. Around the 9-minute mark, you will have a guided opportunity to practice translating legalese into plain language. You can pause the video after each exercise to check your understanding of plain language before the speaker gives the answers.

Writing Self-Assessment Learning Aid-1 [20-30 minutes] Explore the Center for Plain Language website: The mission of this American non-profit organization is to help government agencies and businesses write clearly. Try using the plain language checklist available on their Home Page to assess clarity and conciseness in the course writing examples and some of your own work in this course.

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Optional

View video – Dr. John McWhorter: What is Language? [27 min.] In this video, Dr. McWhorter, a humanities professor at Columbia University in New York, chooses an interesting technique to clarify what language is and is not, by contrasting human and other animal communication. After listening to his lecture, what do you think makes human language distinct?

What is Language?