The document provides an introduction to the concept of plain language, including its goals of making information easy for audiences to find, understand and use. It discusses the benefits of plain language for both authors and audiences in terms of time, money and compliance savings. The document also outlines techniques for writing in plain language and common habits to avoid, and provides an overview of the 2010 Plain Writing Act requirements for federal agencies to use plain language in documents for the public.

1. Introduction to Plain Language
Federal Communicators
Network
April 16, 2012
Dr. Annetta L. Cheek
Posted to Slideshare with the permission of the author

2. INTRODUCTION

3. Goals of this session
1. Understand what plain language is
2. Learn a few plain language techniques
3. Learn about the 2010 Plain Writing Act
3

4. 1. What is plain language?

5. What is plain language?
Material is in plain language if your intended
audience can
• Find what they need
• Understand what they find
• Use it to fulfill their needs
And they should be able to do that the first time
they read it!
5

6. • The concept of audience is very important.
• Plain language is not the same for all
audiences.

7. 2. Benefits of plain language

8. • Plain language saves time and money for both
the author and the audience.
• Plain language also results in better
compliance with instructions.
• Plain language delivers better customer
service.
• Writing clearly makes you look smarter.

9. We have lots of information about bottom-
line savings from plain language in the
public and private sectors.

10. Canadian government
• An extensive project revising forms into plainer
language and format.
• As a result, they saved time for their agencies
and achieved a higher rate of compliance with
requirements.

11. Original Plain Language
Name of Form
Version Version
Operating Grant
Application 20 minutes 3 minutes
(Processing Time)
Grant Report
25% 50%
(Submission Rate)
Order Form
40% 20%
(Error Rate)

12. Veterans Benefits Administration
• Veterans Benefits Administration letter to all
veterans, asking for an up-to-date beneficiary.
• The VA must find a valid beneficiary if none is
listed.
• It costs several thousand dollars to find a valid
beneficiary.

13. Higher response rate, lower costs
Response Estimated
savings
rate
Original 35% $8 mil every
mailing
letter cycle
Plain 58%
language
letter

14. Federal Communications
Commission
• Revised regulations about radio
operations on pleasure boats to improve
their clarity.
• A Washington-based firm studied the
ability of users to find answers to
questions in the old and new versions.
• The test groups included both new and
experienced users.

15. Less time for users to solve a
problem (in minutes)
Type of User Old Rule New Rule
Experienced 2.43 1.50
Inexperienced 3.51 1.73
FCC pleasure boat radio regulation

16. Private sector
• Research project to study the effects of using
plain language on the performance of a financial
services company, BANCO.
• The researcher translated scripts used by
BANCO's service staff to answer customer
questions over the phone.
• Two groups of 30 subjects – one used the
original document, the other the plain language
version. (Neither had experience with the topic
covered by the document.)

17. • The plain language group was 61.2% more
satisfied with their documents than the original
document group.
• The plain language group preferred all aspects
of their documents.
• The plain language group said their documents
improved their ability to find, understand and use
information required for their jobs.

18. • The plain language group was 61.2% more
satisfied with their documents than the original
document group.
• The plain language group preferred all aspects
of their documents.
• The plain language group said their documents
improved their ability to find, understand and use
information required for their jobs.

19. Predicted improvements based
on the two sample groups
Productivity ↑ 36.9%
Errors ↓ 77.1%
Number of calls
↓ 17.4%
to help desk
Length of calls to
↓ 10.5%
help desk

20. More info about benefits
• http://www.plainlanguagenetwork.org/kimble/dollars.h
• http://www.plainlanguage.gov/whyPL/benefits/index.c
• http://www.plainlanguage.gov/whyPL/benefits/bottom
• Watch for a new book from Prof. Joe Kimble
next fall from Carolina Academic Press, updating
the first reference above.

21. 3. Plain language techniques

22. Use
1. Logical organization
2. Informative headings
3. Active voice and other strong verbs
4. Pronouns
5. Lists and tables
6. Common words
7. Well organized, reasonably short sentences

23. Use Logical organization
• Organize the material in the way the reader
needs it.
• If you are discussing a process, often a
chronological organization will work best.

24. Use Informative headings
•Headings help your reader navigate
through the document.
•Avoid vague headings like “general” and
“introduction.”
•Often question headings – if they are the
reader’s questions – work best.

25. Use Active Voice
• Verbs are the strongest words in English.
They give your writing power.
• Use strong ones – active voice and simple
tenses.
• Passive voice makes your writing weak
and confuses the reader about who is
doing what.

