why plain language? (content from the center for plain language)

www.centerforplainlanguage.org [email protected]

Why Plain Language?

Thom [email protected]

Executive DirectorCenter for Plain Languagewww.centerforplainlanguage.org


Today…

1. Who Am I? Why am I here?

2. Introduction to Human Beings –-- How we process information and why this matters

3. About Plain Language

4. Using Plain Language

5. What You Can Do -- Next Steps


Meet Thom: Why am I here?


Thom… Person most likely to get lost in information



Not a Lawyer



Government WriterRhetoricianand Teacher


For many years I built “communication products” nobody wanted to use

1990s now1976 1980s

Working for

3-letter acronym firms


Hmmmm…This makes me grumpy


Because I Loved the Research

Research that said YES we can structure information to help people accomplish more on the job

Research that said YES the visual presentation of information matters

Document Design Center, 1983


Because I Loved the Research

Research that said YES we can structure information to help people accomplish more on the job

Research that said YES the visual structure of information matters

Jan White, 1982


Deliverable Use ofProduct/Site

I noticed a problem with the process….

Timeline

Hmmmm…There’s a

disconnect…


Deliverable Use ofProduct/Site

How can wekeep our focus on what peoplewant to DO?


I focused on how humans use information to support their goals

Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

(1999) Understanding by Design

Content for DOING


I learned how we are often thwarted by the STRUCTURE

of content


I focused on the First Law of Understanding

“You always understand something based on what you already know.”

Richard Saul Wurman


I began to apply systematic processes that supported analysis

Evaluate

Envision Analyze Design Develop Test

ADDIE Model (Expanded)


It worked!User-focused products

made people happy.


It worked!

“Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.”


1990s 2000-now1970s 1980s

Meanwhile… Others were discovering that user-focused content WORKED

Label change shows international shift and worldwide movement

60’s/70’sVoices RiseAgainst“Gobbletygook”

1977, the Federal Communications Commission issued first “Plain English” rules (for Citizens Band Radios)

In 1978, Executive Orders intended to make government regulations “cost-effective and easy-to-understand by those who were required to comply with them.”

Department of Education funded the Document Design Project

80’s – interest increases in legal profession

SEC producesPlain EnglishHandbook

Executive Order calls for Plain Language in Government

www.plainlanguage.gov launches. Becomes respected Government resource

State initiatives show measurableresults

Center forPlain Languageformed


Plain Language Advocates Come From All Disciplines

Developed by the Plain Language Network


Part 2: Introduction to Human Beings… How

We Process Information and Why This Matters


Humans communicate by sending and receiving information


It takes a lot for to receive a clear message


Humans Want Meaningful Data

“If information does not inform (support someone in understanding) than it is only data, only stuff.”

– Richard Saul Wurman


We are often grumpy

An average worker “costs” 62 cents per

minute. Based on average salary

of 50K plus benefits

30 minutes wasted = $18.75 per day.

Workplace Challenges


We focus on “what’s in it for us?”

Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

(1999) Understanding by Design


We Build Schemas (Schemata)

Human beings use schemata (mental structures based on past experience) to organize current knowledge and provide a framework for future understanding.


Source: Visual Language, Robert Horn, 2000

We rely on perception


We rely on patternsHow many dots?


How many dots?


We process information actively


We also face cognitive limitations


We face limitations

Our visual memory is small We fail to recognize changes Our visual focus is actually quite

small We are burdened by extraneous

cognitive load

**Special thanks to Dr. John Whelan, Univ Del


Limitations….



cognitive load


Our visual memory is small

Our Visual Memory

Capacity: 4 ± 1 items


We look for organized patterns


We depend on categories to

support us


We look for connections in text This Phase I project will test the feasibility of converting paper mill sludge or filter-cake (FC), which

is typically landfilled or incinerated and is a major environmental concern, into pelletized, composite

sorbent of activated carbon and highly porous clay. There are currently more than 500 paper mills in

the United States, each generating from 10 to more than 100 dry-tons of FC each day. The composite-

activated sorbent (CAS) is especially suitable for purification of industrial wastewater, such as paper

mill effluent prior to discharge. The proposed two-stage technique involves segregated fluidized-bed

pyrolysis, with programmed heating at relatively low temperature, to maximize char yield (carbon

retention is critical to low-carbon feedstock of FC), and combustion of pyrolysis gases at higher

temperature, with H2O and CO2 as the main gaseous products. Low-temperature pyrolysis of solid

