The man in the middle: How to make it all the way up the chain
Getting an organization to start using plain language shouldn’t be all that hard, should it?
Simply get the folks at the top to buy-in, train all the writers, and after a bit of learning curve, all new and revised documents should start to be clear and concise.
Right?
Well, maybe not.
Seems one critical piece is missing in that rosy scenario – the reviewers.
The source of bad writing
Author – Steven Pinker
[Reprinted from the Wall Street Journal with the author’s permission]
Why is so much writing so bad? Why is it so hard to understand a government form, or an academic article or the instructions for setting up a wireless home network?
The most popular explanation is that opaque prose is a deliberate choice. Bureaucrats insist on gibberish to cover their anatomy.
Hill visit
I’ve visited Washington D.C. several times in my life, but my most recent trip felt the most rewarding. As an intern for the Center for Plain Language, I’ve learned quite a bit about what plain language is, and why it’s important. The Center has been fighting for plain language in our government for years, an effort that culminated in the passing of the Plain Writing Act of 2010. Now, the Center is supporting a bill that Representative Braley introduced to the House of Representatives, the Plain Regulations Act of 2013.
Plain language classes at Texas state agency welcomed by employees
I’ve been a journalist and a writing instructor all my career, so I’m familiar with the need to write clearly. But I didn’t hear about Plain Language as a movement until early last year, when I began working as a technical writer for the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, an agency that provides services for people who have disabilities. Shortly after starting my job, I took a class in plain language offered by our Center for Learning Management. That was the first time I realized that clear writing is a political issue…
The assignment was simple
The assignment was simple in theory–choose one of the article options given to us by our professor, apply the method of plain language to it, and create a clear and concise piece explaining the message. Each of the text options ranged from 8-10 pages and were so laden with filler sentences and convoluted language just reading the intro was a headache.
Queen for a few days
My group won the ClearMark Grand Prize in 2013. We were thrilled! My colleague and I graciously accepted the award and headed for champagne at the bar next door. I lugged the trophy home to New York and proudly displayed it for everyone to see. Our new medical director seemed impressed—nothing like getting a few brownie points with the new boss.
I won employee of the month for leading health literacy/plain language efforts at the March of Dimes. This got me flowers, my name on a plaque, a free lunch and an up-close employee-of-the-month parking space. I was the queen of plain language. I had the trophy and the parking space.
Before and after: Describing a law — without legalese
Joe Kimble is a pleasant oddity. He’s a law professor and author who says the law presents less risk when it is written clearly. We followed his advice to redo this legal notice.
Look what can happen when you ask a few questions. Working with attorneys, we cut through the clutter of a 61-word sentence. The new version is easier for readers to grasp and use the information…
Clarity comes from the top
Reason number 7,000,002 to embrace clear communication: it’s the key to cultivating a healthy organization. As an entrepreneur, I spend most of my waking minutes thinking about how to set my company up for success. How can I be a more effective leader? Is my team working together?
We’ve experience rapid growth in the past year – which means we have lots of new faces around the office. What better time to clarify our mission, values, and core competencies!?
The time has come…
For me to depart from the Center’s Board. It’s been a terrific 10 years, but I need a rest and the Center needs a change of leadership.
We’ve gotten a lot done since we hosted our first big conference, the Plain International conference in Washington in 2005. We had over 300 people from 17 countries participate. The event set the trend for the bigger and better Clarity and Plain International Conferences we now enjoy…
Low health literacy… It could happen to you
It may be hard to believe that nearly 9 out of 10 adults in our country have trouble understanding everyday health information.
And it’s not always because they have not had much education, are aging or poor, or don’t speak English as their native language. There are so many reasons why people—people like you and me—may have low health literacy.
On the event of Annetta’s “retirement”
In honor of the retirement of Annetta L. Cheek, PhD, Board Chair and co-founder of the Center for Plain Language, an American flag will fly over
Dealing with the “dumb down” dinosaur, or how to enlighten the ignorant without losing your job.
It continues to shock me that in the year 2014 I still hear people say, “Oh, you want to dumb down my writing” when the subject of plain language comes up.
My reaction is…