Most of us have had the experience of starting a new job or joining a new group and feeling as if everyone is speaking another language. It takes time to learn the new vocabulary—time that anyone other than staff isn’t going to give up.  

To connect with new audiences and bring them into your world, you have to get on their level: enter Plain Language

Plain language as a movement initially focused on the need for legal communications to be more broadly understandable. This was necessary to reduce barriers to justice and protect consumers. For example, in 1998, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) required that certain parts of prospectuses aimed at retail investors be written using “plain language.” That same year, President Clinton issued a Memorandum on Plain Language directing all Executive Departments and Agencies to communicate more clearly.

In the decades since, plain language has moved beyond a movement in the legal sphere. The need for and benefits of plain language—that is, language that is clear, concise, and easy to understand—are manifest.

• Improved engagement: Plain language lowers the barrier to entry. Designed to ensure comprehension, the result is communications that are inclusive and inviting.
• Greater trust: Using clear, straightforward language is a cornerstone of transparency and trust, essential to building meaningful relationships with stakeholders.
• Broader distribution: When your message is easy to digest and understand, it’s more likely to be shared in a conversation or online.
• Cost-effective: By avoiding jargon and complex language, you can actually save time and resources in creating and delivering your marketing messages.

So why are we still picking through word salad all the time? 

Persistent barriers to plain language are 1) the notion that more complex language demonstrates expertise, and 2) that plain language is too informal. Neither is true.

There is also a strain of jargon creep particular to the nonprofit space. Organizations exist to help and support people within unique and nuanced issue areas. Specificity of language can be critical to an organization’s reputation, but it can also become insular and sterile. Sustainability requires reaching new audiences with a compelling narrative. It’s a balancing act, but you don’t have to sacrifice accuracy for resonance.

The goal of plain language is for your audience to understand you quickly and easily—a marketing imperative in the attention economy.

The following tips lie at the intersection of plain language and marketing best practices:

• Keep sentence and paragraph lengths short. Don’t make your audience work harder than they have to. Avoid complex sentences and keep it easy on the eyes. Scannable text is welcoming; big blocks of text are imposing.
• Simplify your vocabulary. Choose common, everyday language over jargon, acronyms, and technical terms. Jargon may be unavoidable at times. If so, explain or define the terminology used.
• Don’t invent new vocabulary. Overly branded programs and products can backfire, creating confusion and watering down your primary brand. Call a spade a spade, literally.
• Keep it concise. Could you have said it in fewer words? Then do it.

Writing for marketing and emphasizing plain language can feel contrary to the ways many of us were taught to write. Academic writing favors prose that can become dense and complex more often than not. It’s okay if it’s not your forté. That’s why we’re here.

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