Writing in Plain English
1h 3mGeneral2024-03-14
Authors

Mignon Fogarty
Founder of Quick and Dirty Tips Network and Grammar Girl
Course details
Plain English—writing that is clear and straightforward; targeted at the appropriate reading level; and free of jargon, wordiness, and clichés—is the standard for government communication in the US and is favored by many corporations. In this course, Mignon Fogarty shows you how to use plain language tools to become a better communicator. Mignon starts with a look at how to organize information and define your audience to meet your plain English goals. She then gets into more specifics of plain language writing, like how to choose the best words and sentence structures. Lastly, Mignon shows how you can use artificial intelligence tools to make writing in plain language faster and easier than ever before. Join Mignon to find out how you can use proven techniques to make your writing clear, effective, and even more impressive to your readers.
Skills covered
WritingProfessional DevelopmentOne-Off
Concepts
0. Introduction
- 01 - Increase your impact by writing in plain English
1. Understanding Plain English
- 02 - Why is writing in plain English important
2. Organizing Information to Meet Your Plain English Goals
- 03 - Define your audience before writing
- 04 - Organize your ideas to write with clarity
- 05 - Use meaningful headings in your writing
- 06 - Use meaningful headings in your writing
- 07 - Use lists, tables, and other visuals
3. Choosing the Best Words to Meet Your Plain English Goals
- 08 - Use simple words when writing in plain English
- 09 - Use strong verbs when writing in plain English
- 10 - Address your readers directly when writing in plain English
- 11 - Avoid jargon when writing in plain English
- 12 - Avoid technobabble and legalese when writing in plain English
- 13 - Minimize abbreviations when writing in plain English
- 14 - Eliminate vague words and expressions
4. Using the Best Types of Sentences to Meet Your Plain English Goals
- 15 - Use short, simple sentences when writing in plain English
- 16 - Avoid there are sentences when writing in plain English
- 17 - Use the present tense when writing in plain English
- 18 - Avoid noun clusters when writing in plain English
- 19 - Use positive language when writing in plain English
5. Other Tools for Meeting Your Plain English Goals
- 20 - Use examples to make your points stick
- 21 - Summarize main points to make takeaways clear
- 22 - Hyperlink meaningful words
6. Revising Your Writing to Meet Your Plain English Goals
- 23 - Measure the reading level for your audience
- 24 - Read aloud to polish your writing
- 25 - Get feedback on your writing
- 26 - AI tools to meet your plain English writing goals
Conclusion
- 27 - Next steps