spiral-bound, 96 pages, full colour, 195x240mm | NZ$60 RRP | ISBN 9780958278423
Clear Concise Compelling (2ed)
How to write less to achieve more
By Simon Hertnon
What’s new in the second edition?
The 96-page second edition develops Hertnon’s focus on writing to deliver value, and features 11 new sections.
Asked to select the top five changes, Hertnon chose the following.
Section 1.3: Writing to deliver value
‘If you write at work, you’re a professional writer who needs to deliver value from every email and report.’ This section is designed to shift your mindset away from producing costly outputs and towards engineering valuable outcomes by solving problems and realising opportunities through well-communicated knowledge.
Chapter 2: Process
‘Professionals follow well-honed processes, but most office workers just write how they’ve always written. And, typically, those who manage writers accommodate this unwanted variation.’ This chapter sets out why and how to produce clear briefs and organised outlines before drafting.
Section 3.4: Familiar tone
‘A familiar (‘human’) tone achieved through a conversational style puts readers at ease and should be the default tone for all business and academic writing.’ This one-page section illustrates how overly formal language creates an unwanted distance between writer and reader.
Section 3.6: Adhering to a plain language standard
‘Plain language is “precise and familiar” language that you have purposefully structured to make your message easy to comprehend. Why would any organisation on the planet not want to communicate in such a manner?’ This section features the 10-point Write Plain Language Standard – which is referred to in the official guidance for the Plain Language Act 2022 – and calls for the universal adoption of such a standard.
Section 6.2: Advice for academic writers
‘Although I am encouraged by a growing number of exceptions, most academic writers are still burying their valuable knowledge in difficult-to-read documents of one kind or another. We cannot afford to let this remain the status quo because we need that knowledge to help us to live more wisely.’ This section asks if traditional academic writing is as good as it can be, and explains how writing style drastically affects the likelihood of a reader acting on any set of facts.
How can you buy the book?
Physical copies
We ship the physical book to New Zealand addresses for NZ$60.
Buy the book
For bulk or international orders contact us for a quotation at info[at]nakedize.com.
Digital copies in
We supply a specially-formatted (single-page layout) PDF for NZ$30.
Buy and download the PDF eBook
Format and content
As with the first edition, Clear Concise Compelling is printed in full colour and features a spiral binding (so the book lies fully flat), tabbed sections, check boxes to keep track of your learning progress, and large flaps containing the key, the glossary, and a chart displaying the process of optimal information design. The flaps can also be used as bookmarks.
The course book for Writing Essentials
Since publishing the first edition of this guidebook in 2006, Simon Hertnon has taught thousands of knowledge workers how to deliver value through their writing.
Clear Concise Compelling is the course book for the one-day Writing Essentials professional development course, which Simon has taught at Victoria University of Wellington since 2008.
Kudos for the first edition
[A] superb guide to plain English
Idealog
Zesty and inviting
Sky Marsen, Lecturer in Writing, Victoria University of Wellington
A beautifully designed and produced book
Ed Aster, Aster Publishing USA
Here’s a book I devoured. I commend it. It is such an excellent, excellent book.
Gary Ward, NewstalkZB Wellington
It is really clear and really concise…very worth having a copy for your teenagers, at work, wherever.
Breffni Hellyer, MoreFM Nelson
A fascinating and enjoyable read, essential for anyone interested in communication and grammar
Maryanne Ahern, Producer, Television New Zealand
It’s fantastic
Ali Jones, NewstalkZB Christchurch
Easy to read…an extremely valuable communication tool
Ant Strachan, High Performance Manager Auckland Rugby, former All Black and teacher
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF NEW ZEALAND CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA (to be confirmed)
Title: Clear Concise Compelling : How to write less to achieve more / Simon Hertnon.
Creator: Simon Hertnon
Subjects: English language — Writing — Handbooks, manuals, etc; English language — Usage; English language — Punctuation
Publisher: Nakedize
Edition: 2nd ed.
Publication Date: 2021
Format: 96 p. : col. ill. ; 24 cm.
Language: English
Identifier: ISBN9780958278423 (spiral binding)