Taken in part from plainlanguage.gov
In education and beyond, clarity is key. Using plain language ensures that your content is not only readable but truly usable—especially for individuals with disabilities or varying levels of expertise. When users can easily find, understand, and apply the information you provide, you’ve succeeded in making your message accessible. This article outlines practical strategies for writing with clarity and purpose, from choosing the right words and organizing content effectively to designing for readability and testing your assumptions. Plain language isn’t just good practice—it’s inclusive design in action.
Tips for using plain language
- Write for your audience. Use language your audience understands and feels comfortable with. Take your audience’s current level of knowledge into account. Know the expertise and interest of your average reader, and write to that person. Poll your users or have conversations to understand their needs. Talk to the user to improve engagement, and address specific portions of your audience separately.
- Organize the information. For web, consider creating a summary, providing the important information up top and any supporting information afterward in order of importance. Organize information logically and use a table of contents for longer documents. Add useful headings and style them with heading tags for ease of use and consistent formats. Use transition words and properly formatted lists to promote understanding.
- Choose your words carefully. Words matter. They are the most basic building blocks of written and spoken communication. Don’t complicate things by using jargon, technical terms, or abbreviations that people won’t understand. Minimize definitions, and use the same terms consistently. Keep things simple, placing subjects and verbs close together.
- Be concise. Unnecessary words waste your audience’s time. Great writing is like a conversation. Omit information that the audience doesn’t need to know. Write short sentences and use positive language. Breaking up content into sections and using short paragraphs is helpful.
- Keep it conversational. Use active voice, present tense, and even contractions. Examples which explain concepts are often helpful. Choose words carefully. For example, using the word “must” is a quick way to indicate a requirement.
- Design for reading. Consider using accessible tables to make complex material easier to understand. Visuals are helpful, but they should be given alternative text for accessibility. Avoid all caps, underlined text, and extensive use of bold or italic. Link to other sources, giving the reader the ability to get more information.
- Follow web standards. Expect users to skim and scan for the information they need. Chunk content into usable sections with informative headings. Write effective links that indicate the topic where users will be taken. Be specific with link text, and avoid using “click here,” “read more,” and other generic terms as link text. Remember that site visitors are looking for specific information, not everything there is to know about a given topic. Avoid PDF documents by making them web content instead.
- Test your assumptions. Consider using individual interviews, surveys, and focus groups to see if your content is understandable and organized. Record common themes and adjust your content accordingly.