Communicate in Plain LanguageCheryl Stephens

Plain Language Solutions

Agenda:

Plain Language Process Writing Guidelines

Useable information

Simply written Focused

Clearly laid out

Elements

Clear design

Simple, logical, or familiar organization

Simple or familiar format

Plain language

The Reading Challenge

Know typical reader’s: age, sex, race, ethnicity, language,education, training,lifestyle, work style, interest in process?

The Reading Challenge

Reading the Challenge

Document related: When will reader

use it? Where? How?

How long? Restrictions in law,

deadlines, formats?

Be Brief

ChangeThe number of applications to schools of business is on the increase.

toBusiness school applications are increasing.

Writing Guidelines

Keep sentences under 25 words; aim for 15 words on average.

Simplify sentence structures.

Avoid negative words and sentences.

Writing Guidelines

Write in the active voice.

Know when to use the passive verb.

Avoid turning verbs into nouns and nouns into verbs.

Writing Guidelines

Use the 1st or 2nd person. Use simple names or labels. Choose words

familiar to the reader.

Commandmentsfor Plain Language Drafting

Consider your reader; write to reader's point of view.Say what you have to say, and no more.

The Canadian Bar Association/Canadian Bankers' Association

More Commandments

Avoid strings of synonyms.

Avoid unnecessary formality.

Even More Commandments

Organize your text:in a logical sequence,with informative headings, and with a table of contents for long documents.

Make the document attractive and designed for easy reading.

The Canadian Bar Association/Canadian Bankers' Association

Choose Words Carefully

Do not use jargon, archaic formalisms, or foreign terms.

Avoid legal jargon. Use only necessary

technical terms. Provide definitions if

necessary.

A True Term of Art?

A genuine, technical, term of art has an uncontroversial core meaning that cannot be conveyed succinctly in any other way.

Negatives

Obvious negatives: no, never, and not…

Words with negative implications:none, unless, until, fail, exempted, unlawful, invalid

Negatives

limitation none prohibition unless

until fail exempted unlawful

invalid absent ambiguous avoid

contrary delinquent deny doubt

except fail forbid lack

minimum no less than no more than no smaller than

sanction shun transgression void

Negative vs Positive

- This policy shall not be valid unless countersigned by our authorized representative.

+ This policy becomes valid when signed by our authorized representative.

Negative vs Positive

Suffixes for Making Nouns from Verbs

-archy -kinesis -phil- -cide -mania -phob- -cracy -nik -phone -cycle

-graphy -polis -gate -oid -scope -genesis -logy -stan -hood -ome

-ville -ic -omics -ware -illion -nomy -ism -onym -ist -ous

Nominalizations

Acquisition Acquire Encouragement Encourage

Action Act Implementation Implement

Administration Administer Improvement Improve

Assistance Assist Indication Indicate

Authorization Authorize Difficulty Difficult

Carelessness Careless Justification Justify

Cessation Cease Notification Notify

Coordination Coordinate Determination DetermineRefusal Refuse Failure Fail

Don’t Make Nouns from Verbs

Convert Nominalizations

When they made a decision...When they decided...

The Court, in its ruling, held that...The Court ruled...

Submit an application... Apply...

Take into consideration... Consider...

Organization

Organize the information, logic, and structure Put the topics in an order which suits your

audience and purpose. Use indents and lists to visually display

relationships. Use parallel forms of grammar for equivalent

ideas.

Effective paragraphs

Paragraphs develop a single idea through example, elaboration, and detail.

Keep paragraphs short: – no more than 5-6 lines of text.

Start from old information, then introduce new.

Effective lists

Use lists with parallel grammar forms—when possible.

Use three items in lists if you want them remembered. Rethink the categories to create shorter lists.

Number a list of items only if it shows steps, priorities, or values. Use bullets.

Organization: Conceptual

Use signal words to link and show the logical flow:

Connections: so, also, besides, and then, next, still

Differences: unless, but then, on the other hand

Summary: finally, in brief, in short, to put it differently, in other words

Transitions…

Preserve coherence through use of transitions, repeating key words and phrases, using pronoun references, and using parallel form

Transitions… (cont’d)

Most people do not know that...These are the facts: 1) 2) 3) Given this situation... But this problem also arose because.... These steps should have been taken to solve the

problem Smith might have tried... Sidhu could have... Kahn Inc. must now consider...

Design

Enhance the message with– format– layout– design

Use design to – emphasize – organize – illustrate content

Language Can Be Confusing

Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says

Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers

Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over

Teacher Strikes Idle Kids

Miners Refuse to Work after Death

Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant

War Dims Hope for Peace

Language Can Be Confusing (cont’d)

Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges

Man Struck By Lightning Faces Battery Charge

Kids Make Nutritious Snacks

Feed Needy Local High School

Dropouts Cut in Half

Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors

Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead

Design: avoid blocks of text

Simple Design

Remove clutter One main visual Use open space

but consolidate it Use restraint Up to 3 type

faces.

Use freely:

Graphics Visual aids Tables Graphs Simple formulas

Readability Measures

Desirable ranges for writing to adults: Flesch Readability Scale 60 -75 points Gunning's Fog Index in Years of Education Grade 6 to 8 Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade Level 4 to 6 Average Sentence Length 15-20 words Passivity Index 0-35