26. Use Pronouns
• Using pronouns pulls your readers into the
document.
• Use “you” for the reader
• “I” in question headings
• “We” for your organization

27. Lists and tables
• These devices help clarify complex
information.
• Make sure your list items are parallel and
follow the lead-in grammatically.
• If-then tables are the most useful table
type.

28. Use Common Words
• Use words your reader is likely to know.
Here’s a fun but not scientific way to check
how common a word is –
http://www.wordcount.org/main.php
• I recommend you don’t go past 4 or 5000.

29. Use reasonably short sentences
• For written material, average sentence
length should be 20 words or fewer.
• No sentence should be longer than 40
words.
• And these numbers should be smaller for
web pages.

30. Avoid
1. Abbreviations, jargon, legal terms, Latin
2. Confusing constructions
3. Noun strings
4. Unnecessary words
5. Information the audience doesn’t need

31. Habits to avoid
• Abbreviations, jargon, legal terms, Latin –
Readers hate abbreviations more than anything
else. Jargon, legal terms, and Latin make your
writing pretentious and hard to read.
• Confusing constructions – Avoid confusing
readers by placing modifiers correctly; avoid
slashes – apart from fractions, slashes have no
good uses. (That means no “and/or”!!!)

32. Habits to avoid, 2
• Noun strings – These are 3 or more nouns
sandwiched together. Readers find them very
confusing. (Attention consumer notices)
• Unnecessary words – This is the big challenge
of plain language. There are many factors that
can indicate excess words:

33. Habits to avoid, 3 (excess words)
• Redundancies – instead of “at a later time” just
say “later”
• Hidden verbs – These are verbs turned into
nouns. Instead of “conduct an analysis” say
“analyze”

34. Habits to avoid, 4 (excess words)
• Prepositional phrases. Many constructions that
introduce excess verbiage involve prepositional
phrases, so check every one and see if you can
shorten it.

35. Habits to avoid, 5 (excess words)
Instead of Use
• For the purpose of • For, to
• Level of coverage • Coverage
• In relation to • About, in,
with
• On the grounds that • Because
• On a monthly • Monthly
basis

36. Habits to avoid, 6 (excess words)
• Excess modifiers – Avoid unnecessary modifiers
such as “really” and “very.”
• Doublets and triplets – You don’t need both
“knowledge” and “information.”
• Meaningless formal language – All that stuff at
the beginning and end of your letters that no one
reads. Why say “We are writing to tell you . . .” –
they know you are writing, they’re holding your
letter!

37. Habits to avoid, 7
• And one of the most insidious bad habits of
bureaucratic writers– Information your reader
doesn’t need, but you just have to tell them.
• This is a very hard habit to break—and you will
meet lots of resistance.

38. General wordy phrase help
For a list of wordy phrases and suggested
alternatives, see:
http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/wordsuggestions/s
38

39. Let’s look at a few samples

40. Veteran’s Benefits letter
Original: If you disagree with this disallowance and
believe the evidence now of record is sufficient for
us to award you benefits, please refer to the
enclosed VA Form 1-4107, Notice of Procedural
and Appellate Rights, which explains your rights to
appeal.
Plain language: If you think we shouldn't have
turned down your claim, you should write and tell
us. We've attached a form, which explains your
rights.

41. Regulation
Original: The amount of expenses reimbursed to a
claimant under this subpart shall be reduced by
any amount that the claimant receives from a
collateral source in connection with the same act
of international terrorism. In cases in which a
claimant receives reimbursement under this
subpart for expenses that also will or may be
reimbursed from another source, the claimant shall
subrogate the United States to the claim for
payment from the collateral source up to the
amount for which the claimant was reimbursed
under this subpart.

42. Plain language: If you get a payment from a
collateral source, we will reduce our
payment by the amount you get. If you get
payments from us and from a collateral
source for the same expenses, you must
pay us back the amount we paid you.

43. Sign at a US Embassy entrance
Original:
•In order to ensure everyone's safety and to ensure that security
screening does not delay entrance in to the Consulate and planned
interviews, no electronic devices, including cell telephones, may be
brought into the Embassy or Consulate. Large backpacks, suitcases
and glass containers are also not permitted. Security personnel will not
store items for applicants and will confiscate all weapons. We therefore
suggest that all such items be left at home, in a locked car, or with a
friend or relative who remains outside the premises.
•Documents relevant to the visa and/or passport application are the
only items that we encourage applicants to bring with them.
•Your cooperation will help to ensure everyone's safety and will help us
to ensure that we are able to interview you as quickly as possible.

