What is plain language?

- If you ask me, plain language is a wonderful thing with a not-so-wonderful name. When they hear plain language, some people think simplified language, or basic language, or even dumb down language, but that's not what plain language is at all. Plain language is many things, so let me break it down for you. Plain language is a power to the people communication philosophy. Or, should I say, power to the readers? In this communication philosophy, readers believe they are entitled to understand the things they read, and writers understand that they are obliged to write so readers can understand. If you're a landlord, your rental lease should be written in plain language so your tenants know what they're agreeing to. If you're a big tech company like Google or Facebook, your privacy policy should be written in plain language so users know how you're collecting and sharing information. The plain language communication philosophy rejects the old-fashioned idea that important information should be difficult to read. Instead, it insists that the people who write your health insurance policy, the ballot measures you vote on, tax forms, even the instructions on how to book a campsite at a national park, write these documents in a way that makes them easy to read. Plain language is also federal law in the US, and a government initiative in other countries. That's right. For the US Government, plain language is the law. The Plain Writing Act of 2010 states that federal agencies must use plain language in any document that is necessary for obtaining any federal government benefit or service or filing taxes, provides information about a federal government benefit or service, or explains to the public how to comply with a requirement that the federal government administers or enforces. While the Plain Writing Act hasn't magically made all government writing easy to read, it has made some things a lot easier to read. It's also built a community of plain language practitioners who advocate for clarity. And the Plain Writing Act has set the standard for writers outside the government. The law has made this communication philosophy real and compelling in business, law, medicine, engineering, and education. Plain language is an around-the-world phenomenon. The governments of South Africa, Canada, the UK, and Sweden have adopted regulations that include plain language. And plain language is also a set of writing behaviors, which you'll learn and practice in this course. Writing behaviors like using headings to make your document scannable. Writing in the active voice. Keeping your paragraphs and sentences short and avoiding jargon or bizspeak. When you use these writing strategies, you'll join the ranks of plain language reader-helping writers around the world. Be sure to download the handout to learn about plain language organizations, resources and awards. And let me be the first to welcome you to the plain language community. We're glad to have writers like you.