Plain Language Guide

We at Hennepin County have joined the international plain language movement and are committed to communicating to the public using language that is easy to understand.

What is plain language?

Plain language is a process that involves focusing written communication on the needs of the intended audience. With everything you publish, your audience should be able to:

• Find what they need
• Understand what they find
• Use that information to meet their needs

The product of a plain language process is writing that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.

How to apply plain language to your communications

• Define your audience and goal
  • Do you have a primary audience?
  • Does your audience have particular needs (tasks, questions, etc.)?
  • Do you want your audience to do something or are you trying to convince them of something?
• Write clear, concise text (see the county Writing Guide for help)
  • Have you include only the key information that your primary audience needs and nothing more?
  • Have you avoided acronyms and jargon?
  • Have you edited your text?
• Organize and design your content to reinforce your message
  • Is your organization logical and intuitive?
  • Is the key information (your main goal) right where your audience expects it to be?
  • Did you use informative headings to make your information scannable?

Print it

• The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) created a printable checklist (PDF 170kb) to help writers craft plain language. It looks different than these tips, but the information is the same.

Benefits of using plain language

• Increased audience understanding and satisfaction
• Reduced costs to the organization
• Increased compliance rates

Learn more about plain language

• Federal plain language website — the government's home for information on plain language
• Federal plain language guidelines — step-by-step instructions on how to communicate using plain language
• Center for Plain Language — an organization dedicated to promoting plain language in government and business
• Usability.gov — the federal government's resource to help make websites more usable, useful, and accessible
• Plain Language Association International — a nonprofit organization dedicated to the use of plain language
• Clarity — an international organization promoting plain legal language