TIME privacy report
…supports those who use plain language, trains those who should use plain language, and urges people to demand plain language in all the documents they receive, read, and use. For…
Honoring Karen Sokohl: Advocate, Colleague, and Friend
By the Center for Plain Language Board Karen Sokohl joined the Center for Plain Language Board in 2021, eager to serve a three-year term. Her passion for plain language was…
Empathy: The Forgotten Element in Successful Plain Language Communication
…writers, illustrates a problem we have in the plain language community. We create a multitude of written material, but we rely primarily on logical structures, plain language style, information design…
Advocate for Plain Language
You can support us, and plain language, by becoming an advocate of plain language. We encourage widespread use of plain language in organizations of all kinds, such as governments, businesses,…
Analysis: The high cost of gobbledygook
In an op ed originally published in Government Executive, Congressman Bruce Braley, the author of the Plain Writing Act of 2010, writes about the problems and costs of confusing government…
Make your prose lean in 2015
…About the author: Dr. Chip Crane is a writing consultant and trainer in Washington, D.C., helping clients with plain language in career development writing, technical writing, office correspondence, and other…
Rolling with Report Cards
…“notice” in the title, but we will accept others. Compliance Reports In addition, we will continue to evaluate each agency’s efforts to comply with the Plain Writing Act. This year…
Top 10 Plain Language Resolutions for 2016
…writing better, clearer and more effective. Accomplish your goals Start a plain language project where you work. Break the big goal down into manageable steps. Volunteer Help others master clear…
2025 ClearMark Awards Winners
The Center for Plain Language is proud to announce the 2025 ClearMark Awards winners, which honor outstanding plain language work in English, French, and Spanish. This year’s winners were selected…
Dealing with the “dumb down” dinosaur, or how to enlighten the ignorant without losing your job.
…solace in the fact that their anti-plain language views, like the dinosaurs, will one day go extinct. About the author: Brian Berkenstock is a Center for Plain Language Board…
Members-only opportunity to advertise with purpose
How listing your company on our Consultant List page boosts your visibility and supports our mission If your organization helps others communicate clearly—whether through plain language, UX writing, accessibility, or…
Still time to join Plain Language experts from around the world
…conference schedule. Speakers from around the world will update you on current legal language research, legislation that promotes plain language, the US Plain Writing Act, and much more. https://sites.google.com/site/claritydc2012/program Once…
Re-energising at Clarity2012
…writing and rewriting, training, editing, etc — or work in an academic institution; and actively promote plain language in an attempt to “change the world”. In our practitioner role, we…
Member Meetup: Advocating for plain language during organization change and opposition
…the best ways to advocate for plain language in challenging times. We’ll have small group breakout discussions to share success stories of overcoming resistance and ensuring plain language remains a…
Why “active” voice is better than “passive”
…solve it. Then, she points at me and says, “You ate the donuts.” And that is an active sentence. It contains an actor and an action. “You. Ate.” It’s simple,…