Plain Language FAQ

Why use plain language?

• many people do not often use written materials
• some people are swamped with written materials
• mistrust and cynicism may block people from understanding what they're reading
• if we don't communicate clearly, someone will interpret our message for us, possibly interpreting incorrectly and costing us time and money

Here are the details:

A 1997 survey says that 40 per cent of Canadian adults deal well with only simply written and laid-out materials. That seems high until you consider this: Reading is a skill, like woodworking or playing the piano. If you don't use it every day, you lose it a little. After a person leaves school, if they're not reading as part of their daily work, their reading level drops every year. When most people leave high school, including some who go to university, they are reading below the grade 12 level.

The other 60 per cent are people who deal well with written materials. They, like you, are inundated with written material: on the Internet, in the mailbox, on billboards, and at work, where work-related information is bursting their plastic and electronic in-boxes. They don't read much that isn't clear right from the beginning. Unless they are highly motivated, they won't make sure they understand what they read.

Everything we learn is filtered through our experience and we consider the source of our information before we decide how seriously we will take it. Don't you feel differently about information from a salesperson than about information from a friend who has used a product or service? Most people don't count governments and corporations among their friends.

The fourth reason to use plain language is that motivated people interpret information they don't understand, and they act on their interpretation. Sometimes they ask the originator for clarification, which means that the information has to be presented again, which costs time and money. But sometimes, someone else interprets the message, employing any filters they have.

Who uses plain language?

Many companies are changing the way they communicate in writing with their customers. Some, like securities companies, are being forced to by new rules on what they have to tell people in their written materials and how they have to tell it. Others, like telecommunications and insurance companies, are doing it to increase market share. In addition, they're saving money by reducing errors and lawsuits caused by poor communication. But the real bonus is that they're attracting new respect and interest (read "business") from consumers.

Citibank in the US has been sold on plain language since the 1970s, when they rewrote a promissory note that had been the cause of much litigation. They used the same note to loan you $5000 for your back deck and to loan IBM $5,000,000 to open a new office. Their lawyers hated the note because they weren't sure what all of it meant. Once they rewrote it in plain language, their customer base grew: people left other banks to deal with one whose loan literature they could understand.

Clarica, which used to be Mutual Life, has staked its company on plain language: it's their brand. Watch for their ads on TV and in magazines.

Who else is interested in plain language?

Government is getting in on the act, too. Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan have all done work in the area of plain language. In Great Britain, Inland Revenue (their Revenue Canada) is rewriting 6000 pages of tax laws to bring them up to date and to simplify them where possible (copies of drafts are available for viewing at CNS offices). New Zealand and Australia have also begun similar processes. South Africa's new constitution is written in plain English, which undoubtedly made it easier to translate into the 10 other official languages. Some members of the European Union have begun a Fight the Fog campaign to encourage EU bureaucrats to communicate more clearly. The EU has been harshly criticized lately for the unintelligibility of its written communications. People in the Swedish government who are interested in plain language say that joining the EU has taken them back 20 years in their progress toward communicating clearly to Swedes.

It's of particular interest in governments for a couple of reasons: government writers use a lot of specialized language that people outside of government don't use. We also have a lot of background knowledge about our topic that keeps us from seeing what our writing is missing. And in written communication, there is another issue: how well people deal with the written word. In Atlantic Canada, nearly 40 per cent can read and use only written material that is simply written and clearly laid out. Some of these people operate businesses, many have children, and nearly all of them are affected by government in some way, regulating their work or providing programs they use.

Why dumb-down communication when the world is getting more complex?

Writing or speaking plainly is a proper and full use of language: much of the language used in government (or in any other specialty area, like law or medicine or astrophysics) is a small portion of a language that includes millions of words. The purpose of language is to send a message to an audience so that the audience understands it as you do. When you restrict your use of your language, you cut down on your options for sending a clear message. We're not advocating for dumbing down the language, we're suggesting that people use some of the words they've been avoiding as being too small to do a big job.

And because it's getting more complicated, the rest of the world is using simpler language to keep in touch with people. That's one reason people buy Dummies guides instead of manuals written by software companies. It's the reason the Securities Exchange Commission, which regulates the exchange of stock and bonds in the U.S., now insists that information about stock is written in plain language. Now, the Canadian Securities Administrators, the people who regulate the exchange of stock and bonds in each province, have a new rule that information for people buying mutual funds must be written in plain language and must be accompanied by an educational brochure for new buyers.

How do I know when it's plain enough?

The most effective way to make sure that writing actually communicates is to test written documents with your audience. Some of those people might be in your own office or a nearby office. They might have to be members of the public. But you can sometimes arrange for members of the public to review a document for you at little or no cost, and their feedback can be invaluable.

There are a couple of things you should know before you ask people to evaluate your work.

People don't want to hurt your feelings, so don't tell them you wrote the material they're testing.

People don't like to admit when they don't understand something, so don't even ask them if they do. Ask specific questions about content. Ask them where to find a particular piece of information. Ask them what a particular sentence or paragraph means to them.

How do I know if my writing isn't doing its job?

Do you get complaints about your writing? Of course not.

Here are some clues that there may be a problem:

• people don't respond when you offer to give away money
• people don't answer letters you expected they'd answer
• people answering your letters give you something you didn't ask for, or don't give you what you did ask for
• or give it to you late
• or send it to the wrong office

Think about this, folks. When did you have to read something that was just too turgid and not interesting enough to work through? Did you complain to the author? People usually don't complain. In fact, the rule of thumb is that if you get one complaint, you can safely assume it represents at least 10 unhappy people.

Never ignore compliments on your writing. But note the source: the busiest and least literate members of your audience must be able to understand and act on your information. The higher-level and highly motivated readers won't be offended because you used "get" instead of "obtained." Trust us on this one.