Learn the steps to making your scientific, technical information easy to read and mobile search-friendly. Identify your audience and write web content that is easy to understand.

1. Writing for Extension Audiences
How to translate scientific writing for clientele
Amy Cole, M.A., UXC
Digital Media Program Manager
University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service

2. What we will cover today:
Overview of plain language
1. Identifying (and writing for) your audience
2. Changing passive voice to active voice
3. Breaking up text with headings

3. Use Plain
Language
Translate complex information
into understandable copy.

4. What is plain language?
Plain language (also called plain writing or plain English) is communication your
audience can understand the first time they read or hear it.
Source: www.plainlanguage.gov/about/definitions/
Material is in plain language if your audience can:
•Find what they need
•Understand what they find the first time they read or hear it
•Use what they find to meet their needs

5. What do people want from Extension digital
media?
• Answer their questions
• Do a task
• Solve a problem
• Engage in social conversation

6. Website plain language tips include:
• Make your web content less wordy than print.
• Read your page out loud. Does it sound natural?
• Keep your content task-focused.
• Leave white space.
• Highlight keywords and phrases.
• Use pronouns to speak directly to your reader.

7. Plain language is NOT unacademic.
“Research shows that higher literacy people prefer plain
English because it allows them to understand the
information as quickly as possible.”
Plain English for the web
The University of St Andrews

8. Plain language is not inaccurate.
“If anything, plain language is more precise than traditional legal (or scientific)
writing because it uncovers the ambiguities and errors that traditional style, with
all its excesses, tends to hide.”
-Joseph Kimble
Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please:
The Case for Plain Language in Business, Government, and Law

9. Using plain language is being respectful of
your reader’s time.
Plain language saves time both for you in
writing the content and the reader. All they
want you to do is get to the point!
https://www.slideshare.net/PlainTalkConf/janice-ginny-redish-content-as-conversation-writing-for-the-web

10. -Nielsen Norman Group
“Plain Language Is for Everyone, Even Experts

11. Plain language is a requirement for
accessibility.
• WCAG 2.1, Guideline 3.1: Readable
“Make text content readable and understandable.”
https://www.slideshare.net/PlainTalkConf/janice-ginny-redish-content-as-conversation-writing-for-the-web

12. Plain language benefits all audiences
including:
Mobile phone site visitors
Distracted readers
Multi-taskers
Non-native English speakers

13. Plain language helps get your pages found.
Visitors using voice search will be more likely to find your page in mobile search
listings if you can read the page out loud and it sounds natural.

14. What do you know about your audience?
Source: https://plainlanguagenetwork.org/plain-language/what-is-plain-language/
• What is their age?
• What is their profession?
• What is their education level?
• What are their interests (for social media writing)?
• How do they consume information (phone, desktop, social media, video, etc.)?

15. Knowing your audience helps direct how you
write your content.
Source: https://plainlanguagenetwork.org/plain-language/what-is-plain-language/
• What information do they already know?
• What do they want to achieve by reading your
communication?

16. Example of knowing your audience:
Arkansas pesticide applicators
Source: https://plainlanguagenetwork.org/plain-language/what-is-plain-language/
• What is their age?
ranges from mid 20s-70+
• What is their profession?
row crop farmers
• What is their education level?
high school grad and above
• How do they consume information (phone, desktop, social media, video, etc.)?
mobile phone

17. Example of knowing your audience:
Arkansas pesticide applicators
www.uaex.edu/pat
• What information do they already know?
They know they need a license.
• What do they want to achieve by reading your communication?
How to get training and, ultimately, an applicator license.

18. “Before” video of our Pesticide Applicator Training landing page
www.uaex.edu/pat

19. Clearly
identifying
your audience
tells the
reader they’re
in the right
place.
www.uaex.edu/pat

20. Knowing the expertise
and interest of the
reader allows you to
write directly for that
person.

21. Use Active
Voice
Make your point clearly.

22. What is passive voice?
Passive voice means that a subject is a recipient of a verb’s
action. You may have learned that the passive voice is weak
and incorrect, but it isn’t that simple.
Active voice means that a sentence has a subject that acts
upon its verb.
The speech was given by Fred.
Fred gave the speech.

