What Does AI Mean for Plain Language Writing?
Writers are increasingly exploring AI out of curiosity or necessity, but many aren’t sure how tools like ChatGPT and Claude can help make their writing clearer and easier to understand. That hesitation makes sense, especially in work where clarity, accuracy, and accountability are core values. AI doesn’t change the goals of plain-language communication. Used thoughtfully, […]
Adapting to experts
When it comes to plain language, every subject matter expert has an opinion. They may worry the methods oversimplify their work and will lower their professional reputation. Or they may feel the word choices are less precise or too general and will cause doubt about their research results.
How Plain Language Could Help Reduce Scams
By Tanner Call I’ve recently been the target of a clever direct mail scam. It involves convincing the potential victim that their vehicle’s warranty is about to expire and that they need to renew it soon. The letter includes “official” components such as a barcode, logo, reference number, and even a chart with a summary […]
Bridging the gap between plain language and user expectations
In so many areas of our lives, things are way too complicated. Applying for a job? Awesome, if you have 45 minutes to fill out a form with the exact same information from the resume you already uploaded. Buying a car? It’s a cinch, as long as you’ve got an afternoon to spend reading the fine print. Going to the doctor? It’s easy, once you’ve filled out these ten new patient forms.
Making field testing easier makes a difference
Ensuring that written materials are easy to understand and use often starts with plain language best practices and includes field testing to “test” the content, format, and messages with the intended audience. Developers agree that user-centered design and feedback from intended audiences are critically important to developing clear, understandable, and useable information. However, there are often challenges to soliciting meaningful input from the “right” audience members, specifically, those with low literacy or low health literacy.
“Rise up! I’m not throwing away my shot!”
In the Broadway musical Hamilton, with these words, Alexander Hamilton, the “ten dollar Founding Father without a father” commits to fight for freedom for the American colonies. Now three U.S. Congressmen are taking their shot, committing to fight for freedom from bureaucratic language for American citizens.
On Friday, March 16, Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA), Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC), and Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-IA) announced the introduction of the “Too Long; Didn’t Read” Act.
Research review finds most readability formulas outdated and overrated
Does your organization rely on readability formulas? A research review by Dr. Karen A. Schriver—“Plain Language in the United States Gains Momentum: 1940–2015”—takes a hard look at readability formulas. Schriver finds that readability formulas are often unreliable and invalid methods of evaluating text quality.
IHA Health Literacy Awards
Okay, raise your hand if you like to win.
Now, keep it up if you like to be recognized for your great work.
And, keep it up if you LOVE filling out long forms and writing up a check request for the entry fee for an awards program for which your odds of winning are just slightly better than the average Powerball drawing.
Lost in translation: Making health insurance content clear, not cryptic
A friend on Facebook recently posted, “I just got an email from Blue Cross urging me to ‘use my benefits’ because the end of the year is coming. Honestly have no idea what to make of that.” Especially since after two emergency room visits, “I have super definitely ‘used my benefits’ this year.”
Writing for health insurance customers is tough.
Plain language supports science communication
I love helping scientists translate tech talk into plain language. Often the editing process goes smoothly, but sometimes, they have reservations. The fears I hear most often involve dumbing down the information, or, oversimplifying it. “Those are common complaints,” says Dr. Lisa DiPinto, Senior
Scientist at the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and one of my colleagues, in the Office of Response and Restoration.
The importance of plain language for content creation
Information flows freely and quickly in our modern world. With so much news that we receive every day it is important to keep things simple. Plain language plays the key role in that regard. It uses clear sentences and basic phrases, helping people to understand the message instantly.
Good policy needs more than 140 characters
President Trump’s recent announcement, via a series of tweets, of a new “policy” regarding transgender individuals serving in the military resulted in questions and concerns raised on many fronts.
In response to the President’s tweets, the Joint Chiefs issued a message recognizing that there were “questions” about the announcement and assuring that, “There will be no modifications to the current policy until the President’s direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance.”
Plain Talk in Complex Times 2017
The MAXIMUS Center for Health Literacy is holding its sixth Plain Talk in Complex Times conference on August 30 at the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel. This one-day conference is designed to build and sharpen your communication skills. Plain Talk is your opportunity to learn best strategies for consumer engagement from experienced professionals.
Plain Language has a clear place in academic writing
For two years, I worked as a college writing center tutor while enrolled in a graduate professional writing program. Over those two years, I studied, practiced, and helped others with clear writing. While the papers I read every day in the writing center ranged from argumentative essays, persuasive essays, and research papers, to more creative, narrative essays, they all had one thing in common: they were written for a target audiience—a professor. And from assignment conception to finished product, plain language played a significant role.
6 Plain English principles for writing perfect Web content
Sometimes, being precise and straight to the point is the best way to be when it comes to writing. Nowadays, our screens and content, both on and offline, are dominated by written words. In a world where attention spans can sometimes surprisingly surpass a few seconds if you’re writing web content, you need to grab your reader, and fast.