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Why you should use plain language
- Whether you're writing for customers, colleagues, staff or members of the public, it makes sense to write clearly in terms they'll understand.
- Plain language saves you money because fewer customers will ignore the documents you send them, ask you to explain them, or fill in a form wrongly.
- Plain language is fair language because it informs and empowers people instead of baffling and oppressing them. People have the right to understand the documents that affect them.
- Plain language is required by many leading organizations, by several regulators and even by some laws. The Unfair Terms in Contracts Regulations 1999, for example, require standard-form consumer contracts to be written in 'plain, intelligible language'. Since 2003 the Law Society of England and Wales has required solicitors (under the Solicitors' Charter) to communicate clearly with customers.
- Industry leaders use clear writing as an important part of their brand image:
- Pret A Manger, the café chain, puts this clear promise on its carrier bags: 'Every Pret has its own kitchen. We don't have a factory. We make our sandwiches, baguettes and PretWraps one by one, right here, throughout the day. You won't find sell-by dates and storage information on our sandwiches and wraps. If our fresh food doesn't sell out each day we give it away to charity rather than compromise our standards.'
- A head of department of a leading international law firm says: 'We are paid for the words on the paper and we should never forget that. We have spent a lot of money on our brand, and a key part of our brand is the clarity of our documents.'
- Plain language can benefit everybody, including government agencies. In 1999 the Social Security Administration (SSA) in the United States began issuing an annual benefit statement to every working American over 25 years old, some 125 million people. Plain-language experts at the Center for Clear Communication, Inc had tested the previous 6-page form and found it to be poorly structured, with some important details buried. They wrote, designed and pilot-tested 4 prototypes of a new form. These versions had a clear title, good organization and a design that reduced production and handling costs. They were consumer-tested through a national mail survey of 16,000 people. A further survey by Gallup in 2000 reported that ' ...the results to date are glowing. The new social security statements have played a significant role in increasing Americans' understanding of social security.'
