Writing Made Easy
What the Government Can Teach Us About Writing Well
Writing in plain language is a pleasure
Your readers love it when you write in plain language. Plain language means text they understand on the first reading. Today I summarize the key points from the best government guidance on writing.
“Wait, did you say the best government guidance? I thought governments were terrible at communicating clearly.” That’s normally true, but they’ve been working hard to get better.
President Obama signed The Plain Writing Act of 2010. It requires U.S. federal agencies to communicate clearly in a way that the public can understand.
The government prepared guidelines to help agencies write better, and it is those guidelines that I summarize for you today. I think you’ll agree they can make us all better writers.
Write for Your Audience
Writing for your audience means using language your audience understands and feels comfortable with. What is their current level of knowledge and expertise?
Put yourself in your reader’s shoes and provide them with only what they need to know. What are they trying to accomplish? How does your writing help them? This includes anticipating what…
