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AAE House Style Guide

Audience & Readers

This provides details of the readership and audience at AAE to help you frame what you are writing or saying, and house terminolgy and language to ensure clarity and some consistency.

The audience and readership (the AAE community) is from many countries and regions of the world. They are all from associations, societies, federations and other work-related membership organisations.

Authors and speakers should:

  • Not assume that situations that ocurred in one country are known by the audience / readers
  • When refering to an organization (eg.HMRC / government tax & revenue department) that is particular to one country, use a term that is universal, or explain briefly what you are referring to
  • Take account of legal obligations and custom being different in most countries
  • Avoid humour that is particular to a specific country / people
  • Avoid anything that makes the content un-necessarily "dated" as the content may be used years ahead

Copy text

  • Bullets should start with capital letters and not include a comma, full stop or words referring to the next bullet (eg. and/or) at the end
  • Don't use ordinal numbers for dates, eg. "10th March" as the international format (eg. "10 March") suits everyone

Terminology

  • Use "Sector" not "Industry"
  • Associations is not a sector/industry: Avoid refering to "associations" as a sector or industry as these terms are used for the specific field of an association, so use phrases like "in associations" or "in the associations world" or "in membership organisations"
  • Avoid using "NFP" or "Not-for-Profit" as this is misleading as well as imprecise
  • Avoid "limited" when little or few is meant, as even a large number can be limited

Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation

AAE adopts english (UK) spelling (Oxford English Dictionary), grammar and punctuation

  • "Organize" not "organise"
  • Hyphenate two words that together as one modify a noun (acting as a compound modifier)

"Strategy" vs "Plans"

We often receive feedback that the word "Strategy" is used in talks and articles, when "Plan" is what is meant. So as to avoid confusion and misleading, please use these words according to the approach below. It is especially important in descriptions of talks, as delegates often specifically want to hear one and not the other, or ensure they are to hear about both.

A Strategy is a high-level, overarching approach that provides direction and a framework for decision-making. It answers the "why" and "what" questions, defining:

  • The overall objectives and desired outcomes
  • Key principles that guide decisions
  • General methods to achieve goals
  • Core priorities and trade-offs

A Plan is more tactical and detailed, focusing on the "how," "when," and "who." It includes:

  • Specific actions and steps (processes)
  • Timelines and deadlines
  • Resource allocation
  • Assigned responsibilities
  • Concrete metrics and milestones