Yesterday I began researching an
intriguing topic - writing in plain language. It wasn't long before I realized
that this concept is a big deal. So much so that the government, in 2010,
made it a law. It mandates
federal agencies to use "clear Government communication that the public
can understand and use." http://www.plainlanguage.gov/plLaw/index.cfm
How can this be accomplished you may
ask? There are many strategies referenced all over the internet but I am drawn
to Jodie Renner’s (2010) guidelines for communicating clearly and effectively
in your writing. Renner incorporates some of the ideas presented by
Robert W. Harris' "When Good People Write Bad Sentences: 12 Steps to
Better Writing Habits" (2004) with the following six tips:
1. Avoid unnecessarily long
sentences and excess wordiness;
2. Use active voice instead of
passive voice;
3. Avoid redundancies and
unnecessary qualifiers;
4. Don’t use multiple negatives;
5. Don’t use a pretentious word
or phrase when an ordinary one will do; and
6. Finally, wherever possible, write in a visually appealing style.
6. Finally, wherever possible, write in a visually appealing style.
What led you to investigate this topic, Byron?
ReplyDeleteGreat that you would ask. This idea started toward the end of one of my spring courses where we discussed an old English proverb: "Brevity is the soul of wit". When I was asked to write an article to contribute, as an intern, to the company's monthly newsletter, I thought I'd further explore this concept of brevity and writing styles. Eventually my search led me, among other places, to the intriguing "Plain Writing Act of 2010" where the website grabbed my attention with the catchy phrase: "Plain Language: It's the law". Really enlightening stuff!
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ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting! Some teachers and I were discussing this year how the most difficult/challenging reading our students do is in the CTAE (career, technical, and agricultural education) department. Think about that - it is more challenging to decipher a manual of some kind than to read science words! I wonder if this initiative is attempting to counteract the confusion people have when reading such materials as tax documentation, etc.
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