For Writing, Common Sense Has
Made a Comeback
Writing in Plain Language
Connie Balcher, President,
Triple Crown Communications
Have you ever signed
something without even reading it? Consider
a mortgage agreement (See attached before
and after mortgage assumption agreement.)
How many times do you actually click on “I
Agree” —without even reading the terms of
the agreement? Most people do not bother to
read the agreement because
(1) It is too long.
(2) It is too difficult to understand.
(3) Both of the above.
While most businesses and
government do not intentionally try to take
advantage of us, consumers usually sign
agreements in good faith and hope not to get
caught with fine-print details that are
written in not-so-plain language.
Why Is Our Writing
So Confusing?
At one extreme are the people
who remember from college days that
assignments must have a 500-word (or
greater) minimum and therefore fluff up
their writing to meet the word count
requirements. At the other end, we have the
technology that forces us to be succinct
with short emails and even shorter text
messages. Standards of effective writing
have unsurprisingly crumbled.
The Challenge: How Do You Write In
Plain Language?
Written material is in
plain language if your audience can:
- Find what they need
- Understand what they
find
- Use what they find to
meet their needs
Among the most common
strategies for writing in Plain Language
are:
- Logical organization
with the reader in mind
- "You" and other
pronouns
- Active voice
- Short sentences
- Common, everyday
words
- Easy-to-read design
features
It’s time that the public
finally understand what government is doing
for them and how to take advantage of
consumer services. See attached links to
confusing mortgage assumption agreement and
easy-to-read revision.
http://www.legalforms.name/Real%20Estate%20forms/mortgageassumptionagreement.pdf
Easy-To-Read Revision |
