'Plain English' writing

'Plain English' is about writing your letters and newsletter articles in a way that your readers can quickly and easily understand what you want to tell them. Your clients will be better informed and will appreciate the time and effort you've taken to help them, and the knowledge and information you give them.

Here are some of Jackie's tips to help you write your letters and newsletter articles in 'Plain English'.

1. Think about your readers

Before you start writing, think about who are your readers, what they already know and what you want them to know about your topic.

2. Formatting and style

• Use a print font and design layout that your customers can read easily
• Catchy headings can attract your readers to the gist of your writing
• Use lots of bullet points or short paragraphs with short clear sentences
• Pictures & diagrams can help 'catch' your clients' interest;
• Highlight the most important parts of your letter or article to draw them to your clients' attention

3. Language

Always use words that your readers know and understand – with some time and effort, even the most complicated concepts can be described in 'every-day' language.

4. A final tip

If you can't get it right now, try again another time — the right words just might surface in the break!