We spoke about Plain English writing in class. Please answer the following in detail:
a. How would you explain to someone what “Plain English writing” is? (3 Marks)
In simple terms, Plain English writing is a way of writing that is easy for readers to understand. The Plain English writing style focuses on content that is “clear, concise and correct”. Plain English writing focuses on the reader. The key to Plain English is having a good understanding of your audience so you can help eliminate confusion and provide the readers with the information that they want to know. When using Plain English it is important to organize information in a logical way, write for action, keep the text as short as possible and design it for reading. Plain English writing should avoid complicated terms and have an overall more conversational and personal feel and tone. By using Plain English writing it gives you the opportunity to tailor your messages in a way that will effectively communicate what you want to say to your audience in a clear and concise way. Everyone involved can benefit from this form of communication because it is much more inclusive and engaging.
b. What makes plain English writing different? (4 Marks)
What makes Plain English writing different is that it is a writing style that was specifically created so that it is easy for the reader to comprehend and understand. Plain English writing focuses on the needs of the reader rather than the person writing. Plain English avoids vague, useless complicated redundant and unnecessary words and complex sentences and paragraphs. It helps the reader understand what they need and provides them with a better understanding of what they find to meet their needs. Another important aspect of Plain English that makes it different is the use of active voice. Active voice in Plain English is what makes the content easier and much more engaging for the reader. The definition of active voice when using it is the subject is performing an action which is what creates a clear and direct message for the reader. With plain English writing what makes it different is that we are taking into consideration our audience and our audience’s needs. By doing that we are able to write a way that is easy to understand for them. Finally, when using Plain English it is important to avoid “jargon” in some instances so that your content is understandable to a wider audience than just people who work in the same particular field or have common interests. By avoiding jargon in plain English writing it once again makes this different because we are catering our content to people who may not understand our industry like we do. Ultimately Plain English writing is different from other forms of writing because it is because it is a clear concise message that is written directly for the reader using the correct tone of voice to effectively reach and engage them. Plain English uses the reader’s interest and perspective to create simple understandable content.
c. What is plain language writing for the web and in detail and in your own words, why is it important?
(4 Marks)
Plain Language writing for the web refers to the writing style of plain language that consists of writing in a way that is clear, concise and correct. Plain Language writing for the web is what is used to communicate information to your audience in an effective way online. What it typically means to a reader is that the information online is organized in a way that is easy to read and comprehend by using everyday words and avoiding complicated and technical terms. Specifically plain English writing for the web is written in a way that the user scans information. The way we format content on the web plays a large role in keeping the reader’s attention which is why we use elements such as the F pattern to organize information in a way that is easy to scan and see the important key elements that would be bolded or in point form. The use of the F pattern in plain language is very important because we need to accommodate to know people scanning when they read a page. As we have discussed in class the content needs to flow seamlessly together so that it is easy to understand for anyone who is scanning through it. Another one of the main important aspects of Plain Language writing for the web is the fact that it was created so that it is easy to understand for the reader. Plain Language writing for the web is something that is important for all readers because people often read with different levels of literacy. Plain Language writing is an effective way to make information clear and easy to understand for people who do not always read carefully, have language or learning disabilities, may not know the language well and many other reasons. Along with providing a clear and concise way to communicate for readers to understand, Plain language also plays a role in enhancing user experience. Plain Language writing for the web can increase website traffic and overall lead to better results for your business.