23. To change a sentence from passive voice
into active voice, identify the subject.
Before:
There are approximately four training sessions per year,
for individuals needing the take the exams.
After:
We offer four annual training sessions.

24. Active voice reduces reader confusion.
In most cases, readers prefer the active voice rather than the passive.
Passive Voice
The issuance of the pesticide applicator license is the responsibility of
the state plant board.
Active Voice
The state plant board issues the licenses.

25. Practice time!
How would you rewrite this
sentence in active voice?
An issue with the third session
has arisen.

26. Using active voice has many
benefits for your audience.

27. Chunking &
Headings
Break up text and keep your
readers engaged.

28. Use content chunking to make content easier
to digest.
Content chunking is the strategy of
breaking up content into shorter, bite-
size pieces that are more manageable
and easier to remember.

29. Four tips for chunking information
1. Create headings that contrast with body text
2. Highlight keywords (bold, italic, etc.)
3. Use bulleted or numbered lists
4. Write a short summary paragraph for longer sections of text, such as articles
Source: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/chunking/

30. Examples of content chunking

31. Long pages
overwhelm
audiences
(especially on
mobile).

32. Headings break up
the text into more
usable chunks.

33. Chunking and
headings are useful
when translating
fact sheets into
webpages.

34. Examples of three chunking techniques
https://www.uaex.edu/farm-ranch/animals-forages/beef-cattle/nitrate-poisoning-in-cattle.aspx

35. Don’t hog the conversation. Take turns by
using headings.
• Headings are the site visitor’s turns in the conversation.
• Headings provide context so people can make sense of what follows.
• Headings help the author organize the content for their readers.
https://www.slideshare.net/PlainTalkConf/janice-ginny-redish-content-as-conversation-writing-for-the-web

36. What types of headings work well?
• Questions (How can I enroll my child in 4-H baking camp?)
• Action phrases (Enroll your child in 4-H baking camp.)
• Statements (Baking camp is open for kids ages 8-12.)
https://www.slideshare.net/PlainTalkConf/janice-ginny-redish-content-as-conversation-writing-for-the-web

37. What headings don’t work well?
Nouns and noun phrases are categories but NOT good headings
• Baking camp
• Dates and introduction
• Family survey
• Camp committees and members
• Policies and rules
https://www.slideshare.net/PlainTalkConf/janice-ginny-redish-content-as-conversation-writing-for-the-web

38. Writing headings as “how to”
headers also improves the
likelihood your pages will be
found in voice search.
“Hey Siri, How can I get started
with chair yoga?”

39. Reduce wordiness with headings
Before:
You must be aware that this emergency procedure will certify you for the current
year only (instead of the five years provided by a regular recertification session)
and may be used only once per individual.
After:
How long will my emergency certification last?
One year for emergency licenses.
How often can I be emergency recertified?
Once.

40. When in doubt
do a usability
test.

41. Recap
• Plain language is not unacademic.
• Plain language required by accessibility standards.
• Identify and write for your audience
• Use active voice
• Break up your text with headings
• Create headings that contrast with body text (use questions, actions, statements)
• Highlight keywords (bold, italic, etc.)
• Use bulleted or numbered lists
• Write a short summary paragraph (or “fast facts” at the top) for longer sections of text, such
as articles

42. Some helpful links for web writing
Nielsen Norman Group
https://www.nngroup.com/
Plain Language for Government
https://www.plainlanguage.gov/
Ginny Redish, Ph.D
https://redish.net/

43. Questions?

44. Thank you!
Amy Cole, M.A., UXC
Digital Media Program Manager
University of Arkansas System
Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service