Newsletter

Welcome to another issue of Plain English Weekly. 💌

There are almost 500 of you subscribed now and I am slightly blown away by how quickly that has happened!

I think this probably means I have successfully tested whether there is an appetite for plain English-related advice and information? Next step is to ask you about and make a plan for how this humble, infant newsletter can grow into something more helpful and substantial.

All suggestions and feedback welcome, of course. You can reply to this email or contact me in various ways.

Enjoy this week's links...

Iain

PS If you subscribed recently, do explore previous issues where I am sure you will find even more handy clear language content.

UK Home Office design system's readability guidelines

Some super clear language guidelines but also some examples of users who may have access needs and what they may find helpful. They include people who are blind or partially sighted, dyslexic and non-native English speakers.

UX writing: making our microcopy clear, concise and useful

Miles Taylor, now at Torchbox, wrote this while at University of Bristol. It comes from having pulled a load of information together to try and explain the benefits of UX writing and clear content to internal project teams. This is a job that often seems to fall to us content folk. Plain language? Explain yourself!

The international guide to gender-inclusive writing

I only just found this huge guide put together by the Gender-inclusive Language Project and published by UX Content Collective.

...refer to this guide for suggested best practices around using gender-inclusive language to ensure that all people feel welcome and acknowledged in your experiences.

There is so much useful information in here. I've added it to my bookmarks.

The case for jargon

I like this piece by content designer, Amy Hupe, because it acknowledges the nuances of language and even plain English. Yes, in most cases, jargon should be avoided. But jargon can empower people and communities too.

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.

The Content Strategy Podcast

There are a few great content-focused podcasts and none more so than the Content Strategy Podcast. It's hosted by Kristina Halvorson, who wrote the book on content strategy, and features excellent interviews with content folk from around the world. Go explore the archives and get started.

"Quality, relevant content can't be spotted by an algorithm. You can't subscribe to it. You need people - actual human beings - to create or curate it."
Kristina Halvorson

New reader?

Join a growing community of 475+ plain language champs and start getting advice and resources that help you write clearer, more accessible content.

Welcome to another edition of Plain English Weekly and a lovely big wave (👋) to you. Quick reminder: I'm Iain Broome, a freelance content designer.

Sorry about skipping last week. I did that thing where you say you are going to take some annual leave and then also say, "Hey, don't worry I will somehow find time to not be on annual leave at all!"

We're back now though. Enjoy the links.

Iain

How to Write in Plain English (With Examples)

Another concise guide to writing in plain English, this time from Proofed. This one includes examples, which always helps when trying to understand some of the core principles of writing clearly.

Why plain language and Plain English are different

So, this is a good piece. First, it includes some backstory on the Plain English Campaign and an exciting founder rift I didn't know about. But more importantly, it highlights the problem with claiming to write in clear language if you don't test your content with real users. Is it really clear? How do you know?

This is why whenever I run workshops (did I mention I run workshops?), I always introduce plain English alongside the principles of content design. That includes creating content based on user research and evidence. To write clearly, you need to understand who you are writing for and what they want to achieve.

Quick and useful explanation of the active voice

Here is a smashing and very short post on LinkedIn by Hannah Collins, content design lead at Today. Some people find it tricky to spot the difference between the active and passive voice, so I am very much into this kind of concise overview.

How to write hyperlink text for better web accessibility

As you might have noticed if you've been subscribed to Plain English Weekly from the start, the team at Scope share lots of brilliant resources. This piece on link text is excellent and if you or anyone on your team is susceptible to writing links that say 'click here' or something similar, please pass it on!

A long time ago, I also write a blog post about writing good hyperlinks. True story.

Book: Complete Plain Words by Ernest Gowers

Plain Words is one of the earliest and most influential books on the subject of clear language. First published in 1948, some of it is now dated and – as you might guess – there's no mention of the good ol' internet. But it's still a great read and worthy of a place on your bookshelves.

New reader?

Join a growing community of 425+ plain language champs and start getting advice and resources that help you write clearer, more accessible content.

At some point, I will stop saying thank you for sharing Plain English Weekly, but today is not that day. There are 422 of you receiving this! Thank you for sharing!

Look out for a very short survey in an upcoming edition of this newsletter. I'd love to know what sort of content you might find useful next. A podcast? An online course? Live and recorded webinars? The world is our plain English oyster.

Don't forget you can just reply to this email and share your thoughts, suggestions and exciting secrets too.

That's it. Enjoy the links...

Iain

Grammar Rules: The Ultimate Guide

Grammarly is a useful tool that checks your writing for bad spells and stuff. But the company blog is also a content treasure trove of handy information, including this giant guide to pretty much every word-related term or phrase you can think of. Punctuation. Syntax. It's got the lot.

South Tyneside Council's super-simple plain English guide

Many local council's in the UK will now include a web page that explains their policy on clear language. This example from South Tyneside is deliciously concise and provides a near-perfect introduction to the world of plain English.

