1. Using plain language to
save time, money, and customers
presented to
The Conference Board:
Corporate Communications Academy
presented by
Dr. Deborah S. Bosley
Owner | Principal, The Plain Language Group
deborah@theplainlanguagegroup.com
704.641.1334

2. Real
life
“Dilber,sms”
• We
know
that
communica0on
is
a
problem,
but
the
company
is
not
going
to
discuss
it
with
the
employees.
2

3. Agenda
Agenda
1.
What
are
the
problems?
2.
What
is
plain
language?
3.
How
do
we
know
it
works?
4.
What
laws
require
plain
language?
5.
What
are
plain
language
strategies?
6.
Why
is
plain
language
good
for
your
business?
3

4. Which
is
be7er?
1. The
medica0on
could
make
you
obtunded.
You
might
become
ataxic
and
degenerate
into
emesis.
2. Experiencing
the
loss
of
consciousness
and
the
expulsion
of
stomach
maIer
could
be
a
result
of
taking
this
medica0on.
3. This
medicine
could
make
you
pass
out.
You
also
might
become
dizzy
and
vomit.
4

5. 1. Understand re
the
problems?
1.
What
a the problems
• over
explaining
• too
much
jargon
• style
too
complex
• sentences
too
long
• hard
to
find
main
point
• ac0on
not
clear
• not
clearly
organized
• missing
design
elements
5

6. 2. Understand plainplanguage
1.
What
are
the
roblems?
• Disclosure
≠
communica0on
• Facts
and
accuracy
≠
understanding
• Informa0on
≠
communica0on
6

7. Research
What
are
practices
1.
on best the
problems?
Research
shows
that
people
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
spend
fewer
than
8
seconds
read
28%
slower
online
read
with
their
emo0ons
take
in
only
a
small
amount
of
informa0on
at
one
0me
look
for
answers
to
ques0ons
remember
informa0on
by
associa0ons
and
context
read
common
words
faster
than
uncommon
words
7

8. Research on best practices
Remember
ALL
CORPORATE
COMMUNICATION
IS
MARKETING.
8

9. 2. Understands
plain
llanguage
2.
What
i plain anguage?
• Plain
language
is
the
use
of
proven
wri0ng
and
designing
strategies
that
make
it
easy
for
your
intended
audience
to
find,
understand,
and
use
the
informa0on.
• clarity
|
credibility
|
relevance
9

10. Before and after
10

11. Why is plain language important?
3.
How
do
we
know
it
works?
• improves
communica0on
•
builds
trust,
saves
0me
&
money
•
more
likely
to
be
read
|
responded
•
clarifies
issues
•
tells
readers
what
they
want
to
know
PEOPLE
HAVE
A
RIGHT
TO
UNDERSTAND
11

12. Why is plain language important?
3.
How
do
we
know
it
works?
• Fed
Ex
plain
language
opera0ons’
manuals
saved
$400,000
first
year
• Allen-­‐Bradley
computer
manuals:
support
calls
dropped
from
50
a
day
to
two
a
month
• Business
with
100
employees
spends
17
hours
(average)neach
week
clarifying
email
communica0ons
=
loss
of
$500,000.
• 40%
of
cost
of
managing
business
transac,ons
is
spent
on
problems
from
poor
communica0on.
12

