No plain, no gain.
When you write in ‘plain English’, you use simple words, short sentences, clear headings and short paragraphs. It’s something legal and finance departments can struggle with, as they rely on jargon to communicate complex messages.
But simple writing needn’t change or simplify what you’re trying to say. Instead, it means as many people as possible will understand your writing quickly and easily.
The first rule of copywriting is to think about your reader. They could be reading in a hurry. Maybe they find reading difficult, or don’t speak English as their first language. (Or they might be an expert in your subject – but even experts appreciate simple language.)
Why are we talking about it now?
Plain language isn’t a new idea. In fact, its supporters date all the way back to the 16th century. In 1596, a British chancellor cut a hole in a 120-page court document he thought was too long. He then ordered the author to stuff his head through it to make an exhibition of him outside Westminster Hall.
More recently, New Zealand has passed a bill
to make sure the government speaks as clearly as possible. They believe this will strengthen democracy by helping people understand their rights and what they’re being asked to do. It’s also a priority for the UK government, as shown with guidance on gov.uk and across organisations like Transport for London.
It’s good for government. But is it good for business?
In a word: yes. In the financial world, research suggests
simple writing offers significant return on investment. In a 10-K annual performance report, plain writing attracted more investors and saved money and time spent on audits. Another study found that when the readability of a fund’s annual report slightly dropped, the fund reduced in market value by 2.5%.
Cornell accounting professor Kristina Rennekamp discovered something similar
: simple writing “increases investors’ beliefs that they can rely on the information”. In other words, it made investment advice more believable and trustworthy.
Simple language can save money and time in the legal sphere, too. GE Aviation
found when a contract left out legal jargon, the time it took to negotiate fell by 60%.
What are some ways to simplify legal and financial language?
Free resources like Hemingway App
are useful to check the readability of your writing. Here a few other ways to make sure legal and financial language is as accessible as possible:
If there’s no plain English alternative to the word you’re using, explain what it means
Explain what acronyms mean the first time you use them, and don’t form new ones
Move from the abstract to the specific. A good example from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission plain English handbook is:
Asset ➡ Investment ➡ Security ➡ Equity ➡ Stock ➡ Common stock ➡ One share of IBM common stock
Explain abstract points with a hypothetical scenario involving one person
Watch out for long words or phrases which don’t add meaning:
‘Alter or change’
‘In terms of’
‘Good and sufficient’
‘Last will and testament’
‘Null & void’ (also: ‘totally null and void and of no further force or effect whatsover’…)
‘Peace and quiet’
‘True and correct’
‘Undertake and agree’
‘With regards to’
Finally, think about getting a fresh perspective. You might be so immersed in your world that you can’t recognise what’s complex and what’s straight-forward. And that’s where we can help
.
Hemingway reading grade: 6
(What US school grade you’d need to read and understand this)
Flesch reading ease: 64.8
(Scored from 0-100, a good score is 60 or over)
This article was originally published in Global Finance & Banking Review.
99 Comments
Add comment Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
… [Trackback]
[…] There you will find 63128 additional Info to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Read More here to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] There you will find 37871 additional Info on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] There you will find 10907 additional Info to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Find More on to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Read More Info here to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Information on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Read More on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Read More here to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] There you will find 64887 more Info to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Info on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Find More Info here on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Find More Information here to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Information on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Information to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Info to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Info to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Find More on to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Read More on to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Find More Info here to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Read More here on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Here you can find 99682 additional Info on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Find More to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Information to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Information to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Read More on on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Read More on to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Here you can find 74051 more Information on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] There you will find 63981 additional Info on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Info on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Read More on to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Find More to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Info on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Here you can find 66132 additional Info on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Information to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Info to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Here you can find 47501 more Information to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Read More on that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Info to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
… [Trackback]
[…] Find More Information here to that Topic: ismeandco.com/no-plain-no-gain/ […]
maxim peptide tadalafil review
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
help in writing essays
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
argument essay help
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
essays services
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
help writing a essay for college
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
website for essay writing
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
can i get someone to write my essay
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
famous essay writers
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
college entrance essay writing service
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
essay writers cheap
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
best mba essay writing service
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
admission college essay help
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
generic viagra pharmacy online
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
turkish pharmacy online
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
my pharmacy online
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
best cialis online pharmacy
No plain, no gain. – isme|&|co
minocycline pharmacy price
minocycline pharmacy price
cheap cialis dapoxitine cheap online
cheap cialis dapoxitine cheap online
viagra 50mg uk
viagra 50mg uk
how long does tadalafil take to work
how long does tadalafil take to work
buy cialis usa
buy cialis usa
viagra online canada paypal
viagra online canada paypal
tadalafil site:doctoroz.com
tadalafil site:doctoroz.com
can you buy sildenafil without a prescription
can you buy sildenafil without a prescription
viagra in europe
viagra in europe
generic viagra 100mg online
generic viagra 100mg online
cialis australia no prescription
cialis australia no prescription
meijer pharmacy store hours
meijer pharmacy store hours
cialis purchase in kuwait
cialis purchase in kuwait
online pharmacy phentermine uk
online pharmacy phentermine uk
sildenafil brand name india
sildenafil brand name india
canada pharmacy viagra
canada pharmacy viagra
viagra 25 mg order
viagra 25 mg order
cheaper alternative to cialis
cheaper alternative to cialis
buy tadalafil 20mg price
buy tadalafil 20mg price
when to take cialis for best results
when to take cialis for best results
gabapentin.drugs.com
gabapentin.drugs.com
lisinopril ersatz
lisinopril ersatz
glucophage medlineplus
glucophage medlineplus
semaglutide dose for weight loss
semaglutide dose for weight loss
average weight loss on rybelsus
average weight loss on rybelsus
semaglutide zonder voorschrift
semaglutide zonder voorschrift
zoloft not working
zoloft not working
metronidazole parkinson’s
metronidazole parkinson’s
can you take keflex with milk
can you take keflex with milk
cymbalta for migraines
cymbalta for migraines
fluoxetine dose for 50 lb dog
fluoxetine dose for 50 lb dog
ciprofloxacin in spanish
ciprofloxacin in spanish
bactrim drug interactions
bactrim drug interactions
amoxicillin used for
amoxicillin used for
cozaar 50 mg
cozaar 50 mg
coming off effexor weight loss
coming off effexor weight loss
contrave 8mg/90mg
contrave 8mg/90mg
can flomax be stopped abruptly
can flomax be stopped abruptly
citalopram vs sertraline
citalopram vs sertraline
amitriptyline overdose treatment
amitriptyline overdose treatment
how long for allopurinol to work
how long for allopurinol to work
aripiprazole.
aripiprazole.
celecoxib price walmart
celecoxib price walmart