Plain Language in Government Writing
A Step-by-Step Guide

Judith Gillespie Myers, Ph.D.

About the Author

Judith Gillespie Myers, Ph.D., is an instructor and writer who has taught writing skills to hundreds of students, many of them government employees. Her publications include Essentials of School Management, Banishing Bureaucratese: Using Plain Language in Government Writing, How to Select and Use Learning Tools, and Enhance Learning Retention, as well as numerous articles and more than 20 training manuals. As a journalist, radio newscaster, and news editor, Dr. Myers has written numerous articles and news items. She received her doctorate from American University in Washington, D.C.

CHAPTER 1
Succeeding as a Writer in Today’s Workplace

To succeed in the workplace, whether you are in government or elsewhere, you must be able to express yourself effectively, clearly, and persuasively. You must create documents that your readers will read and understand, documents that result in decisions, documents that affect your readers as you intend. Each letter, report, or email that you send out is a reflection on your organization. And it is a reflection on you.

Like Maria, you might find the whole process of writing daunting. Many of us do. And yet, with the right guidance and practice, we can all become better, more effective writers.

COMMON MYTHS ABOUT BUSINESS WRITING

One reason that many people dread writing is that certain myths have become associated with business writing and with the writing process. Do these sound familiar?

1. Myth 1: The first rule of business writing is to be businesslike, so a business letter has to sound somewhat unnatural.

Reality: Business letters should sound natural but professional. While the tone of your letter depends on the context, purpose, and audience, you want to sound friendly and sometimes even informal. The increased use of email has led to more informality in correspondence, so today’s letters are typically more conversational than those of the past.

2. Myth 2: To convey important government information, your document must sound intellectual and sophisticated.

Reality: Your primary goal in conveying any information is to make sure the reader understands what you’re writing. To achieve this goal, you need to write simply and directly. Law school professor and plain language advocate Joseph Kimble refutes the notion that plain language will “dumb down” important government communication: “Any second-rate writer can make things more complicated; only the best minds and the best writers can cut through. It takes skill and hard work to write in plain language.”¹

3. Myth 3: Plain language can’t be used for technical writing because technical writing involves complex subjects and uses technical terms.

Reality: Technical information must be clear and straightforward so that people can understand it, regardless of their technical background. In fact, focus-group results show that even technical experts do not always understand technical language easily or quickly. Using plain language, you can explain technical terms and complex ideas in a way that most readers will understand.

4. Myth 4: Really good writers write it right the first time, without revising their drafts.

Reality: Very few people can write a polished paragraph on the first try. Good writing involves many rewrites and might include complete reorganization. Even after an experienced writer has worked on a manuscript, it goes to a professional editor for revision and polishing before it is published.

F. Scott Fitzgerald revised his stories at least five times before they were published. Ernest Hemingway once told a reporter that he wrote the ending to A Farewell to Arms 39 times before he was satisfied. When asked what it was that stumped him, Hemingway responded, “Getting the words right.” Vladimir Nabokov once admitted that he rewrote every word he had ever published and wore out his erasers before his pencils.

5. Myth 5: Grammar and punctuation are the most important aspects of learning to write well.

Reality: The most important point is to communicate your message clearly. If the reader doesn’t understand what you’re saying, why bother to write? However, having an error in grammar or punctuation is like walking out of the house in your best formal attire with a ketchup stain on your shirt: It detracts from the message.

6. Myth 6: You need to keep control of your writing. This means correcting each idea as it comes to you, before you put it down on paper.

Reality: As soon as your ideas start to flow, you should begin writing so you won’t lose them; you can always go back later and make minor modifications. As we will discuss later, it’s important to divide writing into stages and not to mix the stages. In the drafting stage, you want to capture those first thoughts, not censor them.

Natalie Goldberg describes first thoughts this way:

First thoughts have tremendous energy. It is the way the mind first flashes on something. The internal censor usually squelches them, so we live in the realm of second and third thoughts, thoughts on thought, twice and three times removed from the direct connection of the first fresh flash . . . . First thoughts are also unencumbered by ego, by that mechanism in us that tries to be in control. . . . ²

7. Myth 7: You should strive for long sentences and long words in business documents.

Reality: A document with long sentences and many syllables is considered more difficult to read than one with shorter sentences and fewer syllables. For most business writing, the ideal sentence length is 15 to 20 words, or about an eighth- or ninth-grade reading level.

