Our MASC491: User Experience course was lucky enough to have another guest speaker, Deanna Lorianni, co-founder of Zuula Communications Strategy Firm in Richmond, Virginia.
What Deanna taught us that I thought was kind of neat was that when working with plain language, it’s not just about the words. It’s also about the way the words flow together, how dense, or easily-flowing the words look on the page. Bullet points? Those are your friend. Long, wordy paragraphs? Stay away from those. It’s a fairly simple concept with a lot of complex rules intertwined in there.
The goal for plain language is for readers to understand and digest your message on the first read. They read, understand, and if the message is written correctly, they act.
For brands, messaging needs to be straight forward across the board. Plain language can help. It’s not dumbing down but making the message concise. It’s not changing the meaning, but simply clarifying the message.
To read about tips for starting a plain language program for your business, check out the link below.
https://www.plainlanguage.gov/training/tips-for-trainers/
Comments