The other night, I started reading a new book I found in the library. I was excited about this one, it had an interesting concept and had a few of those ‘recommended’ quotes on the front cover. Plus I’d read a few of the author’s books before. I thought I was onto a winner.
It was well written, for sure. But the concept was basically a rant about the importance of intellectuals. I immediately got the premise, but to further illustrate the point, it was like the author had got out a thesaurus and replaced a bunch of words with smarter sounding alternatives. The kind of words that make you stop and re-read a sentence three times, only to still wonder if you’ve missed something.
I love reading and I love books. I like to think I have a pretty good vocabulary and generally I enjoy learning new words through context or looking them up in the dictionary.
But halfway through chapter two, I closed the book.
Not because I was bored. Not because I disagreed with the content (although the main character was particularly annoying).
But because I felt… dumb. It’s embarrassing to even think about it let alone write it.
That feeling, that quiet, creeping sense of not being smart enough, is one of the fastest ways to make someone stop reading. Even someone who loves books and reading and words.
No one wants to feel dumb.
Particularly not at 11pm before going to sleep, because that’s usually when I manage to get to my book.
It got me thinking about the power of words, and more specifically, the power of plain English.
As a copywriter who works in sectors like healthcare, education, disability and aged care, I know how important it is to write in a way that invites people in, rather than shutting them out.
When you’re writing about services that affect people’s lives, whether it’s getting support at home, understanding a diagnosis, or knowing their rights, clarity isn’t optional. It’s essential.
Why plain English isn’t ‘dumbing down’
There’s a misconception that plain English means simplistic or watered-down language. In reality, plain English is respectful. It tells your reader: You matter. Your time matters. Your understanding matters.
According to the Australian Government Style Manual, plain language can still express complex ideas. It helps engage people with words they can understand quickly.
Plain language helps people find what they need and explains expressions that people might not be familiar with.
In aged care and disability services, this can mean the difference between someone accessing support or walking away because the form was too confusing. Between someone feeling informed or feeling left behind.
When language becomes a barrier
The experience I had with that book might sound trivial. But swap out “book” for “NDIS service agreement” or “hospital discharge summary,” and you see how high the stakes can be.
No one should feel stupid for not understanding a document that affects their health, finances or care. And no one should have to work that hard just to get the information they need.
How can you write like you want to be understood?
It’s not just the words we use that help documents be understood. Plain language international suggests we think of 5 things when we write:
1. Audience and purpose
Who is your audience and how much might they know or need to know? When you consider your audience, it will help you work out the right design and language elements.
2. Structure
How are you going to structure the communication? What will make it easy for your audience to understand? For example, will chronological order make sense or topic based chapters?
Plain Language recommends these principles to help:
- Use summaries to present key information before the details
- Divide each section into roughly equal chunks
- Consider some transitional text to link one section to the next.
3. Design
How can the design help communicate your document? Think about layout including headings, typography and graphics. Can you include graphs or tables to show information better?
4. Expression
As I’ve highlighted, the wording is particularly important. Some things that help with expression include
- Writing in a respectful yet conversational style
- Using words your readers will understand
- Avoiding jargon
- Keeping sentences shorter, around 15 – 20 words on average
- Use the active voice over the passive voice.
5. Evaluation
The final step is to review your text and work out whether it’s likely to succeed.
Every time we write something, whether it’s a brochure, a website or a care plan, we’re making a choice. Do we want to sound impressive, or do we want to connect?
Plain English is more than a style choice. It’s a sign of respect.
Write so people feel smart, not small.