The guidelines at www.plainlanguage.gov give the reasons for short sentences:

Sentences loaded with dependent clauses and exceptions confuse the reader by losing the main point in a forest of words. Resist the temptation to put everything in one sentence; break up your idea into its parts and make each one the subject of its own sentence. ³

8. Myth 8: A document is a document. Once you learn how to write, you can use the same design and style from one workplace to the next.

Reality: You need to consider your organization’s culture. Consider, for example, the difference between an office in the U.S. Department of Defense that deals with top-secret information and an office in a county recreation department that staffs local parks. The recreation department probably would have a much more informal environment, and that informality would be reflected in its documents.

The style of documents you write also depends on the mission of your organization and the mission of your specific office. A letter from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to a prospective employee would differ dramatically from a letter to the Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Oversight describing lapses in intelligence in an Army installation. Noting the conventions, practices, and mission of your organization will help you compose appropriate, professional documents.

9. Myth 9: Templates should never be used for workplace communication.

Reality: Templates, or boilerplate forms, are useful for routine correspondence. They save time because the writer does not have to recreate the formatting for every communication. They also provide direction to writers about which information is critical. Because they include headings and subheadings, they reduce wordiness and help readers find the information they need. However, although most offices use these form letters for routine correspondence, serious communication rarely fits into such forms. Such issues require careful consideration of purpose, audience, context, and message.

10. Myth 10: Not everyone in the workplace needs to be concerned about writing.

Reality: In today’s professional environment, all employees should know how to compose their own correspondence, reports, and, of course, email. Even if you don’t do much writing now, you need to prepare yourself for additional responsibilities or a job change. If you have assistants to write routine correspondence, you must approve such documents before they go out. And you must compose letters or reports for any nonroutine or complex situations.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAIN LANGUAGE IN GOVERNMENT WRITING

You can reduce confusion or misinterpretation in all your writing while still giving readers the technical information they need. The best way to do this is to:

♦ Engage your readers

♦ Write clearly and concisely

♦ Put the main idea first

♦ Write in a visually appealing style

Government writing presents a special challenge. Government documents often contain technical information, and they go out to multiple audiences—some highly knowledgeable, some less so.

Government documents have traditionally contained gobbledygook—jargon and complicated, legalistic language. These uninviting letters and reports sound like they are addressed to technical experts and lawyers rather than to readers who need to be influenced or informed.

Presidential Efforts to Improve Government Writing

For decades, presidents and political leaders have urged clear writing in government documents. James Madison wrote in 1788, “It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.”⁴

Franklin Roosevelt cringed at the convoluted wording of the following blackout order during World War II:

Such preparations shall be made as will completely obscure all Federal buildings and non-Federal buildings occupied by the government during an air raid for any period of time from visibility by reason of internal or external illumination. ⁵

“Tell them,” Roosevelt said, “that in buildings where they have to keep the work going to put something across the windows.”⁶

In an attempt to cut the government gobbledygook, President Nixon ordered that the Federal Register be written in “layman’s terms.” President Carter signed an executive order directing that federal regulations be “easy to understand by those who are required to comply with them.” A few federal agencies responded by publishing regulations that were more clearly written, although the efforts were sporadic.

The most recent program to improve government writing was President Clinton’s 1998 directive requiring agencies to use plain English. Vice President Gore issued guidance on how to implement the directive. Then several agencies set up what is now called PLAIN—the Plain Language Action and Information Network, a government-wide group to improve communications from the federal government to the public.⁷ Each agency had a plain language official, and the government rewarded agencies that made significant improvements in their documents. The PLAIN website—www.plainlanguage.gov—contains numerous resources to help writers communicate more clearly.

