Ask the Expert - Plain Language

I am a huge proponent of writing in Plain Language. It is not always easy to adapt technical content to plain language, but you should always try.

NB, using plain language for your content is not “Dumbing Down” your message, on the contrary, it is “Smartening Up” the content by understanding the audience. Always remember, to write appropriately for both the audience and the medium.

I usually feel that a grade level of 8 is appropriate for most purposes. Want to test your writing level? Open your Microsoft Word Options menu and check the readability option. Then you can check the article’s Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level.

Of course, when editing the article from the Desk of the CTO, it is important, as always, to consider the audience. Is the article for a website blog or is it for an industry print magazine? Again, it is not about dumbing down the article, it is about making it readable and more digestible for the audience.

Online, readers are looking for short quick digestible information.  Just check out your favorite news site. Seldom are the paragraphs longer than a sentence or two. Why? Not because the writer is simple, but the audience for that type of content delivery is not usually looking to read full in-depth articles.

“Just the Facts Ma’am,” to quote Joe Friday.

Check out this Poynter article from 2003 on writing news for the web.

“Web usability studies show that readers tend to skim over sites rather than read them intently. They also tend to be more proactive than print readers or TV viewers, hunting for information rather than passively taking in what you present to them.”

Ok, time for a personal example from my Out Of Office notice in about 2004: “Thank you for your missive. I will respond upon my return…”

So, what is wrong with that asks the wordsmith, well, maybe Missive is the best word, but maybe not the best use of plain language. So, the first email in my inbox upon my return read something like the following sanitized sentence: Martin, you have a typo in your OOO.  OUCH!

Now, it is not my fault that the coworker’s vocabulary did not include Missive, nor that she did not take a moment to look up the word, just as her mother had taught her, BUT, why use the word at all when message, email, note… would have sufficed. Oops, did I just use the word Sufficed? I could easily have used: would have been fine.

So, again, it is not that you can never “underestimate the intelligence” of your audience, but, all communications should be clear and concise. Now, that in no way implies that technical information should be written using simplified words when the correct word or standard is required. But plain language should still be utilized as seen in the example below from an article by Genevieve Conti.

In 1982, the Allen-Bradley Company (now part of Rockwell Automation) reviewed, tested and revised the manuals for its programmable computers to include plainer language.

Original: "It is suggested that the wire should be connected to the terminal by the engineer when the switch-box assembly is completed."Simplified: "We suggest that you connect the wire to the terminal when you finish assembling the switch-box."

Calls to the company's phone center fell from more than 50 a day to only two a month.

WOW! That information alone should convince you that plain language can be a valuable tool for your organization.

So, in conclusion, after you write that amazing piece, upon final edit, consider both the audience and the message delivery method before you finalize the missive!