Guidelines for age-inclusive communication [PDF 165KB]

Apologies for linking straight to a PDF, but I can't find the content on an actual web page. The good news is these guidelines from Changing the Narrative give you some great tips for writing about age and for older people.

How to write about actions and their effects

First of all, you should read Adobe's guidelines on inclusive language. And then in the page on writing with visuals, you'll find a short table that shows some examples of how to write actions. Things like, 'Enter email' instead of 'Type email address', as the user may not be typing if they are using a screen reader.

New reader?

Join a growing community of 400+ plain language champs and start getting advice and resources that help you write clearer, more accessible content.

Toot toot! We have made it to 300+ subscribers and we're only on issue five of Plain English Weekly. Thank you so much for sharing it with your pals!

This week, I'm a world away from my usual content design work. Instead, I'm producing the official podcast for the Trans Pyrenees ultra-distance cycling race. It's quite the change of scenery from word-wrangling!

After that, whisper it quietly (the very best way to whisper), I might be looking for my next freelance content gig. I very much enjoy receiving emails about exciting projects, so do get in touch if you fancy a chit chat.

Finally, before I get the heck out of your way, what are you up to? I'd love to know more about what you do and why you're into plain English.

Feel free to reply to this email!

Iain

Making the case for clear language

This is super stuff from Nia Campbell at Content Design London. It's full of useful distinctions and information and a follow up to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) launching its first plain language standard. 

The bit about whether we should use the term 'plain' or 'clear' language caught my eye! I fussed for ages over whether I should call this newsletter Clear Language Weekly. In the end, I went for Plain English Weekly instead because I felt it was the more recognised phrase. People know it as a thing.

But as you may have spotted, I do generally prefer 'clear language' when I talk about the practical act of – you know – writing clearly.

How to use the active or passive voice

Guess what my 11-year-old twins are doing for their homework this week? They had to go through this ace web page all about the active and passive voice. It includes examples, videos and quizzes. I very much of approve of clear language in schools, though it would be great to see more about how it benefits people.

Mailchimp's guide to writing for accessibility

Writing clearly is just one part of making sure web pages are accessible to as many people as possible. Mailchimp's internal guides are always a handy reference tool and this one on accessible content is a good place to start.

5 easy ways to shorten your sentences

When I run plain English workshops, people often find it more difficult to shorten sentences than they first expect. There's a real knack to it. It takes practice. But the tips in this Outwrite blog post will help you get started.

Want to Create Inclusive UX Content? Avoid These Words

Lots of useful advice in this blog post by Chinwe Uzegbu, published on UX Planet. These are the small details that make a significant difference if you want to write in a way that does not exclude or alienate people.

New reader?

Join a growing community of 325+ plain language champs and start getting advice and resources that help you write clearer, more accessible content.

Well that was a lovely week in the world of Plain English Weekly. We've gone from 100 to 250+ subscribers in no time at all. Thank you to everyone who shared it with their internet pals. Much appreciated!

I'm not going to faff around for too long here, as it's my twin boys' birthday today and there are important things to do. Needless to say, enjoy the links below and again, feel free to forward this on or post it to your socials.

Go find something useful...

Iain

PS Here is my LinkedIn profile and freelance website if you want to learn more about me and whatever the heck it is I do.

What Passive Voice Is and When to Use It

'Prefer the active voice' is one the principles of writing in plain English. The way I approach this in workshops is to first help people understand the difference between active and passive voice. You know you've got it when you can be on passive voice alert without it feeling like a chore.

If you can easily spot the passive voice, you're in a pretty good position to make a decision about whether it should be active instead. In most cases, active is your best option. But not always, as this Grammarly blog post points out.

Check out the accompanying video too. It's pretty good, though I reckon it makes things a bit more complicated than they need to be!

Accounts Acing Alt Text on Social Media

Adding alt text to an image is a way of describing its content and meaning in an alternative format. Enjoy these examples from Holly Tuke, who has gathered a collection of organisations and individuals doing alt text well on social media.

Here's a good introduction to alt text on GOV.UK.

How to use readable, accessible emojis

Love 'em or hate 'em, it's fair to say emojis are now part of many people's everyday communication. If you find yourself popping the odd emoji into your copy, make sure you are doing it in the best possible way.

Tools for content strategists and designers

Lauren Pope is a content strategist who shares an ace newsletter for content folk. She's also very kindly put together this marvellous list of apps and other tools that will help you do your very bestest content work.

Templates: collection of content production templates for Airtable

Do you know Airtable? It's basically sexy spreadsheets that you can also turn into apps. It can do lots of things, but I've used it mostly for planning projects and even the odd prototype. These templates are a good introduction and could be a great addition to your content toolkit.

New reader?

Join a growing community of 250+ plain language champs and start getting advice and resources that help you write clearer, more accessible content.