PRACTICE Do these charts tell a story?
Let’s practice! Look at these charts and think how you might make them better convey the message. In the 4 ways to make charts that tell your story, we briefly …
Tag: plain language in real life
Applying plain language principles, examples (and fails).
4 ways to make charts that tell your story
How can we make charts that convey our messages and are more than decoration? Here is a brief intro to data visualization and 4 things you can do to make …
Using plain language for better machine translation in the age of AI
More people today can understand content in other languages thanks to machine and AI translation. These translations can be more understandable if you use plain language principles. Today’s machine and …
How to use jargon effectively, responsibly, and inclusively
Most of us have heard that jargon is terrible. Is it really so terrible? And is there any way to use jargon well? For those of you who just want …
Quick tip: Rephrase negatives into positives
Here’s an easy tip to help you write more clearly: if you can, rephrase negatives into positives. This is especially useful when you’re writing instructions and test or survey questions. …
How to write clearly but diplomatically: Tips for UN and international aid professionals
You can write diplomatically and still use plain language principles. Here are some practical ways. I’ve recapped all the arguments why UN and international aid professionals might want to use …
Use Word templates for plain language and accessibility
Want to get more people in your organization to use plain language and inclusive language and follow accessibility practices? Word templates may be your friend. I used to think Word …
Practicing what I preach: Improving my writing
I offer a lot of writing advice, but all that is also part of my learning. Here are ways I think my writing has improved over the last five years. …
Plain language as a bridge where there is no shared culture
In diverse settings, we can’t rely on “common sense” to communicate. That’s why we need plain language: to make the unspokens explicit. In 2022, I went to Tokyo to attend …
Non-designers can design for better readability: 3 simple principles
Making your text more readable will help you reach more people. And there are simple principles that even non-designers can use. Readability isn’t about making things look pretty. It’s about …