Short texts for diction practice

We are meeting at the library entrance on Thursday at half past six. The walk takes about forty minutes and finishes at the same entrance. Bring a light jacket if you think you will need one. If you arrive a little late, wait by the front steps; we will check there before leaving. You can join even if you have never walked with the group before. Come over, tell us your name and we will introduce you to someone who knows the route.

Check whether a listener can catch the time and meeting point.

Last month we received forty requests. This month we received fifty-two. That is twelve more requests, but it does not tell us whether each one took more work. We will compare the time spent handling requests in each month before changing the schedule. For now, the team will keep the same morning hours and review the figures on Friday. When we share the next update, we will show the number of requests and the time they took side by side.

Leave enough space around the two numbers and say what changed.

Maya will welcome people at the entrance, and Leo will help them find their seats. If you need the printed programme, ask Maya. If you are looking for an accessible place to sit, ask Leo before the talk begins. Both will wear green badges. After the talk, Maya will collect questions for the speaker while Leo helps the next group enter. There is no need to remember every detail now: look for a green badge and explain what you need.

Make the two names and their different roles easy to distinguish.

The first draft describes every feature of the project, but it never says what the team needs to decide. The next version will begin with that decision. We will explain the main reason, give one example and leave the supporting details in a separate note. This does not mean the details are unimportant. It means a listener needs a route through them. After reading the opening, someone should be able to tell us what choice is being proposed and why it matters.

Pause between the problem and the proposed change.

First, open the folder marked Drafts and find the file with today's date. Next, read the opening paragraph and check that it explains who the message is for. Then look at the final sentence: it should say what the reader can do next. Write one comment about the opening and one about the ending. Save the file before you close it. If you cannot find today's draft, ask the editor which version to use rather than changing an older copy.

Keep each action together and leave a pause before the next one.

I suggest moving the weekly update to a short written note, followed by a ten-minute discussion. The note would let everyone check the facts before the meeting. We could use the discussion for questions that need an answer from the group. This may not suit every project, so let us try it with one team first. After two weeks, we can ask what was useful and what was missing. Please choose a team for the trial and tell us who will prepare the first note.

Keep the final request as clear as the opening.