What plain language means for government organizations
Plain language is about your organization's ability to communicate so that constituents can:
- Find the information they need
- Understand your rules or guidance
- Complete tasks
Plain language helps people avoid call centers and support requests. It helps constituents feel that you understand their needs. Writing that's unnecessarily complicated and too formal makes constituents feel like you're not talking to them. And studies show that even experts prefer plain language, since it’s easier to scan and less taxing to read. It even makes machine translation (e.g. using Google Translate) easier.
Your staff benefits from plain language, too. Plain language supports your staff. They'll spend less time with phone calls, emails, and incomplete applications, and more time using their expertise for complex issues. In addition, research we've conducted with state organizations has repeatedly shown that staff prefer plain language documentation to answer constituent questions and help with tasks.
Note: We mean "communicate" broadly: Files, web pages, social media posts, letters, emails to constituents, etc.
Example scenarios: How investing in plain language helps us deliver information and services
- You're a small business owner looking to apply for a grant. Each step is simple to navigate, technical language is clearly explained.
- You're a municipal official in a small town. It's easy for you to verify that your policy matches the state's.
- You're applying for benefits online. The website makes it easy for you to understand if you're eligible. You fill out the application correctly the first time.
- You're trying to become certified in your field. The instructions for the long, multistep process help you feel that someone wants to help you succeed.
Plain language is part of the law
The 2010 Federal Plain Language Act sets guidelines for federal agencies that states can follow. Plain language is also a component of accessible products and services. Your organization may already be working to comply with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act by the April 2027 deadline. Plain language should be part of this work.
Myths about plain language
A common misunderstanding of plain language is that it's about simplifying what you write. It does often simplify writing. However, that's not the point. Instead, we focus on if our audience can understand what we write. For example, a technical document might need jargon and explanations of that jargon. Technical audiences aren't looking for you to oversimplify your writing, though studies show that they do want you to write about complex concepts clearly.
Another misconception is that plain language is the same as writing at a low grade level. Readability scores that produce grade levels are useful, but blunt, instruments for checking your writing. They ask questions like, "How long is the typical sentence in this writing? How many syllables is the typical word?" Plain language asks instead, "Does my audience understand this sentence? Is my audience familiar with this word, or do I need to explain it?"
Example plain language revisions
Here are some example revisions that show how plain language improves content for readers.
| Type of plain language improvement | "Before" text | "After" text |
|---|---|---|
| Simplify convoluted syntax or poorly chosen words | Utilization of the new application resulted in an improved time to completion. | People who used the new application finished faster. |
| Add a definition of an important technical term | You might be eligible if your income is 50% of your city/town's Area Median Income (AMI). | You might be eligible if your income is 50% of your city/town's Area Median Income (AMI). AMI means the middle income in your area. Half of people in your area make more, half make less. |
| Fill in a "content gap" so that the text addresses its audience's likely questions. | You might be eligible if your income is 50% of your city/town's Area Median Income (AMI). AMI means the means the middle income in your area. Half of people in your area make more, half make less. | You might be eligible if your income is 50% of your city/town's Area Median Income (AMI). AMI means the middle income in your area. Half of people in your area make more, half make less. 50% of AMI means you make at most half of this number. The federal government has an AMI table where you can find the median income for your area. |
| Reduce the amount of information per sentence or clause. | Certification as an Asbestos Inspector authorizes the consultant to review building records, perform visual inspections, collect samples, prepare written inventories and conduct other forms of investigation necessary to determine and document the presence and condition of known or suspect ACM in facilities. | Getting certified as an Asbestos Inspector authorizes consultants to:
These activities help inspectors determine and document if a facility contains or might contain asbestos. |
First steps toward writing in plain language
Small steps your teams can take right away
Plain language requires leadership buy-in. It needs to be named and prioritized. If it's not, it'll be seen as a nice-to-have and left out of most projects.
Here are steps your teams can take right now, with support from their stakeholders, to produce more plain language writing.
- Ask everyone who publishes to work on lowering the grade level of their writing. Even if you can't bring things down to grade 8, going from 12th to 9th grade means a lot.
- Deputize a person or team to serve as a plain language reviewer. This role can even be temporary if you're just trying to get started. For example, one organization created a "plain language committee" that did a one-time review of dozens of letters for constituents.
- Change how drafting works. Some organizations ask a lawyer or subject matter expert to make a draft and send it to a web team to publish. Instead, have teams collaborate on drafts. At least one group should focus on if the draft will make sense to its intended audience.
- Create an organization style guide. A style guide is a set of rules everyone in your organization should follow. You can use it to document plain language definitions of jargon and choices about words (e.g. define if you should say "application" or "claim").
These kinds of activities can make a difference. However, they generally only happen if teams are expected to do them. If they're not goals or priorities, they can be treated as something you might do if there is extra time. And there's rarely extra time!
How one organization changed its processes
One organization started a "Plain Language Committee" to review letters and emails it sent constituents. The committee was made up of lawyers, a content strategist, program staff, and community members. It reviewed communications each week, finding opportunities to make them easier to understand. Different committee members had unique perspectives that built on each other. Lawyers pointed out when something was misleading. The content strategist pointed out when a legal phrase needed a simple explanation. And community members pointed out when things simply didn't make sense.
This committee was temporary, but it re-shaped the communications it saw. The organization was able to restart it a few months later for another round of review. Later, this organization hired a full-time content strategist to collaborate regularly with subject matter experts and lawyers. This step forward provided more consistent, agile plain language reviews for all its communications.
Leadership buy-in was critical to both the committee and the new hire. Only by making plain language a priority was the organization able to take steps forward.
Get support from the Constituent Experience Center of Excellence
We support state organizations who want to improve constituents' experiences and outcomes. We've helped organizations develop plain language training for their staff. We've also collaborated on making plain language a priority in their editorial processes. We're looking forward to working with your teams on plain language writing.
Guidance and resources
These resources help your staff learn to write and revise for plain language:
- Guide to conducting plain language reviews
- Transforming your organization's editorial processes to make plain language possible
- The Mass.gov style guide includes guidance for producing plain language content
- Use Hemingway Editor to find ways to make your texts more plain language
- Several Content Lab sessions have focused on plain language
- Book a consult with a Mass Digital content strategist to review a piece of content for plain language
- Plainlanguage.gov covers the official guidelines for the Plain Writing Act of 2010.