By Dana P Skopal, PhD
We write to record information and need to plan when the text is important or the document is long. Good writers usually have a plan – whether it be writing at work, writing at university, or even writing a novel. The principles of plain language (see – http://www.plainlanguage.gov/howto/guidelines/FederalPLGuidelines/index.cfm) can help you organise your ideas and your writing.
Plain English is not just for the writing in workplace, its principles can work for many documents. Recently, some university units require the students to write one of their assignments in plain English, which is a good start in getting people to learn more about writing.
When planning a document to be written in plain English, you need to understand the readers’ requirements and know where to place the key information. To understand the readers’ requirements you need to know the purpose of the document. Is the message to inform, or to analyse all the risks and then advise or persuade the reader?
In my workshops and lectures, I am often asked where does a writer place all the detail. Indeed, a writer needs to work through the detail to come up with a recommendation or proposal. In contrast, a reader usually wants to know what the recommendation is, what they need to do with it, and then they may want to analyse the detail/statistics. Hence, is it important to organise your document and use key words in headings.
If your work requires technical or legal details, then as a writer, you have the option to layer the information in suitable sections for your reader. One easy way is to have appendices, but don’t overdo it with too many appendices.
Imagine you only had one minute or one page to get your message across – what information would you use and how would you present it? The most important information links to your key message and that should be up front. Then layer in sections what a reader may need next – and use good document design so they easily navigate around the text.
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