Sunday, December 4, 2022

Advice from the U. S. National Institutes of Health on writing clearly using Plain Language


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back on June 7, 2012 I blogged about Writing simply and clearly – brief and detailed advice. In that post I mentioned that the U.S. government has a web site on Plain Language. They have a web page with a download link to their 118-page .pdf of the 2011 Federal Plain Language Guidelines. I looked for a briefer description of this topic and found one, which can be applied to the process of speech writing.

 

The U. S. National Institutes of Health has a web page titled Plain Language: Getting Started or Brushing Up. There is a downloadable 13-page .pdf version. The document has five sections titled:

 

Before You Start Writing

Connecting with your Readers

Presenting Your Information

Formatting and Visual Clarity

Testing and Revising

 

It concludes with A Plain-Language Checklist for Reviewing Your Document:

 

Do I know my audience?

  Consider your potential readers.

  Evaluate the needs of your readers.

  Engage your audience.

Did I organize my document or product for my reader?

  Provide a clear take-away message.

  Put your main message first.

  Answer their questions.

Have I used an easy-to-read style?

  Use first-person and second-person pronouns when appropriate.

  Use familiar, concrete, non-technical words.

  Consider whether each adjective and adverb adds meaning.

Have I written this as concisely as possible and kept the message?

  Keep sentences and paragraphs short.

  Write sentences focused on one idea.

Have I used the right visuals?

  Use Illustrations or visuals.

  Use typography and white space appropriately.

Have I written in the active voice?

  Use the active voice wherever possible.

Did I make my document ‘skimmable’?

  Use headings.

  Use vertical lists (numbers or bullets).  

 

There also is a useful Plain Language Word List which can be downloaded elsewhere as an 18-page .pdf file.

 

A cartoon of a busy businesswoman is from Wikimedia Commons.

 


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