From little things big things grow

From little things big things grow

When plain language champion Lynda Harris started a one-woman business 25 years ago, little did she know Write would become the largest plain language company in the world.

Lynda originally set up the company based on a single advanced reading course. The former teacher was quick to identify a strong need for training in many other areas of business communication.

The company quickly progressed to offering training in areas such as business writing,

minute writing, and legal writing. They now offer over 30 public workshops and custom-designed courses for organisations of all types, as well as writing, reviewing, and editing services. But a major part of their work is holistic, organisation-wide projects to help organisations change their writing culture.

Last week, Write celebrated its 25th birthday. This important milestone comes in a momentous year for Lynda. In July she published the book Rewrite: How to overcome daily sabotage of your brand and profit. The book draws on Lynda’s many years of working in the field of plain language. The strategies in Rewrite help organisations to understand how clear communication supports both their brand and their bottom line. The book gives practical ways to change for the better and includes numerous case studies from New Zealand and overseas.

In September, Lynda was awarded one of the most prestigious awards in her field: the Mowat Award. This award, made at an international plain language conference in Ireland in September, recognises Lynda as a world leader in the plain language field.

This year also marks ten years since Lynda founded the WriteMark Plain English Awards (now run by an independent trust.). The Awards have steadily increased in influence and importance. They recognise clear writing, and draw attention to documents full of business jargon and gobbledygook. This year’s awards ceremony will be held on 19 November.

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