FC avoids gaseous pollutants (e.g., dioxins), typical of incineration processes where solid is

subjected to combustion temperatures. No solid residue remains because char is generated in the

matrix of residual clay to form a composite activated solid, which with high-temperature heating,

results in both activated carbon as well as calcination of the clay. Clay serves both as a binder and

an active sorbent component. The CAS thus obtained has typical specific-surface-area of 600 m2/g,

and nominal iodine-number of 600, comparable with high-grade commercial activated carbon for

water purification. The full-scale process produces a medium heating-value, combustible fuel gas,

which has energy well in excess of the needs of the process itself. Phase I efforts will demonstrate

the effectiveness of the pelletized CAS product, provide measurement of its mechanical and physical

properties, and indicate processing parameters that affect these properties. It also will measure

gaseous compositions in the pyrolysis and activation stages.


Limitations….



cognitive load


We tend to FOCUS on a very

small amount of space on a web

site and in print


Limitations….



cognitive load


Extraneous cognitive load = any cognitive activity that users must “work through”

because of the way information is organized and presented.


Your goal: order food– Background: $5.00 in

your pocket and you want to order lunch using the Sticks and Bowls menu.

• Look at your menu?

• What problems do you encounter?

Scenario: Seeking Structure

Stic s

bowls


Notice what your experience was like

Stic s

bowls


Notice what your experience was like

Stic s

bowls

And envision what it’s like for someone who has to follow a Government regulation


We have the opportunity to help people “get the job done” by using

plain language


3. About Plain Language


Plain Language is…

Content that is straightforward, clear and precise. It is stripped of excess verbiage It is not simplistic/”dumbed down” writing

Content that enables people to find what they need, understand what they find, and act on that understanding.


Plain Language is…

A process and a way of thinking. Focuses on helping specific audiences

accomplish what they want to accomplish

Pays attention to the differences in content to help someone do and content that’s good to know.


Plain language is…

A framework for responding to the usability needs faced by citizens.

An effective structure for measuring return on investment for communication products.


4. What You Can Do (Plain Language Strategies)


Plain Language Strategies

Improve Process Focus on Structure Use “Plain” Style Attend to Emphasis & Relationships Advocate for Plain Language



Improve Process Focus on Structure Use “Plain” Style Attend to Emphasis & Relationships


Reshape your thinking to begin at a point of “not understanding”

“The key to making things understandable is to understand what it’s like not to understand.”

Richard Saul Wurman


Incorporate “User Centered” Thinking Attend to What Your Audience Wants

to Know

AnalysisAnalysis

ImplementationImplementationEvaluationEvaluation

DevelopmentDevelopmentDesignDesign


Ask FOCUSING Questions

3. How do they/we

measure success?

2. What TASKS do they want to do?

1. Who’s the audience?


Look at the corners of your triangle...

Use Questions to FRAME content you keep in


Put Yourself in Your Readers’ Shoes

To show you're thinking about a reader, ask the questions a reader would ask.

"Do I need a license?"

"What records must I keep?"

"How will the agency handle my reports?"


Write To Your Audience

Before Coal miners must provide the following

information : . . . . After

If you are a surface owner, you must report your . . . .

TIP: The "if you are" phrase is a powerful way to begin. It lets you speak directly to the reader as "you."



Improve Process Focus on Structure Use “Plain” Style Attend to Emphasis & Relationships Advocate for Plain Language


Structural Strategies

Enable readers to see structure and understand organizational patterns

Explain process in chronological order


Follow these Tips(Refer to Handout: Rewriting a Short Rule)

1. Divide rule into more logical units

2. Retitle new units so they become headings

Example: former §7.525(a)(3)(vi)Ais now §7.528(a)

3. Replace passive voice with active voice, add pronouns, simplify language


Focus on Your Audience and Their Context Does text help citizen understand?

A Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS) was prepared to assist decision-makers and

the public in understanding how a refined design of the proposed Locally Preferred

Alternative (LPA) would compare to the Metrorail

Alternative evaluated in the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS) published in June 2002 for the Dulles

Corridor Rapid Transit Project.

Public Involvement


Favorite Structural Tip: Old/New Rule

surprisingnewtopics


For Some Guidance (Such as Letters) Include Decision Tables

Before:

We must receive your completed application form on or before the 15th day of the second month following the month you are reporting if you do not submit your application electronically or the 25th day of the second month following the month you are reporting if you submit your application electronically.

