1. Katherine Spivey Plain Language, Web & Social Media Expert
Plain Language Spectrum: Every Step Counts!Every Step Counts!
Every Step Counts!Every Step Counts
Katherine Spivey Plain Language, Web & Social Media Expert
@katherinespivey @UXDC #UXDC2017

2. Plain Language
Communication that your audience can find, understand the first time they hear or read it, and use what they’ve found.

3. Want to read this?

4. Sometimes
you have to
And sometimes you have to post material you don’t think is useful

5. Plain Language Baby Steps
So what do you do? How do you make it plain if you’ve been forbidden to edit?

6. Formatting / White Space
The IT Services team considers customer engagement the key to success, working across government with our agency partners to share best practices and ideas, drive IT innovation to help support mission requirements, resolve governmentwide IT challenges (i.e., systems integration through data center optimization), and improve acquisition solutions and availability of data and information.
We measure our success directly on agencies’ ability to acquire the best IT solutions and services at competitive pricing to meet mission requirements. Customer and industry feedback is an important tool. Listening allows us to understand strategic and tactical requirements and offer the right solution. So, whether it’s an IT Schedule 70 solution, a GWAC, or another IT contract or program, we will have the right solution for agencies looking to acquire anything IT.
Customer Engagement is Key to Success
The IT Services team considers customer engagement the key to success, working across government with our agency partners to:
Share best practices and ideas
Drive IT innovation to help support mission requirements
Resolve governmentwide IT challenges (i.e., systems integration through data center optimization)
Improve acquisition solutions and availability of data and information
We measure our success directly on agencies’ ability to acquire the best IT solutions and services at competitive pricing to meet mission requirements. Customer and industry feedback is an important tool. Listening allows us to understand strategic and tactical requirements and offer the right solution.
So, whether it’s an IT Schedule 70 solution, a GWAC, or another IT contract or program, we will have the right solution for agencies looking to acquire anything IT.

7. Headers

8. Headers

9. Breakup Sentences

11. Passive Voice
“If no mistake you have made, losing you are. A different game you should play.” - Yoda
Don’t make people decipher your sentences. It’s fun in Star Wars. At the office--not so much.

12. Passive Voice
If you’re wondering if your sentence is in passive voice, add the phrase "by zombies." If it still makes grammatical sense, it is. For example … Mistakes were made … by zombies! Yep, passive voice.

13. Message from Audience Perspective
You are your readers’ advocate. Look at your material from your audience’s perspective BEFORE it gets published. Don’t waste their time; don’t hide the information, don’t make it hard to understand, don’t give them information they don’t need and won’t use. For example, don’t tell them about the history of your office. Honestly. They don’t care.

14. Until that beautiful day where our keyboards all have PLAIN buttons … learn more about plain language and don’t be afraid to use it. PL isn't easy or fast. But you can make progress with even small steps. Do it and get your stuff read. Don't, and you'll face a sea of confusion. Start now -- baby steps are better than none.

15. Plain Language Spectrum: Every Step Counts!
Katherine Spivey Plain Language, Web & Social Media Expert
@katherinespivey @UXDC #UXDC2017
Thanks for listening to me. Look at the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) website – plainlanguage.gov. Free half-day training for federal agencies AND the Federal Plain Language Guidelines!