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BP writing style guide Clear and consistent communications. September 2016 edit

BP writing style guide Clear and consistent communications. September 2016 edition Introduction 2 BP writing style guide 2016 September 2016 Writing for BP channels What’s the style guide for? Communications play an important role in the way BP presents itself to the outside world. The style guide is designed to make writing easier to read and create consistency across BP’s communications and channels. This guide sets out the spelling, grammar, presentation and formatting that we should use in all BP communications, as well as providing guidance to help keep writing interesting and engaging for our many internal and external audiences. The writing style is an important part of our identity as an organization. You should apply the principles of this guide for everything you write in BP. We update the BP style guide annually, with colleagues from across group communications. The style applies to all BP communications and channels including online, print, social media and infographics. Where style differences are necessary between channels, these are explained on page 24. 3 BP writing style guide 2016 September 2016 1. Writing style Page Page 1. Writing style 4 5. Presentation 17 Engaging communications 4 Abbreviations and acronyms 17 Tone of voice 6 BP group 18 BP brand voice 6 Dates and times 18 Readability 7 e.g. and i.e. 19 Email addresses 19 2. BP style cheat sheet 9 Legal terminology 19 Money 19 3. BP use of English 10 Numbers 19 Typography 10 People’s names 21 Accents 10 Website URLs 21 Ampersands 10 Apostrophes 10 6. Formatting 22 Brackets 11 Bullet points 22 Colons 11 Data tables 22 Commas 11 Emphasis 22 Conjunctions 11 Footnotes 22 Contractions 12 Publications 23 Hyphens and dashes 12 References 23 Quotation marks 12 Sources 23 Semicolons 12 Trade marks and copyright 12 7. Writing for different channels 24 Troublesome words 13 Online communications 24 Social media 25 4. Capitalization 15 Infographics and animations 26 A bias to lower case 15 BP’s businesses and functions 15 8. BP spellings and translations 27 BP – other nouns 15 British or American spelling 27 BP programmes 15 Translations 27 Compass points 15 Frequently used words 28 Currencies 15 Headings, subtitles and titles 15 9. Contacts and downloads 29 Hemispheres 15 Job titles 15 Nouns in general context 16 Proper nouns 16 Seasons 16 Contents 4 BP writing style guide 2016 September 2016 1. Writing style   BP writes with a consistent editorial style across all its communications. Engaging communications Good writing keeps people reading, bad writing makes them stop. If people stop reading because they are bored or baffled, they will miss the message you are trying to communicate. It’s your job to make sure they keep reading, helping BP share its story as clearly as possible, with as many people as possible. BP uses an authentic, confident tone of voice. Communications are supported by facts that give a credible picture of BP’s position and activities. Different writing styles  Features are informal, but longer than news stories, often focusing on a particular person, team or activity in detail.  Speeches and notes from executives are written with very clear messages, backed by evidence. Introduce the main point Start with the most important point, not the background or overall theme. Focus on what’s interesting to your reader, not BP messaging. Be direct Straightforward communications are easier to read and understand. Writing should always be accurate, clear and concise. But we use small differences in style for different types of communication.  Corporate reports are written in chapters that usually work through the elements of a topic in a logical order, starting with an overview and covering all the main points.  News stories are usually short and informal. They start with the newest or most interesting point, aiming to capture the reader’s attention, before going on to explain the background. BP has launched a new lubricant. The launch follows extensive research of advanced oils. Having researched the marker for advanced oils, BP has launched a new lubricant. Simple rules for writing Whatever you’re writing, you can help to make sure it’s clear and effective by following these simple writing rules from author George Orwell:  Don’t use a long word where a short one will do.  If it’s possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.  Don’t use the passive if you can use the active.  Don’t use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or jargon if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. Taken from Orwell’s 1946 essay ‘Politics and the English Language’. 5 BP writing style guide 2016 September 2016 1. Writing style Formal version Plain English version Acquire Get Arduous Difficult Donation Gift Expedient Quick Fortitude Strength Leverage Use Location Place Maintain Keep Require Need Remain Stay Focus on the compelling issues Don’t try to describe every single detail in your communications – illustrate primary themes with a balanced overview of supporting statistics and evidence. Provide a short, digestible amount of detail and if needed provide links to further information, such as a website or document. Balanced vocabulary Where there is a choice of words with the same meaning, aim to use the plainest English version to give your writing pace and energy. Used occasionally formal or Latin-origin words can convey intelligence, but too much creates a stiff and overly formal tone. Check you’ve told your readers… Who, what, when, where, why, how Use plain English Write as you would speak with ordinary English. Using everyday words helps to make sure a wide audience can engage with your writing. Plain English is: • faster to write • faster to read • easier to understand. Accessible language Edit out business-specific phrases, jargon and expressions to make your writing more widely understandable. Is there a better way of saying it? Avoid using words that don’t say anything: Address or speaks to (as in said/spoke) Capability (as in skills) Capacity (as in space) Critical (as in important) Deploy (as in use) Feedstock (as in raw materials) Framework (as in structure) Implement (as in put in place) Impacted (as in has an effect on) Learnings (as in knowledge) Material (as in essential, relevant) Standards (as in expectations) Step change (as in a significant change) User (as in person) Utilize (as in use) Oil industry specific jargon Think before you use industry jargon. Avoid using it when writing for a diverse audience who may not understand it. Will the audience know what these terms mean? If the answer is no, don’t use it. Alpha-olefins Barriers to risk Blowout Conduct for operating Production tree Wellhead Local expressions Certain local terms are not easily understood or translated. Avoid using expressions such as: Knowledge base Lend a hand Line up your ducks Over the moon Think outside the box Two heads are better than one Septe 1. 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