The document discusses guidelines for writing in plain language. It recommends focusing content on the reader, being brief, using an active voice and positive language, organizing information logically, and designing documents for easy reading. Specific tips include using short sentences and paragraphs, defining technical terms, and avoiding nominalizations and negative constructions. Proper organization, transitions, formatting and visual elements can also improve understandability. The goal is to communicate complex information simply and clearly.

1. Communicate in Plain Language
Cheryl Stephens

2. Plain Language Solutions
Agenda:
Plain Language
Process
Writing Guidelines

3. Useable information
 Simply written
 Focused
 Clearly laid out

4. Elements
Clear design
Simple, logical, or familiar
organization
Simple or familiar format
Plain language

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

6. The Reading Challenge

7. Reading the Challenge
Document related:
 When will reader
use it?
 Where? How?
How long?
 Restrictions in law,
deadlines,
formats?

8. Be Brief
Change
The number of applications to schools of
business is on the increase.
to
Business school applications are increasing.

9. Writing Guidelines
 Keep sentences
under 25 words;
aim for 15 words
on average.
 Simplify sentence
structures.
 Avoid negative
words and
sentences.

10. Writing Guidelines
 Write in the active
voice.
 Know when to
use the passive
verb.
 Avoid turning
verbs into nouns
and nouns into
verbs.

11. Writing Guidelines
 Use the 1st or
2nd person.
 Use simple
names or
labels.
 Choose words
familiar to the
reader.

12. Commandments
for 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

13. More Commandments
 Avoid strings
of synonyms.
 Avoid
unnecessary
formality.

14. 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

15. Choose Words Carefully
 Do not use jargon,
archaic formalisms, or
foreign terms.
 Avoid legal jargon.
 Use only necessary
technical terms.
 Provide definitions if
necessary.

16. 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.

17. Negatives
 Obvious negatives:
no, never, and not…
 Words with negative
implications:
none, unless, until,
fail, exempted,
unlawful, invalid

18. 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

19. 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.

20. Negative vs Positive

21. 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

22. 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 Determine
Refusal Refuse Failure Fail

23. Don’t Make Nouns from Verbs

24. 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...

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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.

28. 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

29. Transitions…
Preserve coherence through
 use of transitions,
 repeating key words and phrases,
 using pronoun references, and
 using parallel form

30. 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...

31. Design
 Enhance the message with
– format
– layout
– design
 Use design to
– emphasize
– organize
– illustrate content

32. 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

33. 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

34. Design: avoid blocks of text

35. Simple Design
 Remove clutter
 One main visual
 Use open space
but consolidate it
 Use restraint
 Up to 3 type
faces.

36. Use freely:
 Graphics
 Visual aids
 Tables
 Graphs
 Simple formulas

37. 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