In 1993 President Clinton issued Executive Order 12866, ordering that agencies draft their regulations “to be simple and easy to understand, with the goal of minimizing the potential for uncertainty.” It also required that information provided to the public be in “plain, understandable language.”⁸

President Clinton’s memorandum of June 1, 1998, on this topic stated:

Plain language documents have logical organization, easy-to-read design features; common, everyday words, except for necessary technical terms; ‘you’ and other pronouns; the active voice; and short sentences. ⁹

Although the Bush Administration did not have a formal plain language initiative, it did require agencies to follow the requirements in Executive Order 12866, which includes the use of plain language. Nevertheless, the use of bureaucratese—or bureaucratic language—continued.

Other Plain Language Programs

Efforts to eliminate bureaucratese have not come from the White House alone. Many federal agencies, state government entities, and other organizations have initiated programs to enforce plain language.

Many states have laws requiring that consumer statutes be written in plain language. The Federal Judicial Center in Washington, D.C., teaches federal judges to write their opinions in plain English.

♦ The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has drafted a plain English handbook.

♦ The Office of Management and Budget has issued government-wide guidance establishing a standard format for grant announcements.

♦ The National Institutes of Health’s Plain Language Initiative requires plain language in all new documents written for the public, other government entities, and fellow workers.

♦ The American Bar Association has issued the following resolution encouraging agencies to write regulations in plain language:¹⁰

RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association urges agencies to use plain language in writing regulations, as a means of promoting the understanding of legal obligations, using such techniques as:

• Organizing them for the convenience of their readers;

• Using direct and easily understood language;

• Writing in short sentences, in the active voice; and

• Using helpful stylistic devices, such as question-and-answer formats, vertical lists, spacing that facilitates clarity, and tables.

To avoid problems in the use of plain language techniques, agencies should:

• Take into account possible judicial interpretations as well as user understanding;

• Clearly state the obligations and rights of persons affected, as well as those of the agency; and

• Identify and explain all intended changes when revising regulations.

♦ The Department of the Interior issues many of its new regulations in plain language. Some good examples are the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Housing Improvement Program and the Mineral Management Service’s rules on relief or reduction of royalty rates.

♦ The Federal Aviation Administration issued an internal directive requiring staff to write in plain language.

♦ The Office of the Federal Register is revising its requirements and allowing many plain language tools and techniques. It has produced two excellent aids for using plain language, Making Regulations Readable and Drafting Legal Documents.

♦ The Food and Drug Administration realizes that low health literacy, combined with the increasing incidence of chronic health problems like diabetes and obesity, results in serious public health problems. To fight these problems most effectively, FDA knows it is more important than ever to use plain language so consumers get information that is clear, informative, and effective in helping them improve or maintain their health.

♦ The Veteran’s Benefits Administration has trained many thousands of staff in reader-focused writing, so that letters and notices to veterans are easier to read and veterans understand better how to apply for the benefits they deserve.

♦ The Department of Health and Human Services issued a guide for writing Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy notices in plain language.

♦ The Securities and Exchange Commission has published a handbook on how to create clear financial-disclosure documents.

♦ The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has issued a revised edition of its style manual, first published in 1983. The NLRB Style Manual: A Guide for Legal Writing in Plain English gives guidelines for writing briefs and other documents submitted to the Board and to the Division of Judges.

WHY USE PLAIN LANGUAGE?

Proponents assert that writing documents by using plain language techniques is effective in a number of ways: It saves money, helps prevent lawsuits, pleases readers, and makes your job easier.

Plain Language Saves Money

Joseph Kimble cites a 1991 study showing that writing memos in plain language instead of bureaucratese could save the U.S. Navy $250 million to $350 million a year. Naval officers were given business memos to read. Some memos were written in plain style and some in bureaucratic style. It took officers 17-to-23 percent less time to read the plain memo. Based on the average hourly pay for all naval personnel, the researchers calculated the yearly savings.¹¹

As part of a writing project, the Veterans Administration tracked the savings from rewriting just one form letter in plain language. Kimble reports that in one year, one regional VA call center saw the number of calls drop from about 1,100 to about 200. Based on the savings on this letter alone, a VA project coordinator estimated that, if this letter were adopted at VA offices nationwide, the VA would save more than $40,000 a year. And the VA sends out thousands of different letters.¹²

Agencies have been cutting down on administrative costs, too. In the 1970s the Federal Communications Commission rewrote the regulations for CB radios in plain English. The number of calls from people confused by the rules dropped so dramatically that the agency was able to reassign all five people who had been fielding questions full-time.¹³