44. Plain language: To ensure everyone's security and
speed processing, you may not bring the following
items into the Consulate:
• electronic devices, including cell telephones
• large backpacks and suitcases
• glass containers
• weapons of any type
Staff at the gate cannot store any items for you.

45. Medicaid instruction
Original: Apply if you are aged (65 years old or
older), blind, or disabled and have low income and
few resources. Apply if you are terminally ill and
want to receive hospice services. Apply if you are
aged, blind, or disabled; live in a nursing home;
and have low income and limited resources. Apply
if you are aged, blind, or disabled and need
nursing home care, but can stay at home with
special community care services. Apply if you are
eligible for Medicare and have low income and
limited resources.

46. Plain language: You may apply for Medicaid if you
are:
•Terminally ill and want hospice services;
•Eligible for Medicare and have low income and
limited resources; or
•65 years old or older, blind, or disabled and have
low income and few resources and
– Live in a nursing home; or
– Need nursing home care but can stay at home with
special community care services.

47. Resources
• NIH plain language training on the web
• Plainlanguage.gov
• Federal plain language guidelines
• Center for Plain Language
annettalcheek@gmail.com

48. The Plain Writing Act
• Act was signed by President Obama on
October 13, 2010.

49. What’s covered
Covered Document - means any document
that--
• People need to get a Federal benefit or
service or that provides information about
those benefits or services.
• People need to file taxes.
• Explains to the public how to comply with a
requirement the Federal Government
administers or enforces.

50. Covered documents
• Include paper or electronic letters, publications,
forms, notices, or instructions.
• Unfortunately, they do not include regulations.

51. What’s the public?
• The public includes an agency’s audience.
• “Public” is not restricted to the general public.

52. Definition of “plain writing”
• `Plain writing' means writing that is clear,
concise, well-organized, and follows other best
practices appropriate to the subject or field and
intended audience.

53. What the President’s office had to do
• By April 13, 2011, the Office of Management
and Budget (the President’s extended staff)
had to issue guidance on implementing the
Act.
• Read the full guidance at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/o
mb/memoranda/2011/m11-15.pdf

54. President’s office (2)
• The Director of OMB was allowed to designate a
lead agency or interagency working groups to
help with the guidance.
• OMB designated the federal plain language
working group as the lead for guidance under
the Act. See their site at www.plainlanguage.gov

55. OMB’s Guidance
• Besides reiterating the requirements of the Act,
some important points in the guidance are that
it--

56. OMB’s Guidance 2
• Designates PLAIN as the official interagency
working group that will help with guidance.
• This made the group official—after 15 years of
operation. It’s still unfunded. That’s not
necessarily a bad thing--when no one funds you,
no one gets to tell you what to do.

57. OMB’s Guidance 3
• Tells agencies to use the Federal Plain
Language guidelines as the guidelines to be
followed in implementing the Act – or if they
write their own, to base them on those
guidelines.
• Again, those unofficial guidelines from the
voluntary federal group are now official federal
guidelines. We’ll talk about them in a moment.

58. OMB’s Guidance 4
• Tells agencies that the senior official
responsible for the program should have
cross-cutting responsibilities within the
agency; oversee agency programs, personnel,
technology, regulations, or policy; and be
involved in agency communications.
• This is an attempt to ensure that agencies
appoint officials with enough authority to make
the program work.

59. What agencies had to do by
July 13, 2011
• Designate 1 or more senior officials to oversee
implementation.
• Tell employees about the requirements.
• Train employees in plain writing.
• Establish a process to oversee ongoing
compliance.

60. What agencies had to do by
July 13, 2011 (2)
• Designate at least 1 person to receive and
respond to public input.
• Create an easily-found section of the agency's
website to tell the public about the agency’s
program and to receive and respond to public
input.

61. What agencies had to do by
October 13, 2011
• Start using plain writing in every covered
document of the agency that the agency issues
or substantially revises.

62. So where are we now?
• Many agencies have a designated official.
• Many agencies have started training
employees.
• A few agencies have a written plan.
• Some agencies haven’t even heard of the
Act yet.
• http://www.plainlanguage.gov/plLaw/fedGovt/index
has a not-quite up-to-date list of agency
websites and contacts.

63. Wrap up