Gobbledygook Has Got To Go!*
By: Michelle Stronach
*Title borrowed from book of the same name written by John O’Hayre, Bureau of Land Management, 1966.
History of Plain Language in U.S. Government:
There have been decades long efforts to promote plain language in government documents and many attempts to create uniform policy to implement the practice. For instance, in the 1990’s Vice President Gore believed that plain language promotes trust in government, and said, “Plain Language is a civil right.” As the lead for the plain language initiative, he presented No Gobbledygook Awards monthly to federal employees who took bureaucratic messages and turned them into plain language that citizens can understand.
The Plain Writing Act of 2010 was issued to promote clear government communication that the public can understand and use. The Office of Management and Budget issued final guidance to implement the law on April 13, 2011.
What is Plain Language in Public Health?
Plain language is when you use writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and follows other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience.
In Public Health, there is evidence that there are better outcomes when our intended audience understands what we are saying/asking/telling.
What Does Plain Language Look Like?
Language that is plain to one set of readers may not be plain to others. Information is in “plain language” if your audience can:
Find what they need, understand what they find the first time they read or hear it and use what they find to meet their needs.
There are many techniques** that can help you achieve this goal. Among the most common are:
Know your audience and purpose before you begin
Organize your material with the reader at the center
Break text into logical chunks and use headings
Put most important message first
Use “you” and other pronouns that engage the reader
Use and active voice, not passive
Utilize short sentences and paragraphs
Choose words and numbers your audience knows
Average 20 words per sentence; limit sentences to one idea
Limit paragraphs to 1 topic and 5 sentences
Use common, everyday words
Easy-to-follow design features (lists, headers, tables)
**Want to know more? For more detail and specific examples, check out the resources below:
Public Health Collaborative: Plain Language for Public Health
Region IV Public Health Training Center: Communicating Clearly Training
CDC: Simply Put - A guide for creating easy-to-understand materials