Time to head into the BBC Bitesize archive for you to meet Frieda Fishmonster. I'm not saying you have to complete these activities as a way of testing your clear language skills, but would it hurt? I won't tell anyone.
Clear Language Club
Latest posts
"Using plain language improves comprehension. In other words, it makes content easier to understand. Users can struggle to understand long words, technical jargon and unfamiliar terms. Complex language can cause confusion and even harm."
Designing for people with anxiety
Inclusive designThis is a great post about designing for people with anxiety by Demelza Feltham on the Tetra Logical blog.
A lot of the ideas (or considerations) here are rooted in principles of good design and writing in clear language. But it's really useful to see how they translate to anxiety specifically.
These considerations focus on reducing cognitive load, lowering stress, and creating experiences that feel calmer and clearer for everyone. It’s not a complete list, but it highlights the areas that make the biggest difference to a calmer, more supportive user experience.
As someone who mostly works on government services these days, the section on transparency hit home:
It’s important to explain why certain information is being requested. If someone in real life asked for your date of birth or your pronouns without context, both personal details that aren’t automatically assumed, you might feel cautious or hesitant. Forms work the same way. Offering a brief explanation reduces worry, builds trust, and reassures people that their information is being requested for a clear, legitimate purpose.
This is in the context of creating a form, but I think it applies to any content where you are asking the user for something.
It's about being honest and clear, but you are also building trust. If a user thinks your website, service or organisation is being straight with them, that reduces the potential for anxiety.
There is another word I'd throw into the mix: acknowledgment. By explaining why you need a piece of information, you are showing empathy and understanding. You acknowledge that your request might cause anxiety, but providing reassurance that there is a reason for the ask.
You can follow a selection of links to other resources at the end of Feltham's blog post, including these designing for anxiety posters from the UK Home Office.
Writing effective letters
WritingI wrote a lot of letters on the previous project I worked on. You won't be surprised to hear that the UK government's service manual has some guidance on how to write good letters. I will also point you to this shorter piece about designing letters as part of the whole user journey.
The case for jargon
WritingI like this piece on jargon by content designer, Amy Hupe, because it acknowledges the nuances of language and even clear language.
This is a fantastic paragraph:
Jargon always gives power to those who understand it, and takes power from those who don’t. It’s really important that we recognise this and think about who we’re empowering and disempowering when we use jargon.
Yes, in most cases, jargon should be avoided. But jargon can empower people and communities too. I think this is why it's important that we don't get all... preachy about clear language. There is never one way of approaching a piece of writing. And it's absolutely vital to understand who it's for.
Say hello to the Clear Language Club blog
UpdatesAn introduction to the blog, including how post types work, some inspiration and things for you to do.
This is the official launch post to tell you that Clear Language Club is now a blog, as well as a newsletter. It’s been a couple of months in the making. Let me explain how it works.
Types of post
There are three types of post on the blog.
I’ll be writing articles on various topics and those posts will look exactly like this one. Some will be short. Some will be a little longer. Can you imagine a blog post? Of course you can. They’ll be just like that.
The blog will also feature link posts, which work a little differently. But if you subscribe to the newsletter, you will recognise the format right away.
In a link post, the post title is an external link that takes you directly to an article or resource on a different website. It will usually feature extra context or commentary from me. I may even riff on a choice quote from the original piece.
Speaking of quotes, when a really good one comes along, I’ll give it a nice background colour and publish it as a standalone post. This is post type 3.
It’s all very Tumblr circa 2008. This is intentional!
Inspiration
Basically, I have made the kind of blog I like to read.
I’ve been subscribed to blogs like Kottke.org, Swiss Miss, Austin Kleon and Daring Fireball for many years. These are websites run by people who enjoy finding and pointing at interesting things.
I like doing this too! In the world of clear language and content design, there are many brilliant ideas, articles and resources. This new blog is set up in a way that makes it easy to share and shout about those things.
But I’d also like it to have a voice. I think it’s possible to highlight other people’s ideas and add to the conversation in a positive way. And, crucially, at least to me, without being one of those clever clogs LinkedIn guys.
To be honest, I’d argue this is what blogs were like before we all decided to do the talking on social media. Working in the open. Sharing with enthusiasm. Thoughtful publishing.
No algorithm in sight. No likes or boosts. And indeed, no AI.
Who it's for
The honest answer is that both the blog and newsletter are for anyone interested in clear language. I mean, of course!
I guess my point is that your job title or the type of organisation you work for does not matter. If you think clear, accessible writing is a good thing, you are in the right place.
That said, based on the email addresses of the 1000+ people who are currently subscribed to the newsletter, here’s a list of people who might like it round these parts.
- Content designers, UX writers and copywriters who already practise writing in clear language.
- Content folk in those professions who have less experience and want to learn new things and develop their skills.
- People who don’t work in content directly, but who do write as part of their job and want to do it more clearly.
- Senior leadership types who have heard clear language is the way to go and want to understand what it’s all about.
I’m sure there are plenty of other folk too. If you know or work with someone who you think might like the site, please do point them this way. Everyone is welcome.
Things to do
Obviously, you can start by reading posts that are already here. I’ve turned some of the things I previously included in the newsletter into link posts. You can get stuck into those right away.
If you have a particular topic in mind, you can search posts by tag. It’s early days, so there aren’t many tags in play yet. But the collection will grow (sensibly) over time and give you a good way to find posts by subject matter or expertise.
Subscribe to the RSS feed. This is how I read all my favourite blogs. I use a free feed reader app called NetNewsWire, which updates every time a new post is published. If you are new to the world of RSS feeds, I highly recommend it.
Subscribe to the newsletter. This is the best way to join Clear Language Club. Each edition, I package up and email out the best links shared on the blog, alongside a few exciting extras for your trouble. Basically, sign up and let the blog come to you, rather than have to remember to check in every so often.
Also, don’t forget the bookmarks directory. This is a growing list of resources for content and clear language bods. Every bookmark is tagged and you can search by keyword if you want to get more specific.
There is a new about page you can read too. It covers a lot of the same stuff in this post, but includes a little more information about me and the newsletter too. I’ll keep the page up to date as things change over time.
Speaking of which, why not check out the changelog? It’s just an ongoing list of updates to the website and project. Not entirely necessary, of course. But it may be of interest to someone, somewhere, and it keeps me honest.
Let’s start posting
It’s taken me far too long to publish this post, so I’m going to leave it there and start publishing in earnest. I’ll also send out a newsletter to let everyone know that things are officially up and running.
Finally, do get in touch to let me know what you think. All feedback is welcome and appreciated. You can email iain@verymeta.com, contact me on Bluesky or send me a message on LinkedIn.
