What is Plain Language?

“A communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended readers can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.” – International Plain Language Federation

When a document is in plain language, we can easily read, understand and use the information in it. Clear communication is everyone’s job. Other benefits include:

• More equitable access to information, goods, and services
• Healthier and more inclusive communities
• More informed voters and consumers
• Cost savings because people need less help to complete tasks
• More transparency about how municipalities work and how citizens can participate

We all need documents that are easy to understand and use. Plain language is just like a ramp on a building: Not everyone needs one, but having a ramp means everyone can get inside and take part. You can do this by:

• Using clear and simple words that your audience knows
• Writing short, clear sentences and paragraphs
• Designing documents and websites that are easy to understand and use
• Giving information clearly and logically
• Sticking to the information your audience needs
• Writing that is inclusive and unbiased
• Accessibility features that make text usable for people with disabilities

This would apply to all forms of communications equally, including:

• websites
• reports
• emails and letters
• agendas and meeting minutes
• policies and by-laws
• signs and notices
• press releases
• social media posts
• forms
• job descriptions
• newsletters

Applying plain language helps convey your message to a number of audience categories, specifically – but not limited to:

• People with lower literacy skills
• Persons with physical, intellectual, learning, neurological and other disabilities
• New Canadians or people whose first language is not English
• Older adults
• People who aren’t used to engaging with public service

Use familiar words

Use words that are simple and familiar to your audience instead of fancy or complicated words that confuse readers. In general, when you have two competing terms that have similar meaning, pick the term that is most familiar to your audience — the word more likely to be used by them.

Not only is there a higher chance that users will know these words, but they will comprehend them faster than other less frequently used words. Remove slang, idioms, and branded terms. Slang and idioms have varying degrees of familiarity across ages and geography. Branded terms invented by your organization to refer to processes or products take a long time to enter public vocabulary and should be replaced (or at least accompanied) by explicit terms.

Not only is complex language hard to understand, but it also lends the copy a pretentious, cringeworthy tone of voice, that can sound patronizing and can alienate your audience. If you must use technical terms that your target readers may not know, explain them first. What is considered simple and familiar varies, depending on your audience. For example, for general audiences, the word cut is common. But for surgeons, the word incision might be just as familiar, while having the benefit of greater precision.

Jargon is helpful, however, when it communicates a concept clearly understood by specialized user groups. When expert groups share a common vocabulary, technical jargon can serve as a shortcut in communication.

Short Sentences

Be succinct. Good sentences have few words, and if you can convey the same ideas in fewer words, do it. Omit unnecessary language that adds little value to the message — even when you write for highly educated audiences. Professionals are busy and will appreciate succinct content that  allows them to spend cognitive resources on processing the information, and not on parsing sentences.

As a rule of thumb, for the web aim to use fewer than 50% of the words you would use in a printed publication. Rambling sentences, often found in academic papers, tend to have an overabundance of commas, semicolons, and clauses. When readers try to wade through long sentences, they get stuck between clauses and become frustrated. Distill wording to the essential points, this will require some effort and attention to detail.

Write and rewrite drafts until you’ve removed unnecessary words. Sentences should be no more than 15–20 words. Communicate one idea per paragraph. It’s fine to have paragraphs that contain only 1–2 sentences as long as they clearly explain the paragraph’s idea. Aim for your writing at the 6–8th grade reading level  for general audiences. (Note that reading levels correspond to people’s reading achievements, not their actual grade level, age, or intelligence.)

When writing for experts and scholars, writing at the 10–12th grade reading level is appropriate. Highly educated professionals can handle higher reading levels. Text beyond the 12th grade reading level requires too much mental effort, even for highly educated people.

If someone can’t explain technical terms in plain speech, then s/he doesn’t really understand the subject. In fact, sometimes jargon can become a way to talk about a subject without saying anything substantive. I’ve read countless documents where words like “leverage,” “capacity building,” and more, are thrown around without thought to what people actually mean by these terms. And sometimes it turns out people mean very different things, even when we think we speak the same language.

How would you explain these issues to a kid? Or to a grandparent who has been around far longer than international development existed as a discipline? Simplicity is a good thing; it increases clarity and readability. Content that is easier to read is more likely to help readers understand, engage with, and relate to the story you’re trying to tell.

When it comes to communication, here’s your best rule of thumb: keep it simple. And remember that the language you choose can make or break that simplicity. As Charles Mingus, the famous jazz musician, once said: “Anyone can make the simple complicated. Creativity is making the complicated simple.”