Rodent Regatta

On Effective Writing

Regardless of the topic, weblogs attempt to communicate to quite a cross-section of the world’s readers. As you by now realize, I quote Warren Buffett a lot. As I struggled to understand some difficult (at least for me) Radio topics, I was reminded of a writing assignment Warren Buffett accepted some years ago. In August of 1998 the Securitites and Exchange Commission issued a document called A Plain English Handbook – How to create clear SEC disclosure documents. Warren Buffett was asked to write a Preface to that document.
Here’s a portion of what he said:  ”Write with a specific person in mind. When writing Berkshire Hathaway’s annual report, I pretend that I’m talking to my sisters. I have no trouble picturing them: Though highly intelligent, they are not experts in accounting or finance. They will understand plain English, but jargon may puzzle them. My goal is simply to give them the information I would wish them to supply me if our positions were reversed. To succeed, I don’t need to be Shakespeare; I must, though, have a sincere desire to inform. No siblings to write to? Borrow mine: Just begin with Dear Doris and Bertie.”
If you want to read more, the SEC’s document can be found here.