Part 1: Introduction

Is this guide for me? #

If you write anything that other people need to read, this guide is for you!

It’s for you if you:

• want people to take notice of what you have to say
• want to get your message across quickly and save yourself time and money
• want your information to be understood
• work for an organisation that wants to communicate more effectively with customers
• want some ideas of how to bring your colleagues along for the ride

How do I write effectively? #

Writing effectively means you are reader-friendly.

Being reader-friendly is about:

1. Understanding – Knowing your readers
2. Designing – Using simple strategies to make your information quicker and easier to read
3. Reimagining – Presenting your information in different ways.

Each year the Reading Writing Hotline gets over 4000 calls from Australian adults seeking literacy support. As well as asking for a literacy program, the callers ring for help to fill in forms, find information online, read medicines, follow instructions, and read signs. Though this is not the role of the Reading Writing Hotline, people ring because they have no other place to go. They are challenged by everyday reading, writing and numeracy tasks that they need for work, to raise their families, and to be involved in their communities.

The Reading Writing Hotline is a service that links adults to classes and tutors where they can get help with their reading and writing. The Hotline also works with businesses and Government agencies to find ways to make information sharing more effective.

Is it only adults with literacy gaps that benefit from a reader-friendly approach? #

No!

Writing effectively involves simplifying the reading and writing needed to get on with everyday tasks. For businesses and employers this could mean thousands of dollars in productivity gains.

For government organisations it could mean better services. For small businesses it could save time and money.

Everyone benefits when information is easier to understand and use.

We all like familiar language and familiar ideas, so we are more likely to engage with messages that seem clear and straight forward.

Think of the people reading your communications as your audience. We want our audience to be engaged, to stick with us, and to understand what we want them to know or do. In this guide, we call them your readers.

Plain English or Plain language or Easy English? #

To write effectively, you need to understand who you are writing for and adjust your writing to suit them. For example, complex, long, crowded text is difficult for many adults to comprehend.

Plain English makes text written in English easy to read. It’s about choosing words that help your reader comprehend your message quickly and easily. It is about avoiding jargon and technical terms whenever you can.

Plain language, like plain English, is about choosing everyday words. That applies to all your messages, whether they are in English or not. It is about avoiding jargon and technical terms whenever you can. In this document, we use the term Plain English, but the principles are the same, no matter which language we are writing in.

Easy English is further simplified and is a style created to make text accessible for people who have trouble reading. This may be people with beginner English, a learning disability, or literacy gaps. It uses images to support the message.
This guide brings all the above ideas together. The aim is to think about texts from the point of view of the person reading them. That’s why we say it’s a reader-friendly approach.

Research shows:

• Making forms easier to find, understand, fill in and return saves time and money.
• You reach more people to sell a product or service if you make advertising easier to read.
• People read and respond to information that is easy to find and easy to understand.
• Workplaces save on time and wastage when employees can easily follow processes to meet requirements.
• Workplaces are safer when employees can easily read rules and procedures.
• Customers will follow instructions more often when they are reader-friendly.
• If you use a reader-friendly approach people are more likely to want to read information from you again.