Don’t confuse plain language with tone

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What is plain language?

Plain language means presenting information in a way that your target audience can understand and use. It is a set of linguistic principles that you apply, for example:

  • simple syntax
  • active voice
  • a user-focused information structure
  • clear headings  
  • no culturally bound words or metaphors

For example: the metaphor, ‘we wash our hands of jargon’ shows a conversational tone but is not plain language. ‘We don’t use jargon’ is a better way of writing this in plain language.

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Clear health content: Clear content helps people to make informed decisions about their health

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If we show clarity and compassion when writing about health, it’s more likely that people will listen.

When a person makes a decision relating to their health, they need content that’s both accurate and empathetic. The principles and tools of plain language can help to create health information that makes a difference. Read more

An example of plain language in an employment contract

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A before-and-after example of a plain-language rewrite

There are many ways to write legal content in plain language. Here’s a before-and-after example of a clause from an employment contract. In this case, we kept the tone quite formal and conventional. While the tone might change with context, all #contracts should be written in #PlainLanguage.

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Content strategy to help develop clear and user-friendly websites

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‘Content is king.’ Yet often websites contain information that is irrelevant, out-of-date and unreadable. It is only with a defined content strategy that organisations can give users the content that they want and need – content that is clear and user-friendly, and that complies with laws and regulations.

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Insurance jargon simplified

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No longer do consumers tolerate ‘small print’ and unnecessary jargon in insurance. Increasingly, these are viewed as wilful barriers to the truth – as WMDs (Words of Mass Deception). Organisations that continue to use them risk losing the trust of their stakeholders.

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To reap the rewards of clear communication, you must test your documents with customers

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Many UK companies are investing in improving their customer communications so that they are written clearly, in a way that´s aligned with Treating Customers Fairly and the Consumer Rights Act. But how do you measure if you are achieving this goal when there are no objective criteria for clear communication or plain language?

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Plain English and Treating Customers Fairly audits

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Large companies produce thousands of documents, from adverts to customer-service letters, from annual reports to supplier agreements. A company-wide plain English and Treating Customers Fairly audit allows you to identify strengths and weaknesses, and understand where to focus your efforts.

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Transparency and plain language in the Consumer Rights Act and beyond

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Transparent, fair and clear communication is not only about legal compliance: it is also about selling and marketing complex products and services more effectively to customers who are not willing to buy offerings they don’t understand. Transparent content can help reposition your brand to compete in an age of growing consumer power.

Download our white paper to explore how transparent communication can be an opportunity to sharpen innovation, competitiveness and customer-centricity in your business. This is especially critical in the context of the Consumer Rights Act and Treating Customers Fairly regulation.

Building reputation as a transparent investment company

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A leading investment firm uses plain English and transparency to differentiate itself from its competitors and build its reputation.

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The Consumer Rights Act and training in clear communication

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The Consumer Rights Act was an important development in the rapid and ongoing transformation of the consumer landscape. Social media activism, regulatory intervention, and an increasingly  informed consumer all mean that fairness, transparency, and simplicity in corporate communication are under the spotlight.

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