Using the following material from Teaching patients with low literacy Skills (Doak, Doak, & Root, 1985) we discussed eight principles of plain language.

1. Write in a conversational tone.
2. Use short words and short sentences.
3. Reduce concept density.
4. Use advance organizers.
5. Be consistent with words.
6. Put first things first.
7. Use feedback to test for learning.
8. Summarize and review.

During the course of the workshop, the women rewrote these principles:

1. Write it the way you would say it. Use the word "you."
2. Use short words and short sentences.
3. Take out any ideas that are not needed. Have only one idea in each paragraph. Have only one idea in each sentence.
4. Use titles and pictures, etc. Make sure the pictures give the right idea.
5. Use the same word all the time to mean the same thing.
6. Put the ideas in order. Put the main idea first.
7. Ask questions to see if the readers understand.
8. At the end, use a few words to retell the main ideas.

These points were first discussed in the workshop. We then went back to the classroom and held further discussions. Anything that was unclear to any of the women was gone over in more detail until everyone had a clear understanding.

How do you make this curriculum? I recognized that each step contains elements of writing that must be taught if students are to become accomplished writers.

Point one.      Write it the way you would say it.

This point brings up the issue of different language for different purposes. We discussed how we talk to each other, the words we use when we talk to each other, and how we alter the speech pattern when speaking to different people. For example, we do not talk to a doctor in the same way that we talk to our friends. We use different words even when we are talking about the same thing to each of them.

In the same way, we have more than one writing style. We would make sure everything is absolutely correct on a letter to a potential employer. However, we would not care if a few commas were missing in a letter to a friend. In the first case, a business letter is being written and an impression is being made. In the second case, you are writing a letter to someone who knows you and is not going to be making decisions about you based on missing commas.

The brochure is being used by AMAC as an introduction of themselves to people who might wish to access their services. It should be inviting and warm. It should give information, but not overwhelm the reader. It should be personal. The words that the women chose to rewrite the brochure reflect this.