"People who require assistance," in other words, "if you need help," that is, help writing clearly and in plain language, check out the resources below. In the event that you, to cite an example, endeavor to discourse about the products of your company -- whoa, hold on there -- I mean, if you want to talk, say, about your company's products, why not do it simply and succinctly? (Thanks to the terrific Manage Your Writing for the inspiration)

Write For Your Reader, A Plain Language Handbook

The S.E.C.'s Plain English Handbook

Online Technical Writing

Plain Train, Plain Language Online Training

The Church of the Customer blog, written by marketing gurus Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba, recently ran a post on the power of the company memo: "The lowly memo still has juice. Maybe more so today, thanks to social media. Several recent memos that leaped over their corporate moats illustrate three types of company communications that create waves in the word-of-mouth waters." How? Read the post here.

These websites write about the impact online "social media" is having on business, the tools available and how companies are using blogs to communicate with their customers. Check them out:

hyku

Like It Matters

Business Blog Consulting

PR 2.0

Indiana University professor and communications consultant Dr. Ken Davis authors a terrific website called Manage Your Writing. On it, he lists these ground-breaking books about communications for business:

What to Say to Get What You Want

On Communicating

Leading Out Loud: Inspiring Change Through Authentic Communications

Information Anxiety 2

The Brand You 50

Building Rapport is a blog that advocates plain language and clear writing -- and offers concrete advice on how to get there. It recently featured an entry called, simply, "Simplify," where it lists a half-dozen or so ways to get to the heart of whatever matter you're writing about. Read the post here.

One of my readers sent me a thought-provoking email asking "why do good writers (occasionally) produce bad copy?" I thought about it for a while and here are a few suggestions.

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Marketing communications expert Dianna Huff, who contributed this week's "Candlepower" feature, recommends these books on copywriting and grammar:

The Elements of Copywriting "This is my favorite, and most referred to, "Bly" book on copywriting. It's concise, well-organized and a great resource for experienced and "newbie" B-to-B copywriters alike."

Sleeping Dogs Don't Lay "Does the thought of reading grammar rules make your eyes glaze over? Me, too. That's why I like this book. It's a fun read plus you'll learn something."

Write on Target "If you don't have a clue what a "buck slip" is or want to get more from your direct response campaigns, read this book. It covers everything from "anatomy of a direct mail package" to "TV, Radio and Telephone Marketing."

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