Aims of the activity and description of target group
The activity familiarizes participants with the concept of plain language in order to make their project accessible to a wider audience. It gives them a first introduction to the concept of plain language and tips on how to write and speak in plain language. The activity is suitable for researchers and citizens in a group or individual learning setting.
Resources, Materials needed
Internet access and device
Duration
60 minutes
Step 1 – EU booklet “How to write clearly” (25 minutes)
The European Commission has published a brochure on plain language in all official EU languages. Go to the website and search for the relevant document for your language: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/725b7eb0-d92e-11e5-8fea-01aa75ed71a1. Take 20 minutes to read through the document. Focus on the 10 tips for plain language.
Step 2 – Practice plain language (15 minutes)
Imagine you are setting up your project website. For the homepage, you need a description of your project in 5-6 sentences, which gives a quick overview of the content and structure of the project. Apply the principles of plain language.
Example
"Welcome to our new project 'Digital Media in Families'. Families will meet to talk about digital media (smartphones, social media, video games, time spent online...):
- What do children need?
- What do parents need?
- What are the risks and chances?
- How to protect children online?
- How to set media rules together?
In the project, families exchange experiences and solutions. They collect tips so that there is less stress in the family.
The project will take place at 2-4 p.m. in the Community Center:
- Date 1
- …
Everyone is welcome! Ask Inga if you have questions.”
Step 3 – Compare your results and give feedback (20 minutes)
Present your result to somebody and get feedback on:
- Did people understand what the project is about and how it will work?
- Is the text suitable for the audience?
- Is the text well structured?
- Did people understand all the words?
- Were the sentences short?
- Are there any words that could be left out?
Integrate the feedback into your text.
Learning Outcomes - which skills are addressed?
Participants are introduced to the concept of plain language and learn the basic principles of this approach. Participants write a first text in plain language.
How do you check the outcomes are reached?
The participants know the 10 tips from the EU recommendations brochure "How to write clearly" and have practiced applying them to a first text.
De-Briefing questions
- How important do you think plain language is for your project?
- Has plain language ever been used in your organization?
- How do you feel about using plain language in spoken language?
- Are there other documents on plain language in your language?
Further links and readings
- Directorate-General for Translation, European Commission (2011): How to write clearly (available in 24 languages). https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/725b7eb0-d92e-11e5-8fea-01aa75ed71a1 (last viewed 03/25/2024)
- European Commission: Clear writing for Europe. https://commission.europa.eu/about-european-commission/departments-and-executive-agencies/translation/clear-writing-europe_en (last viewed 03/25/2024)
- Plain Language Association International: https://plainlanguagenetwork.org (last viewed 03/25/2024)
- What is plain language: https://plainlanguagenetwork.org/plain-language/what-is-plain-language/ (last viewed 03/25/2024)