10: Plain Language — Writing So Everyone Can Understand
Design for Clarity (part 4 of 5)
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Here’s a human-recorded audio version with Chief Voice Officer Kirk McDavitt. Hit play, or keep reading below.
Where We Are
By now, you’ve built messages that look clear and fit real contexts.
In Part 4, we’ll focus on the words themselves, because clarity isn’t just visual; it’s linguistic.
You probably didn’t become an educator to spend your evenings decoding your own emails.
Yet it happens all the time.
A parent writes back: “So… what exactly do we need to do?”
A student submits half the assignment: “I wasn’t sure what part counted.”
A colleague admits they missed a detail: “Sorry, I didn’t understand that section.”
You reread your original message and think, It’s right there!
But to your reader, it wasn’t obvious.
A reason for this is that we write the way school taught us to write: dense, polite, “professional.”
We aim to sound competent and end up sounding complicated.
It’s not a lack of effort.
It’s that no one told us simplicity is a service.
The Plain Language Promise
Plain language isn’t the opposite of intelligence; it’s the expression of empathy.
It says: I’ll do the mental work so you don’t have to.
When you write plainly, you make knowledge portable.
Everyone—from your ELL families to your board members—can act on the same information without extra translation.
And the research backs this up: A 2020 study by Labrador and BVA Group found that readers are 38% more likely to understand text written in plain language compared to traditional “professional” writing. That’s not a minor improvement; that’s the difference between comprehension and confusion.
The benefits ripple:
Fewer clarification emails
Fewer missteps
More trust in leadership
This is how communication stops feeling like complexity control and starts feeling like capacity building.
How to Get There
1 — Adopt the Plain Language Promise
Post this above your desk or share it with your team:
✅ Students can follow directions the first time.
✅ Parents understand what their child needs to do.
✅ Staff don’t need a decoder ring.
✅ Criteria are clear enough for students to self-assess.
If a message fails one of those, it’s time to rewrite.
2 — Follow Five Micro Rules
Use active voice.
“Submit the form by Friday” beats “Forms should be submitted by Friday.”
Active voice helps the message stay clear and easy to read, according to the federal Plain Language Guidelines.
Shorten sentences.
Aim for 8–16 words. Long sentences hide meaning in the middle.
Prefer specific verbs.
Bring, sign, upload > engage with, facilitate, explore.
Sequence clearly.
Use numbers: 1 → 2 → 3. Readers can see progress.
Explain jargon once in six words or fewer.
(”Formative assessment = practice feedback, not grades.”)
3 — Combine Plain Language with Visual Hierarchy
Remember the visual hierarchy principles from Part 2? Plain language makes them work even better.
Here’s the powerful connection: Visual hierarchy shows what matters. Plain language makes it understandable.
You can create perfect visual emphasis on a deadline—bold, isolated, impossible to miss—but if the words say “kindly ensure timely submission of requisite documentation,” nobody knows what to do.
Conversely, you can write crystal-clear instructions in active voice, but if they’re buried in paragraph eight with no visual emphasis, nobody will find them.
The magic happens when you combine both:
Visual hierarchy = Shows where to look
Plain language = Makes it instantly understandable when they get there
Digital.gov’s plain language design guidelines emphasize this integration: “Legible and well-organized writing is easier to understand than traditional styles.” They recommend combining clear word choice with strategic design elements.
For instance, when you use tables to show complex relationships, you’re using visual design to support plain language. Instead of writing:
“Students in grades 3-5 should complete 30-50 minutes of homework on week nights, while students in grades 6-8 should complete 60-90 minutes, and high school students should expect 90-120 minutes depending on their course load.”
You create a table with clear labels and simple data:
The table provides visual hierarchy (you can scan to find your grade level). The plain language makes each cell immediately understandable. Together, they create instant clarity.
4 — Apply It Where It Hurts Most
Classroom instructions
Before:
“Students are expected to engage with the provided resources and demonstrate understanding through completion of the attached task.”After:
Assignment Steps:
1. Watch the short video
2. Answer three questions below
3. Submit your answers by Friday
Parent updates
Before:
“We kindly request that all parents ensure timely submission of the medical form required for participation in upcoming activities.”After:
Action needed: Send your child’s medical form by Wednesday so they can join the field trip.
[Link to form]
Questions? Reply to this email.Leadership communication
Before:
“Our intent is to implement a phased approach contingent upon resource availability.”After:
“We’ll roll this out in two phases once resources are ready.”Why It Works
The human brain wants closure: What is this? What do I do? When is it due?
Plain language answers those three questions before the reader has to ask.
It also changes tone.
Simple words read as friendly, not flat.
Your audience feels that you’re talking with them, not at them.
And here’s the beautiful part: plain language requires no special design skills. You already know how to talk to people clearly in conversation. Plain language just means writing the way you’d explain something face-to-face.
A Quick Self-Check
After drafting, read your message aloud.
If you need to inhale halfway through a sentence, it’s too long.
If any word makes you sound like policy instead of person, replace it.
If you wouldn’t say it out loud to a colleague or parent, rephrase until you would.
What’s Coming Next
Design as Conversation — Mapping the Network
You’ve learned to design individual messages (visual hierarchy, context awareness, plain language). Next week, we’ll zoom out to see how all your messages work together as a coherent conversation across your entire school.
The complete Design for Clarity mini-course—with video walkthroughs, interactive templates, before/after libraries, and implementation tools—will be available at the end of this series for those who want the full system.
Your Experience
Which phrase or habit do you catch yourself overusing—something that sounds professional but confuses people?
To me, it’s the word “concomitant.” It’s a common word in my native Portuguese, but I always find that people give me a quizzical look when I say it in English! (Turns out “at the same time” works just fine.)
I’m always curious and could use more examples. Hit reply and share!
Systematically yours,
About the Author:
G (short for Gitane) is co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at EKG Collective, helping international schools turn communication complexity into systematic clarity. Learn more at ekgcollective.com.