Building Plain Language From the Ground Up

Part I-The Plain Language Process

By Cheryl Stephens

Plain language process directs every plain language project. Yet, for something so concrete, the concept can be illusive. This and the next four articles will provide a blueprint for building a plain language document from the ground up.

Here are the key phases:

• Foundation:
  Get to know your audience -- who they are, what you want them to learn or do, and why you are writing to them.
• The frame:
  Organize your information in a way that is logical to your readers.
• Ground level:
  Draft and edit the text using plain language guidelines.
• Second level:
  Test the text for readability and suitability for the audience.
• Exterior design:
  Design the document using plain language design criteria on everything from typeface to whitespace, from color to stock.

This series will cover all these phases, while this article will describe the best practice for building your foundation.

The Foundation

Start by getting a clear picture of who is your reading audience, why you are writing to them and what outcome you want. Once you have this critical information in place, you are ready to begin construction.

The cornerstones of your foundation are the who, why, and what. If each of these cornerstones is carefully laid out, you'll be successful in reaching your readers. If any one of them is weak, it can erode your base and bring the project down with it. These questions are the key to achieving plain language.

The Who

It's important to know who you're writing for. Plain language process demands a detailed blueprint of your audience.

Measuring your audience with assumptions is as dangerous as guessing the amount of cement needed for a foundation. The special tools used in the plain language field to measure your audience include: surveys, statistical data (social and economic), interviews or on-site visits, and personal or expert observation and knowledge.

Try to gather the following information:

• General:
  What is the typical reader's age, sex, race, ethnicity, language, education, training, lifestyle, work style?
• Topic-related:
  What is the reader's knowledge or familiarity with your topic, need for or relationship to the information, patterns of use?
• Document-related:
  When will the reader use it? Where? How? For how long? What are their preferences for style, size? What restrictions are imposed by deadlines, formats, laws?

The Why

If you can clearly articulate why you are writing something, chances are better that your audience will clearly understand why they are reading it. This may sound simple; but it becomes a stumbling block for many writers. When your writing project seems out of control, go back to the foundations and check to make sure your concept and purpose are solid.

Build a strong base for this step by asking: Is my purpose here to inform? Educate? Advise? Promote? Train? Inspire and mobilize? Make a record? Sell?

The why is a framework. It suggests the appropriate structure. It sets limits. Doubts about what information to keep or discard can always be clarified by going back to the purpose.

The What

What outcome do you want? What do you expect your reader to do? What picture do you have of the result? Just as an architect knows whether he's building an office tower or a funhouse, you should know what your audience will do: take action, change habits, improve performance, feel better.

With a clear understanding of your audience and the needs of the project as your foundation, you can proceed with construction. You can now put up the framework of the document. Our next article will look at ways to organize you information for ease of use and greatest effect.