The city of Dullsville is in the grip of jargon: a conspiracy plotted to destroy clear, concise writing. Three special agents of Intelligence Headquarters - HB Pencil, PAPER:MATE Pen and Liquid Paper - set out to uncover the plot.
Their mission: To wipe out jargon and woolly thinking Their weapon: Operation P.O.B.E. - Plan, Order, Be clear, Evaluate
They carry out operation P.O.B.E., at each stage reporting back to their control agent. They sneak into offices, uncovering and improving poorly written letters and reports.
First they attack lack of PLANNING, then ORDER, improving layout of major and minor points. To BE CLEAR they simplify language and wipe out the jargon.
Finally, they discover that the head of Intelligence Headquarters is part of the jargon plot. They wipe him out and return to their control agent to sum up the operation. He EVALUATES their report, the final stage of Operation P.O.B.E.
- The mnemonic P.O.B.E. is the key to efficient letter and report writing:
- PLAN your letter or report
- ORDER your points using layout to emphasise them
- BE CLEAR: avoid jargon, long sentences, passive verbs
- EVALUATE your letter or report
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