13. 3.
How
do
we
know
it
works?
If
wriIen
informa0on
is
clear:
•
increases
investment
dollars1
•
provides
higher
corporate
reputa0ons2
If
wriIen
informa0on
is
complex:
•
decreases
accurate
earnings
forecasts3
•
creates
disrespect
for
writers,
company4
1
Loughran,
T.
and
McDonald,
Bill
(2009)
Measuring
Readability
in
Financial
Texts.
Unpublished
paper.
2
Gebbart,
J.
and
Lawrence,
J.
Predic7ng
Firm
Reputa7on
Through
Content
Analysis
of
Shareholders’
LeBers.
Corporate
Reputa0on
Review.
Vol.
11,
No.
4,
284-­‐30,
Cogni0ve
Psychol.
67,
75,
77
(1994).
3
Reuven
Lehavy,
Feng
Li,
and
Kenneth
Merkley
(2011)
The
Effect
of
Annual
Report
Readability
on
Analyst
Followingand
the
Proper7es
of
Their
Earnings
Forecasts.
The
Accoun7ng
Review:
May
2011,
Vol.
86,
No.
3,
pp.
1087-­‐1115
4
Oppenheimer,
D.
M.
Consequences
of
Erudite
Vernacular
U7lized
Irrespec7ve
of
Necessity:
Problems
with
Using
Long
Words
Needlessly.
Applied
Cogni0ve
Psychology.
March
2006.

14. Remember… Remember...
• No
reader
ever
complained
that
informa0on
was
too
easy
to
understand
14

15. 4.
What
laws
require
plain
language?
•
HIPPA
•
ERISA
•
GRAMM-­‐LEACH
BLILEY
•
DEPT
OF
LABOR
(401k)
•
DODD-­‐FRANK
•
AFFORDABLE
CARE
ACT
•
PLAIN
WRITING
ACT
2010
•
many
state
laws

16. 5. Revise re
the
pplain language style
5.
What
a using lain
language
strategies?
1. analyze
audience
|
purpose
2. organize
for
easy
reading
3. use
posi0ve
language
4. use
you-­‐amtude
5. avoid
jargon
6. decrease
wordiness
7. use
ac0ve
voice
8. provide
transi0ons
9. write
short
sentences
|
paragraphs
10. create
visual
appeal
16

17. 3. Consider audiences
Audience
• use
documents
as
reference
•
read
“just
in
0me”
•
interpret
and
create
meaning
•
explain
to
others
•
phone
for
clarifica0on
•
want
human
communica0on
•
need
empathy
17

18. Audience
KNOWLEDGE
EDUCATION
EXPECTATION
EMOTIONS
EXPERIENCE
NEED
18

19. Before
and
a^er
Dear
Par0cipant:
Enclosed
is
your
Quarterly
Review
statement
for
the
period
ending
September
30,
2012.
If
you
have
elected
to
receive
e-­‐
delivery
for
quarterly
statements,
the
electronic
statement
has
been
subs0tuted
with
a
printed
statement
for
this
quarter
only.
We
apologize
for
any
inconvenience
this
may
have
caused.
Dear
Par0cipant:
We
know
that
like
everyone
else,
you
receive
too
much
mail
and
email.
Although
we
make
every
effort
to
decrease
your
mail
overload,
recently
you
received
your
<date>
quarterly
statement
for
your
ABC
Auer-­‐
Tax
Annui0es
in
both
email
and
paper
formats.
From
now
on,
you
will
receive
your
statement
in
only
one
form;
either
email
or
paper
depending
on
what
you
previously
selected.
Now,
you’ll
have
one
less
envelope
to
open
or
one
less
email
to
read.
19

20. Readers wantAudience
to know
• Why
am
I
receiving
this?
•
Is
it
important?
•
What
am
I
supposed
to
do?
•
When
do
I
have
to
take
ac0on?
•
Will
I
receive
a
response?
20

21. Before
• Inves0gators
of
the
contractor
will
review
the
facts
in
your
case
and
decide
the
most
appropriate
course
of
ac0on.
The
first
step
taken
with
most
Medicare
health
care
providers
is
to
reeducate
them
about
Medicare
regula0ons
and
policies.
If
the
prac0ce
con0nues,
the
contractor
may
conduct
special
audits
of
the
providers
medical
records.
Ouen,
the
contractor
recovers
overpayments
to
health
care
providers
this
way.
If
there
is
sufficient
evidence
to
show
that
the
provider
is
consistently
viola0ng
Medicare
policies,
the
contractor
will
document
the
viola0ons
and
ask
the
Office
of
the
Inspector
General
to
prosecute
the
case.
This
can
lead
to
expulsion
from
the
Medicare
program,
civil
monetary
penal0es,
and
imprisonment.
21