If you submit your form

Then we must receive it by:

Electronically 25th of the second month

Not electronically

15th of the second month

After:


Beyond Rules….Consider Ways to Incorporate Images


Plain Language Style Strategies

Use short words, sentences, and paragraphs

Use active verbs Avoid sentences with double negatives or

exceptions to exceptions Use personal pronouns (such as I and

you) Omit needless words Use subject-verb-object word order


Keep Paragraphs Short (or else humans will perceive them as one big blob)

Help your users see patterns.

Insert blank lines liberally.

Cut the text to the bone, then put paragraph breaks between ideas.

One sentence can be a perfectly good paragraph.


Use “Search/Replace” as help when you draft new content

This Phase I project will test the feasibility of converting paper mill sludge or filter-cake (FC), which is typically landfilled or incinerated and is a major environmental concern, into pelletized, composite sorbent of activated carbon and highly porous clay.

There are currently more than 500 paper mills in the United States, each generating from 10 to more than 100 dry-tons of FC each day.

The composite-activated sorbent (CAS) is especially suitable for purification of industrial wastewater, such as paper mill effluent prior to discharge.

The proposed two-stage technique involves segregated fluidized-bed pyrolysis, with programmed heating at relatively low temperature, to maximize char yield (carbon retention is critical to low-carbon feedstock of FC), and combustion of pyrolysis gases at higher temperature, with H2O and CO2 as the main gaseous products.

Low-temperature pyrolysis of solid FC avoids gaseous pollutants (e.g., dioxins), typical of incineration processes where solid is subjected to combustion temperatures.

No solid residue remains because char is generated in the matrix of residual clay to form a composite activated solid, which with high-temperature heating, results in both activated carbon as well as calcination of the clay.


Avoid Cognitive Challenges with Negatives

Opposition to Trio Owner’s Application for Approval to Serve Mixed Drinks on Existing Q Street Patio Not Sustained


Emphasis and Relationships

Place general material before exceptions and specialized information

Provide the right amount of detail to support the audience

Explain legal, foreign, and technical terms

Minimize cross-references


Your user wants to see the key structure in your site.

Your user wants to understand what to do.

You want to put that reader “in control.”

Help Users by Incorporating User-Focused Structures


What we can tell others:

Our job is to connect people to the information they want. We need to think deeply about the many possible connections that can support others.


5. What You Can Do(Next Steps)


Learn More About How People Use Information


Lead in your organization

Marion Blakey, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, has asked federal employees to write more plainly because it will pay huge dividends in improved customer service, safer skills, and reduced costs.


Be an Example

“I’m the most senior official here at BCBC – I’ve been trying to ensure this is part of our

organizational culture, that we communicate in plain language.”

Doug Hyndman, Chair


Measure Your Successes

A Veteran’s Affairs letter asking veterans to update their named beneficiary was rewritten and the response rate improved 22%, saving 640,000.

The State of Washington saved $800,000 after reshaping a letter.


Raise the Attention on Plain Language in Your States

23 states have some type of programs supporting Plain Language.

Washington (State) and Florida have Plain Language Initiatives


Consider Programs to Raise the Profile of Plain Language

Federally: The National Institutes of Health has a

plain language committee and holds a yearly award ceremony for brochures, pamphlets, and Web sites that provide the public with clear, understandable health information.


Join the Center for Plain Language

The Center’s activities support four primary goals:

To advocate for plain language use, education, and training within government, the private sector, and academia

To conduct and disseminate research that identifies best practices, and that supports plain language use, education, and training

To educate and equip leaders in government, business, and academia with the information and tools they need to achieve their plain language goals

To support and strengthen plain language use by harnessing the energy of plain language practitioners and advocates, and by coordinating activities that promote the use of clear communication


You can become a FRIEND for $10

Support Plain Language for the Price of Two Cinnamon Dolce Lattes

Keep abreast of national Plain Language Initiatives

Join online: www.centerforplainlanguage.org


We want to enable people to understand and apply rules/regulations

Conclusion: We face an big challenges…


We Can Respond to Our Opportunity

We can structure information

so people can find it and use it

(and appreciate the experience)


You can Put Your Time and Dollars to Work Helping Others

Thanks. Thom---

[email protected]@centerforplainlanguage.org

why plain language? (content from the center for plain language)

Technology

visual language

plain language advocates

plain language network

visual focus

research research

visual memory capacity

plain english rules

job research