Examples of how using fewer words has resulted in reduced time and cost—and greater ease of public use— abound throughout the government. One outstanding example is Jane Virga of the Farm Credit Administration, who revised a document explaining the Freedom of Information Act fees. By the time she finished, the size of the document had shrunk from 7,850 to 4,018 words. The revised document’s reduced size made it more user-friendly for the public and reduced the printing cost. And, amazingly, the revised document contained more information than the original.¹⁴

Plain Language Helps Avoid Lawsuits

As an article in The Editorial Eye by Mark R. Miller points out, unclear writing is more than annoying. Some courts have called it unconstitutional. He notes the following:

A few years ago, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was taken to court by several aliens the INS had attempted to deport after they had failed to request hearings in document fraud cases. The INS had notified them of their right to request a hearing and informed them that, if they waived that right, they most likely would be deported.

The problem? The forms the INS used for notification were so unclear that the aliens didn’t understand their rights or the possible legal consequences. The court not only ordered INS to rewrite the forms but also prevented the agency from deporting any alien who had received the forms. ¹⁵

Plain Language Pleases Readers

Research shows that readers prefer documents written in plain language and understand them better. For example, Martin Cutts, research director of the Plain Language Commission in the United Kingdom, used his own guidelines to revise a document and later tested it against the original. The result was that 87 percent of the law students tested preferred the revised document. More importantly, when asked a set of 12 questions about either the original or the revised document, students using the revised version performed better on nine out of 12 questions.¹⁶

Joseph Kimble conducted a similar study by sending two separate surveys to judges and lawyers using paragraphs written in traditional legalese and in plain English, though they were not labeled as such. The readers rated the passages in legalese to be substantially weaker and less persuasive than the versions written in plain English.¹⁷

Plain Language Makes Your Job Easier

If people understand your documents the first time they read them, they will be less likely to ask for clarification and will be more likely to respond favorably to your message. In addition, clear writing can boost your reputation and enhance your career.

NOTES

1 Joseph Kimble, “Testifying to Plain Language,” testimony before the House Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs, March 1, 2006, Michigan Bar Journal (June 2006), 45.

2 Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1986), 9.

3 Plain Language Action and Information Network, “Break Your Material Into Short Sentences.” Online at http://www.plainlanguage.gov (accessed May 5, 2007).

4 James Madison, The Federalist Papers, no. 62 (New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1966).

5 Cited in William Zinsser, On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction, 7^th ed. (New York: HarperCollins, 2006), 7.

6 Ibid.

7 For more information on the history of PLAIN, see “History of Plain Language in the United States.” Online at www.plainlanguage.gov (accessed January 2008).

8 President William J. Clinton, “Executive Order 12866 of September 30, 1993: Regulatory Planning and Review,” Federal Register 58, no. 190 (October 4, 1993). Online at www.archives.gov/federalregister/executive-orders/pdf/12866.pdf (accessed January 2008).

9 President William J. Clinton, memorandum “Plain Language in Government Writing,” 1 June 1998. Online at http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/NPR/library/direct/memos/memoeng.html (accessed May 2007).

10 Plain Language Action and Information Network, “American Bar Association Adoption by the House of Delegates.” Online at www.plainlanguage.gov (accessed January 2008).

11 Joseph Kimble, “Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please,” The Scribes Journal of Legal Writing 6 (1996).

12 Ibid.

13 Ibid.

14 Archive, National Partnership for Reinventing Government, “Morley Winograd Plain Language Award Presentations,” Washington, D.C., April 6, 2000. Online at http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/library/speeches/040600.html (accessed January 10, 2008).

15 Mark R. Miller, “Is It Plain English Yet? Bureaucratese Makes People Read Between the Lines,” The Editorial Eye (March 1999).

16 Martin Cutts, “Unspeakable Acts Revisited,” Information Design Journal 9, no. 1 (1998): 39–43. Cited in Beth Mazur, “Revisiting Plain Language,” www.plainlanguage.gov (accessed January 2008).

17 Joseph Kimble, “Writing for Dollars, Writing to Please,” The Scribes Journal of Legal Writing 6 (1996).