Section 6.4 Plain Language

Plain Language

When drafting a plain language document, there are five general areas to consider, which include audience and purpose, structure, design, expression, and evaluation.

1. Audience and purpose

One defines their audience by considering who they want to engage with in their writing. To consider audience, you should think about:

• who your audience is – their age, profession, education, skills, and context
• what they may already know and what they may need
• what they will want to achieve by reading your communication

Assessing your audience in this way will help you select the best mix of the following language and design elements.

2. Structure

All documents have a way in which they are structured as this helps the reader not only read the document, but be able to follow the logic of the document. There are a few questions to consider when thinking about document structure:

• What are the common structures used for this type of communication?
• What structures will readers be familiar with?
• What sequence will be logical and easy for readers to navigate?

For example, a procedure may be best organized in a chronological order, while a longer report may have a series of topic-based chapters.

Apply these principles to refine your structure:

• Use summaries to present key information before the details
• Divide each section into roughly equal chunks
• Consider some transitional text to link one section to the next

3. Design

When one considers document design, layout and typography matter. Often, as non-designers, we may consider design through the concepts of contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity.  Contrast refers to making things stand out, or look different, on a page to bring attention to them. Repetition refers to repeating elements of design throughout the document, such as using the same fonts for headings, to ensure it has cohesion. Alignment refers to page alignment and keeping the same alignment throughout the page. Proximity refers to placing related items together to help create unity in a document.

Other tips in thinking through document design include the following:

• Use meaningful headings to help readers navigate.
• Make sure the layout and margins include plenty of white space to separate different parts of text, and the spacing between lines and paragraphs is at least the same as the size of the type.
• Select a font and type size that will be easy to read.
• Make sure there is plenty of contrast between the text and the background.
• Consider visual devices such as tables, diagrams, charts, photos, and lists to present information in an accessible and engaging form.

4. Expression

While some techniques vary from language to language, consider these key areas of expression:

• Tone: Use personal pronouns and write in a respectful yet conversational style.
• Word choice: Use words that your readers are familiar with.
• Jargon: Avoid jargon unless your reader is familiar with it, and if they are not, explain technical terms.
• Sentences: Keep sentences between 15–20 words on average, with individual sentences no longer than 30–35 words.
• Verbs: Prefer the active voice over the passive. Write “I read this page” instead of “This page was read by me.”

Once you have written your information in plain language, the final step is to review whether your audience can understand and use the information they find.

5. Evaluation

Always evaluate whether your text is likely to succeed before you send it.

At a simple level, this may involve editing the communication against a checklist or standard (for example, ISO 24495-1:2023 Plain language — Part 1: Governing principles and guidelines) or having another person review it.

Wherever possible, carry out some user testing with your audience. This might be through surveys, interviews, or testing with people who represent your readers.

User testing may not always be necessary or cost-effective, such as with an internal email. But it becomes more important for a document that has a wider audience, like a website or user manual.