22. After
We
will
• find
out
if
this
situa0on
was
an
error
or
fraud,
and
• let
you
know
the
results
in
approximately
six
weeks.
22

23. Organize
4. Organize information
• begin
with
main
point
|
what
reader
wants
to
know.
23

24. BEFORE
Legal
Informa,on
You
Should
Know
•
A
monthly
service
fee
applies
only
to
the
account
under
which
it
is
listed,
and
it
does
not
include
charges
for
other
accounts,
unless
otherwise
indicated
•
Account-­‐related
services
obtained
through
an
affiliate
bank
are
subject
to
the
fees
disclosed
in
its
account
and
fee
informa0on
schedule
•
Fees
may
be
subject
to
state
and
local
taxes,
which
vary
by
loca0on
•
Your
account
may
be
charged
fees
and
expenses
during
a
statement
cycle
other
than
the
one
in
which
the
ac0vi0es
or
services
that
caused
the
fee
to
occur
•
Fees
and
expenses
may
be
deducted
from
your
account
as
explained
in
this
booklet.
If
your
account
does
not
have
enough
money
to
pay
them,
an
overdrau
may
occur.
If
you
are
enrolled
in
overdrau
protec0on
and
have
available
funds,
a
transfer
or
advance
will
be
made.
•
If
your
account
is
closed,
you
are
responsible
for
any
outstanding
fees,
any
items
deposited
to
or
drawn
against
the
account
before
or
auer
it
is
closed,
and
any
fees
and
expenses
related
to
those
items.
Please
be
prepared
to
discuss
any
outstanding
items
that
have
not
posted
when
closing
your
account.
24

25. AFTER
What
fees
could
affect
you?
Monthly
fee:
A
monthly
service
fee
is
charged
only
on
the
account
under
which
it
is
listed,
unless
otherwise
indicated.
Affiliate
bank
fee:
Account-­‐related
services
through
an
affiliate
bank
are
subject
to
the
fees
disclosed
in
its
account
and
fee
informa0on
schedule.
Statement
cycle:
You
may
be
charged
fees
and
expenses
during
a
statement
cycle
other
than
the
one
in
which
the
ac0vi0es
or
services
occurred.
Taxes:
Fees
may
be
subject
to
state
and
local
taxes,
which
vary
by
loca0on.
Overdra^s:
Fees
and
expenses
may
be
deducted
from
your
account
as
explained
in
this
booklet.
If
your
account
does
not
have
enough
money
to
pay
them,
an
overdrau
may
occur.
Overdra^
protec,on:
However,
if
you
are
enrolled
in
overdrau
protec0on
and
have
available
funds,
a
transfer
or
advance
will
be
made,
and
you
will
avoid
overdrau
fees.
Closed
accounts:
If
your
account
is
closed,
you
are
responsible
for
any
outstanding
fees,
any
items
deposited
to
or
drawn
against
the
account
before
or
auer
it
is
closed,
and
any
fees
and
expenses
related
to
those
items.
Please
be
prepared
to
discuss
any
outstanding
items
that
have
not
posted
when
25
you
close
your
account.
.

