Lessons Learned
- Success depends on senior people to champion plain language.
- Help staff see the benefits of plain language. It is estimated
the department saved more than $3 million a year2 by revising its
forms. The payback came in not having people call back with questions
or for help. This saved 10 minutes per form in staff time.
- Change the organizational culture by defining plain language as
a courtesy, as much as a skill.
- Know the audience to communicate effectively. If the audience is
diverse or unknown, use the common bottom denominator as a guide.
- Use the corporate training fund, rather than special project funding.
Even with downsizing, the training fund will remain because with fewer
employees it becomes even more important that they be skilled.
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