Auteur : Aaron Dalton

Through an eclectic career that spanned hospitality, software localization, computer programming, and musicology, Aaron learned firsthand the power of audience-centred communication. He currently works for the Alberta Energy Regulator as an editor and plain language evangelist, where he develops and delivers staff training on effective writing.
Illustration of a text document with a rosette adorned with a star at the bottom of the page.
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

“Brag docs”: An Aide-mémoire

janvier 26, 2023 by Aaron Dalton | 4 commentaires sur “Brag docs”: An Aide-mémoire

Performance reviews and discussions around compensation are part of working in house. You can’t just unilaterally change your hourly rate. If you want to get ahead, you need to be able to have uncomfortable conversations and demonstrate your value. But if you’re anything like me, remembering what you did last week, let alone last year, […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Illustration of four people collaborating over two computers on a desk. Abstract images representing ideas and success appear in the background.
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

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

février 15, 2022 by Aaron Dalton | 3 commentaires sur 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 […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Illustration of two people's hands pointing at a clipboard with items checked off of a to-do list. Hand-drawn sketches of business symbols (papers, charts, emails, etc.) surround the clipboard.
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

What is Plain Language? Part 4: Craftsmanship

novembre 16, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | Un commentaire sur 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 […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Illustration of a large arrow pointing to the right in a crowd of smaller arrows pointing to the left, signifying going against the flow. (godruma © 123RF.com)
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

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

octobre 12, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 5 commentaires sur 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 […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Screenshot of style guide drop-down list in PerfectIt, with The Chicago Manual of Style selected.
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

Review: The Chicago Manual of Style for PerfectIt

septembre 14, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | Un commentaire sur Review: The Chicago Manual of Style for PerfectIt

Disclaimer: I received a free year of access to The Chicago Manual of Style Online (CMOS Online) and PerfectIt 5 as part of testing the beta version and writing this review. Efficiency is key to maximizing your income. There are only so many hours in a day, so you simply must do more in those […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Illustration of a magnifying glass over an open book (pandavector © 123RF.com)
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

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

août 31, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 3 commentaires sur 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 […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Illustration of a person typing. A text-based document is on the screen, and letters, numbers and symbols float outside the monitor.
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

What Is Plain Language? Part 1: A Definition

juin 22, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 6 commentaires sur 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 […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Illustration of man, eyes closed, sitting cross-legged, zen-like, in front of a laptop, while papers fly around him.
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

Zen and the Art of Editing

mai 11, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 4 commentaires sur Zen and the Art of Editing

This post is part of a series by and for in-house editors. The focus of this series is on the personal experiences and various roles of in-house editors. If you’re interested in writing a post for this series, please email the Member Services Committee. I’m a punctilious person. I care about the details. I care […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Illustration of two hands, one passing a pen to the other.
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

Editing Face to Face

février 23, 2021 by Aaron Dalton | 3 commentaires sur Editing Face to Face

Writing in a large organization is usually done “by committee.” That’s a challenging process at the best of times. After doing a first pass, which almost invariably contains more edits than the writers expected, I’m often asked to sit down (these days, virtually) and work though my comments with them. The first few times were […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Illustration of laptop screen with document with red circle correction marks.
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

Wildcards and Regular Expressions

novembre 10, 2020 by Aaron Dalton

Recently, I’ve seen some problems involving global text edits that were easily solved with Microsoft Word’s Advanced Find and Replace feature. Spending some time learning the ins and outs of this feature will more than pay off when you’re able to do something in minutes that would take you hours to do manually. Find and […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Magnifying glass magnifies the words "Style Guide" on the cover of a spiral-bound document. Illustration on a blue background.
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

Learning from History

octobre 6, 2020 by Aaron Dalton | 4 commentaires sur Learning from History

This post is part of a series of case studies by and for in-house editors. The focus of this series is on the personal experiences and various roles of in-house editors. If you’re interested in writing a post for this series, please email the Member Services Committee. One of the reasons our species has flourished is that […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Bird's eye view of laptop on left, desktop computer in middle with smartphone plugged in, and tablet with coffee on the right.
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

Laws of UX

août 11, 2020 by Aaron Dalton | 4 commentaires sur Laws of UX

UX stands for “user experience.” It’s the discipline that looks at how users navigate (usually digital) interfaces and tries to maximize fluency. In-house editors will often find themselves wearing many hats, especially in smaller organizations. I know I’ve often been asked to edit not just web copy but also text in various IT systems (for […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Six people of varying ethnicities and genders thinking (expressed by question marks surrounding each of their heads).
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

Empirical Editors: Fluency

juin 9, 2020 by Aaron Dalton | 4 commentaires sur Empirical Editors: Fluency

This article is part of a series that looks at lessons one can draw from some of the research collected in Aaron Dalton’s “Empirical Research for Editors” list.  “Fluency” refers to how easy or difficult it is to do or process something. I interpret the science in this area through the lens of plain language, […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Empirical Editors Bias
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

Empirical Editors: Curse of Knowledge

mars 17, 2020 by Aaron Dalton | Un commentaire sur Empirical Editors: Curse of Knowledge

This article is part of a series that draws lessons from some of the research collected in Aaron Dalton’s “Empirical Research for Editors” list. Do you have the curse of knowledge? The “curse of knowledge” is a type of cognitive bias where someone unknowingly assumes, while communicating, that their audience has the same background knowledge […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Editorial Comments
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton General EAC

Notes on Notes

janvier 14, 2020 by Aaron Dalton | 16 commentaires sur Notes on Notes

I had occasion recently to teach someone how to write effective editorial comments. It was an interesting exercise as it forced me to articulate principles I had absorbed over many years, some learned from painful experience. Here’s what came to mind: Know your place. My job is to help the author produce the best quality […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Editorial checklist. Hand holding clipboard with checklist and pencil. to-do list and planning project with office supplies. flat icon modern design style vector illustration concept.
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

Checklists: Sharing Knowledge

novembre 5, 2019 by Aaron Dalton | 5 commentaires sur Checklists: Sharing Knowledge

I’ve spent most of my career in-house. Currently I work with dozens of individual authors from all across the organization on a diverse array of document types. Though our editorial team works as a pool, a certain degree of specialization is unavoidable. We need to be able to record and share institutional knowledge amongst ourselves […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

The Ethical Imperative for Plain Language

septembre 10, 2019 by Aaron Dalton | 9 commentaires sur The Ethical Imperative for Plain Language

I used to speak of plain language in terms of it being “the right thing to do” and also the most effective thing to do from a utilitarian perspective (i.e., it gets results). But then I came across Russell Willerton’s book Plain Language and Ethical Action: A Dialogic Approach to Technical Content in the 21st […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Image shows multiple acronyms
Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

Empirical Editors: Acronyms

juillet 16, 2019 by Aaron Dalton | 13 commentaires sur Empirical Editors: Acronyms

Background I’m an in-house editor for the Alberta Energy Regulator. Authors are required to work with our group as they move towards publishing their documents. It’s essential that we cultivate and nurture relationships of respect and trust. One element of that is always being able to rationalize and justify our recommendations. There’s no room for […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

Classé dans :

Aaron Dalton

Language Resources for Non-Native English Speakers

mai 7, 2019 by Aaron Dalton | 3 commentaires sur Language Resources for Non-Native English Speakers

I teach plain language workshops, and I was recently approached by a non-native English speaker. His language skills were excellent. He said he learned English mostly through standardized exams, and he felt there was a gap between the mode of English he was taught and the plain language approach I was preaching. His question was […]

En savoir plus »

Marqués

Tagged

To top