26. Before
Thank
you
for
lemng
us
know
that
we
made
an
error
repor0ng
your
re0rement
contribu0on
for
the
hours
you
worked
in
2012.
We
deeply
apologize
for
this
problem.
Apparently
we
reported
that
you
worked
734
hours
in
2012.
However,
this
was
a
mistake
on
our
part.
A
closer
review
of
our
records
revealed
that
you
worked
almost
1,400
hours
in
2012
and
qualified
for
a
re0rement
contribu0on
for
that
year.
We
are
sorry
for
this
inconvenience.
In
view
of
our
error,
we
have
recalculated
the
contribu0on
that
should
have
been
made
to
your
account
for
the
hours
you
worked
in
2012.
This
amount
is
$1,500.
We
also
calculated
the
amount
of
interest
that
you
would
have
earned
on
this
money,
if
we
had
made
the
deposit
on
0me.
This
amount
is
$55.00.
The
total
amount
of
$1,555
will
be
added
to
your
re0rement
account
next
month.
Again,
thank
you
for
calling
this
error
to
our
aIen0on.
I
apologize
again
and
trust
you
feel
our
correc0ve
ac0on
is
sa0sfactory.
Please
contact
us
again
if
you
find
any
26
other
errors
in
our
calcula0ons.

27. A^er
Thank
you
for
contac0ng
us.
You
are
right.
As
you
suggested,
we
have
recalculated
the
contribu0on
to
your
re0rement
fund
for
2012.
Next
month
we
will
add
$1,555
($1,500
+
$55.00
interest)
to
your
account.
Apparently,
we
reported
that
you
worked
734
hours
in
2012;
however,
we
took
a
closer
review
of
our
records,
which
revealed
that
you
worked
almost
1,400
hours
in
2012
thereby
qualifying
for
a
re0rement
contribu0on.
Thank
you
for
bringing
this
maIer
to
our
aIen0on.
Please
feel
free
to
contact
me
at
212-­‐555-­‐1313
if
you
have
any
ques0ons.
27

28. Huh?
• High-­‐quality
learning
environments
are
a
necessary
precondi0on
for
facilita0on
and
enhancement
of
the
ongoing
learning
process.
• Children
learn
best
in
good
schools.
28

29. Death
to
jargon
1. We'll
park
that
2. Drinking
the
Kool-­‐Aid
3. Open
the
kimono
4. Brand
alignment
5. Like
a
duck,
calm
on
the
surface
and
fran0cally
paddling
underneath
6.
Thought
leader
7.
Reach
out
8.
Transi0oning/repurposing
9.
Thinking
outside
the
box
10.
Fungible
29
Just
for
Fun:
MBA
Jargon
Watch
hIp://www.johnsmurf.com/jargon.htm

30. Human
to
human
communica,on
Before:
NO
PERSON
HAS
BEEN
AUTHORIZED
TO
GIVE
ANY
INFORMATION
OR
MAKE
ANY
REPRESENTATION
OTHER
THAN
THOSE
CONTAINED
OR
INCORPORATED
BY
REFERENCE
IN
THIS
BULLETIN
OF
POLICIES,
AND,
IF
GIVEN
OR
MADE,
SUCH
INFORMATION
OR
REPRESENTATION
MUST
NOT
BE
RELIED
UPON
AS
HAVING
BEEN
AUTHORIZED.
44
word
sentence,
25th
grade
A^er:
You
should
rely
only
on
the
informa0on
contained
or
referred
to
in
this
document,
or
that
we
have
referred
you
to.
We
have
not
authorized
anyone
to
provide
you
with
different
informa0on.
16
30
words
average,
12th
grade

31. Use
visuals
• 43%
likely
to
be
persuaded
• 25
-­‐
40%
less
0me
• 38%
beIer
reten0on
• sa0sfies
two
modes
of
processing
informa0on
31

32. Why is plain languageaimportant?
Before
and
^er
32

33. Test
documents
(especially
external)
• test
with
actual
readers
• 5
-­‐
8
people
for
90%
of
problems
• revise
based
on
feedback
• without
tes0ng,
increase
in
numbers
of
calls,
confusion,
misinforma0on
• clarity,
ease
of
understanding,
compliance,
goodwill,
trust
33

34. 6.
Why
is
plain
language
good
for
business?
•
be
truly
transparent
•
restore
public
trust
•
make
values
clear
•
maintain
corporate
integrity
•
manage
risk
•
increase
#s
of
customers
•
affect
the
boIom
line
GOOD
WRITING
IS
GOOD
BUSINESS