Plain language

Overview

CLEO is part of the international plain language movement. We are members of:

Plain language influences all that we do and all aspects of this style guide.

Plain language standard and guidelines

CLEO endorses and aims to comply with the International Plain Language Standard developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

The standard and its 4 basic principles provide a framework for doing plain language work and plain language training.

ISO definition of plain language

A communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended readers can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.

ISO principles

Readers get what they need (relevant)
Readers can easily find what they need (findable)
Readers can easily understand what they find (understandable)
Readers can easily use the information (usable)

Doing plain language work means following all 4 principles.

Read more on the website for the International Plain Language Federation.

Key aspects of plain language

Know your audience

Knowing who you’re writing for is key.

Spend time thinking about who your audience is. For example:

What’s their level of education?
What are their language and literacy skills?
What are their demographics, such as age and cultural background?
Do they have a disability?
What will their state of mind be when they read your information? For example, will they be stressed, angry, or afraid?

Think about the information you’re writing:

What does your audience need to know?
What do they already know?
What will they understand?

Address your reader

Write in a way that’s conversational and informal. Write the way you would speak to someone.

Speak directly to your reader. Address your reader as “you”. This helps your audience relate more to what you’re telling them.

For certain types of writing, this may not be the best approach, for example, a funding or research report or some communications materials. But whenever possible, it’s best to address your reader directly.

Have a purpose

Be clear about why you’re writing your content.

Ask yourself:

What do you want to achieve?
What do you want your readers to do or know after they read your content?

Make it easy to follow

Set up your content in a way that’s easy for your readers to follow.

Break it up into short sections.

Use headings and subheadings to help the reader follow the flow of the content. Use the headings to show readers what’s coming up next.