Portlanders deserve plain language communication from their government. We’re all busy people and don’t want to spend time “translating” difficult, wordy information.
Plain language also helps:
- People with cognitive disabilities.
- People with low literacy skills.
- People who speak English as a foreign language.
- People who use assistive technology.
Plain language means readers understand your documents quicker, call less often for explanations, make fewer errors filling out forms, and can comply with requirements more accurately.
- Plain language is communication your audience can understand the first time they read or hear it.
- Language that is plain to one set of readers may not be plain to others. Material is in plain language if your audience can:
- Find what they need.
- Understand what they find the first time they read or hear it.
- Use what they find to meet their needs.
How to write in plain language
- Organize the content in a way that makes sense to your readers.
- Use “you” and other pronouns.
- Use an active voice rather than a passive voice.
- Create short sentences and paragraphs.
- Use common, everyday words and avoid using idioms or figures of speech.
- Apply easy-to-follow design features (lists, headers, tables).
- Consider the subject literacy level of your target audience as you’re writing. Define terms that may be unfamiliar and use a bureau or office’s full name before using its acronym or abbreviation.
- Consider adding a glossary if your content contains many potentially unfamiliar terms. Include in-line definitions for scientific, legal, or technical terms that you must use.
- More information is available on the How to Use Plain Language in Your Communications web page.
Test the readability of your content
Hemingway App
The Hemingway App highlights lengthy, complex sentences and common errors. You can copy and paste the text into the Hemingway app and get immediate readability feedback:
- Identify the grade reading level of the writing.
- Highlight the use of passive voice and adverbs.
- Provide simpler alternatives for complex or lengthy words.
- Spotlight difficult-to-read sentences.
Additional tools
- Readability score, Readable
- Microsoft Word readability functionality, How to Geek
General guidance and resources
PlainLanguage.gov
Plain language is required for federal government agencies. As a result, they developed PlainLanguage.gov to help federal employees create content using plain language best practices. All levels of government employees can benefit from the resources that are available on this website:
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) can be a valuable tool to help create content using plain language best practices.
- Headings and Labels - WCAG Success Criterion 2.4.6 (Level AA)
- WCAG Guideline 3.1 - Readable: make text content readable and understandable. This section covers several aspects of plain writing best practices.
Additional resources
- 18F's plain language Content Guide, 18F
- Plain Language Checklist for Documents, National Adult Literacy Agency
Do you work for the City of Portland? Use our resources on the employee intranet.