PFC2013-0234 ATTACHMENT 3 Plain Language Standards (Draft)

PLAIN LANGUAGE STANDARDS

These standards have been developed to help you communicate more effectively. They support Councils Plain Language Policy which directs that information be: clear, concise, well-organized easily understood and acted on by the intended audience.

All your communication with citizens and stakeholders, both written and verbal, will be improved by plain language. This document focuses on writing since formal documents are our most structured form of communication,

Five Steps to Writing in Plain Language

1. Identify your audience and purpose for writing.

2. Outline your document.

3. Write your document.

4. Design your document.

5. Test and revise your document with the intended audience.

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Step 1: Identify your audience and your purpose for writing

1. Identify your audience The key to plain language is to write for your audience. Use language your audience knows and is comfortable with. If possible, write separate documents for individual audiences. Ask yourself: Who is my audience? If there are multiple audiences, which one am I writing for? What is my audiences experience, knowledge and reading ability? What does my audience already know about this topic? What does my audience need and want to know? Why does my audience need to know this information? How will my audience use this information? What actions does my audience need to take after reading this information? Tip: Knowing why you are writing and who you are writing for helps eliminate unnecessary content. 2. Think about your document: What type of document is the most effective in helping my audience understand the information? For example, a brochure, leaflet, report etc. How many documents do I need?

Step 2: Outline your document:

1. Organize the information A well organized document is easier to read and information is easier to find. A well organized document captures the audiences attention. If a document is well organized, the audience may keep reading after theyve found the information they need.

a. Start with an introduction that tells your audience:

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what the document is about and how its organized. why its important for them to read the document. To do this, think about the questions your audience may have. b. Table of Contents: Use if the document is long to show your audience how the document is organized. Makes it easy for the audience to go directly to the information they need. c. Organize your ideas logically Choose the technique that helps the information make the most sense to your audience. Organize the content in the order the audience needs. This means putting the most important information first. Use this method of organization consistently throughout the document.

d. Techniques When explaining a process, use chronological order. When giving directions, use steps and begin with a verb or action word. Put important messages first. Remember that some people only read the first lines of a document or the first lines of each section. Provide general information first that interests all audiences. Give specific information that would only interest select audiences next. Consider using a question and answer format. This can be very effective.

e. Divide your document into short sections: Short sentences, paragraphs and sections help the audience navigate through the information. Combine all the information together about one topic. Remember, be concise. Keep sections short so the text isnt visually overwhelming. Insert white space and headings to make the document more visually appealing and readable.

f. Tone:
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An informal, friendly and conversational tone invites the audience to be involved. Use the pronouns you, I, we to personalize your document and make it relevant to your audience.

g. Headings and Subheadings: Help your audience move through the text to find the information they need. Are cues that help your audience see what the document is about and how its organized. Break information into short sections that are easy to understand and visually appealing. Make your document easy to scan. Can help your audience find information quickly if the headings accurately describe what the section is about

h. Types of headings: Questions are useful headings if you know the questions your audience is asking. Brief, specific statements are helpful headings and give your audience an overview of the content within the section. Topic headings are frequently used. These headings are very brief so they must be specific to be helpful.

Step 3: Write your document

a. Words: Use simple, short and clear words that are familiar to your audience. If possible, choose common, concrete words with one or two syllables. Omit unnecessary words and quantifiers. Choose words carefully and challenge every word to see if its needed (e.g. the word really isnt needed when saying, It was really sunny today.) Instead of saying: in light of Say: because

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It appears that In addition to It is essential that

I think And You must

Use the same word consistently throughout the text (e. g. dont substitute the word elders if youve been using the word seniors). If legal or technical words are necessary, define them right next to the word. Use contractions so your writing is conversational. Minimize jargon- unless this is common language for your reader. Avoid unfamiliar acronyms unless the acronym is better known than the word (e.g. YMCA). b. Active voice: Place words within a sentence carefully. Keep the subject, verb and object in order and close together. This is called writing in the active voice. Writing in the active voice clarifies who is doing or needs to do something. The subject is doing the action. Writing in the active voice is one of the most powerful changes that can be made in our writing because we are giving clear directions. The opposite of active voice is writing in the passive voice. A sentence written in the passive voice is vague and your audience will be unclear about what action they need to take.

Active Voice You must close the door. The contractor installed new lights. The bank stamped the cheque.

Passive Voice The door must be closed. New lights were installed by the contractor. The cheque was stamped by the bank.

Tips to identity sentences written in the passive voice: The to be verb (is, be, are, were, was) is used in passive sentences. In passive sentences, the past participle (the word after the verb) generally ends in ed.

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You can use the passive voice when it doesnt matter who is doing the action.

c. Action verbs Use action verbs because they tell people what to do. Use the present tense of the verb whenever possible. This is the clearest and strongest form of a verb.

Use the present tense: We update information every quarter. We focus on employee wellness in August. Managers write goals in the new year.

Dont say: We will be updating information every quarter. We will be focusing on employee wellness in August. Managers will be writing goals in the new year.

d. Abbreviations Try to minimize the use of abbreviations. If you use an abbreviation, define it the first time its used. (e.g. The City of Calgary (The City). The next time, use The City. Spell the word out again on every second page if the document is long.

e. Jargon Jargon is language that is understood by a specific group of people. Usually the phrases and words arent understood by a general audience. The use of jargon is only appropriate when it is common language for your audience.

f.

Sentences Write short sentences with one idea per sentence. Write sentences that have 15 words or less. Experts say sentences with 15 to 20 words are at Grade 7 to 9 readability level.

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Sentences with over 20 words have a Grade 12 readability level. Keep the subject, verb and object close for clarity. Use a positive tone to engage people. Write: You can drive the car if you pass the test. Dont write: If you dont pass the test, you cant drive the car.

g.

Paragraphs One main idea per paragraph. Write short paragraphs of four or five sentences. Put the most important information first. Use topic sentences to tell your reader what the paragraph is about. Use transition words to connect the thoughts between paragraphs.

h.

Use point form and lists when appropriate Group similar items in a bulleted list. Use numbers to give instructions where the order is important.

Step 4: Designing the Document

a. Font: Use fonts that are easy to read. Use a different font for headings and subheadings. Use fonts in a consistent manner throughout the document.

b. Capitals: Lower case letters are easier to read than an entire line of capitalized text. Use capitals only where appropriate.

c. White Space Use it to break up the text.

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Use it between paragraphs and sections. Text that is left justified and has a ragged right edge is easier to read.

d. Highlight important information: Create contrast by using bullet lists. Place photos, charts or graphics close to the text they refer to. Use shaded colour. When using colour, ensure there is a contrast between the paper and the ink. Place boxes around text. Use bold print or underline titles.

A. Step 5: Testing
This is one of the most important steps. Test the document with your intended audience. Use feedback to make corrections. Readability tests: There are 3 readability tests that will tell you the grade level or reading level of your document. With the Fry Readability Test, you count the number of sentences and syllables in a 100 word sample. The Reading Effectiveness Tool is on the Internet at the Clean Language and Design web site (eastendliteracy.on.ca/ClearLanguageAndDesign/start.htm). The Flesh-Kincaid tool is available within Microsoft Word.

Plain language is not difficult or time-consuming. If you apply this practice in all your communication, it will be soon become your standard. Most important, your audience will better understand the message you are giving them.

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