Why use plain language when there are so many big, impressive words out there waiting for their chance in your project?
Plain language advocates say that simple words, direct phrases and short sentences are the keys to sharing information with all audiences. Writing clear and concise communications can be hard work, but it will get the point across.
How can you make your writing meet the plain language simplicity level, yet still be interesting?
Find out when Alison Conte and Mary Cvetan present Using Plain Language to Inspire Results at the 11th Annual IABC Heritage Region Conference, in Columbus, Ohio, October 9-11, 2016. Follow @IABCHRCONF or visit iabcheritageconference.com to review the program and register.
Meanwhile, here is a preview. Can you pass the quiz?
Used in health care communications, plain language can:
- Make people healthier and even save lives
- Reduce stress and anxiety
- Obey the law of the Affordable Care Act
- Save us from sloppy doctors’ handwriting
Long complex sentences and five syllable words are best used in:
- College applications
- Professional and scientific journals
- Documents you don’t want people to understand.
- Dear John letters
Which of these could not be our presentation title (written in non-plain language):
- Transcribed Communications for Disproportionate Consequences
- Ostentatious Annotations to Substantiate Intentions
- Circumvent Obfuscation in Audience-Centric Missives
- Bipedal Circumlocutions for Carnivorous Genres
