Write Your Manual Using Plain Language

Plain language is more clear, easier to understand, and reduces comprehension errors

What is plain language, and how can it help me?

You may find that writing your manual content, or any written communication with your employees in plain language improves clarity and the reader’s comprehension. This, in turn, helps mitigate errors as the policy or procedure is clearly detailed, and to whom it applies, without room for subjective interpretation.

How it helps

When you write documents in the style of plain language, it’s helpful to your staff, department, and company in three primary ways. It helps your users:

Find what they need
Understand what they find
Use what they find to meet their needs

How it can help reduce errors and misunderstandings

There are several simple techniques to make your writing clear and effective.

Consider your audience. Who you are writing to? What expertise and knowledge do they have?
Organize your document. The key to clear writing is to present material in the order that is most useful to the reader. If your document deals with a process, organize it chronologically, first step to last. You can also organize documents by putting the most important points first and the minor ones at the end. Put standard provisions first and exceptions last.
Use the active voice. Voice is the form a verb takes to indicate whether its subject acts or is acted upon. When the subject of a verb does something (acts), the verb is in the active voice. When the subject of a verb receives the action (is acted upon), the verb is in the passive voice.

Active voice: All Flight Attendants perform a luggage secure check prior to closing the main cabin door.
Passive voice: Prior to closing the main cabin door, a luggage secure check is performed by all flight attendants.

Use short sentences. Your average sentence length should be 20 words or fewer. Use a list instead of running items together in a long sentence, and apply the 20-word rule to each item in the list.
Write short paragraphs. Each paragraph should cover only one topic. Generally, limit paragraphs to seven lines or fewer.
Limit initials, abbreviations, and acronyms. You can use a short form for the main topic of your document. For example, if the document is about the Carry-on Baggage program, write it out the first time and in parenthesis type the abbreviation “COB”: Carry-on Baggage (COB). Use the abbreviation throughout the document. Since that’s what your document is about, it’s unlikely to confuse your reader. If you use a term only a few times, write it out every time.
Use pronouns. Pronouns help readers relate better to documents. It’s important to use pronouns when you want people to do something because pronouns help them understand they have a responsibility. However, make sure your reader understands to whom a pronoun refers, especially if you are addressing more than one audience. [Sometimes use of pronouns may not be possible in a procedure when it involves everyone involved “e.g. Flight Attendants” or specific persons are specified. In such instances, referring to the reader as “you” may not be appropriate. The purpose of plain language is to provide clarity, not create confusion. It’s a judgment call you must make.]
Avoid using “shall.” Shall is an ambiguous word. It can mean must, ought, or will. While shall cannot mean “should” or “may,” writers have used it incorrectly for those terms and it has been read that way by the courts. Almost all legal writing experts agree that it’s better to use “must” to impose requirements, including contractual requirements.

Formatting content in plain language

Use bold or italics for emphasis. Emphasize only those words, phrases, and sentences that are important. Avoid underlining, as underlines clutter up the type and make it harder to read. Never use capital letters to stress a word.
Use quotation marks for direct quotations or to set off ordinary words used to mean something other than what they normally mean. Do not use quotation marks to enclose titles of chapters, sections, or paragraphs. Indent long quotes from both margins, without quotation marks.
Use figures such as charts, tables, and other illustrative material as examples to explain complex material. Mention or introduce every figure in the text before it occurs and place the figure close to the text that explains it. Try to limit figures to one page. For figures that extend to more than one page, repeat the name and figure number on each page. Make sure all figures have informative headings.

For example, let’s look at flight attendant duty time, 14 CFR 121.467. Which is easier to comprehend, the regulation in its raw form, or in a table?

(1) Except as provided in paragraphs (b)(4), (b)(5), and (b)(6) of this section, no certificate holder conducting domestic, flag, or supplemental operations may assign a flight attendant to a scheduled duty period of more than 14 hours.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (b)(3) of this section, a flight attendant scheduled to a duty period of 14 hours or less as provided under paragraph (b)(1) of this section must be given a scheduled rest period of at least 9 consecutive hours. This rest period must occur between the completion of the scheduled duty period and the commencement of the subsequent duty period.

(3) The rest period required under paragraph (b)(2) of this section may be scheduled or reduced to 8 consecutive hours if the flight attendant is provided a subsequent rest period of at least 10 consecutive hours; this subsequent rest period must be scheduled to begin no later than 24 hours after the beginning of the reduced rest period and must occur between the completion of the scheduled duty period and the commencement of the subsequent duty period.

(4) A certificate holder conducting domestic, flag, or supplemental operations may assign a flight attendant to a scheduled duty period of more than 14 hours, but no more than 16 hours, if the certificate holder has assigned to the flight or flights in that duty period at least one flight attendant in addition to the minimum flight attendant complement required for the flight or flights in that duty period under the certificate holder’s operations specifications.

Here is the above regulation, displayed in a table using plain language principles

4. It’s easy for readers to get lost in run-on sentences. Vertical lists [bullets and numbering] are quicker and easier for readers to follow and are an ideal way to explain a series of facts.

Run-on sentence:

Along with your letter of application, submit a statement of conformance certifying that you have met the requirements of Subpart O of part 21 and that the article meets the TSO in effect on the date of your application; one copy of the data the TSO requires; and a description of your quality control system.

The same content presented as a list:

With your letter of application, send us the following:

(1) A statement of conformance certifying that you have met the requirements of Subpart O of Part 21 and that the article meets the TSO in effect on the date of your application;

(2) One copy of the data the TSO requires; and

(3) A description of your quality control system.

It is up to you to decide whether incoprporating plain language will benefit your operation. Below are numerous resources available to help you self-learn the principles of plain language and how it helps everyone involved.

Plain Language – Federal Aviation Administration

Plain Language

Take the Plain Language Basic Course (This course is really good. It’s very informative and entertaining! A little of your time used to learn the principles of plain language can greatly improve your writing skills!)

The FAA Plain Language Tool Kit (PDF)

Writing for the Web

Writing Effective Letters

Is This Plain Language? — Articles by Bruce V. Corsino, Psy.D., about important topics and best practices in plain language.