Washington Post, April 8, 2012 Center for Plain Language chair Annetta Cheek spoke with reporter Lisa Rein about progress in implementing the Plain Writing Act. “Federal agencies must report their progress this week in complying with the Plain Writing Act, a new decree that government officials communicate more conversationally with the public. Speaking plainly, they […]
The power of simple words
The introduction to this fun video of popular songs with unplain lyrics says, using “long, fancy words designed to show off your intelligence and vocabulary are all very well, but they aren’t always the best words.” In this short, playful video Terin Izil explains why simple, punchy language is often the clearest way to convey […]
The Plain Regulations Act, HR 3786: Making Federal Regulations Accessible
On January 18, Congressman Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) introduced the Plain Regulations Act. Braley also introduced the Plain Writing Act, which became law on October 13, 2010, with strong bipartisan support. The original draft of that Act had covered regulations, but the provision was deleted during the legislative process because of opposition from several sources.
“Summary of Benefits and Coverage” brings clarity to health plan
At last, consumers will have a “Summary of Benefits and Coverage” as a standardized, plain language tool to understand their health plans. Under a rule announced last week by HHS, health insurers are now required to provide consumers with clear, consistent, and comparable summary information. Here’s the link: http://cciio.cms.gov/resources/files/Files2/02102012/blank-sbc-template-finalpdf.pdf Testing by Consumers’ Union showed that […]
No more 10-4: Police codes switched to Plain Language
Maryland is the latest state to eliminate the 10-codes in favor of using plain language to make it easier to communicate during emergencies and with other, non-police, departments. For example, instead of saying “10-46,” police will now say “disabled vehicle.” In addition to confusion over the codes themselves, not all police departments used the code […]
The power of words
The power of words to change how people hear a message. Change your words. Change your world. This short film is from a web content agency in the UK. See the video on YouTube for credits.