Checklist and How to Apply It
Use this checklist as a quick reminder to make sure your content includes plain language strategies.
| Topic | Strategy | Checklist |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | Did you plan for your intended audience’s needs? | |
| Did you identify the specific message you need to share? | ||
| Consider audience and purpose | Did you identify if your audience has any background knowledge and craft a message that addresses this element? | |
| Did you think about how your audience’s emotions may affect their reading experience and any calls to action? | ||
| Did you clearly share the document’s purpose in the beginning of your message? | ||
| Is it clear to your audience what action they must take? | ||
| Use writing strategies | Did you start with the main ideas? | |
| Did you arrange ideas from most to least important according to what your audience thinks? | ||
| Are your paragraphs 5 sentences or fewer? | ||
| Did you cap sentences at 25 words (fewer is even better)? | ||
| Did you use pronouns and a “you” voice to humanize your writing? | ||
| Did you use positive language? Such as, state how to do something rather than what they cannot do. | ||
| Did you replace nominalizations with strong verbs? Such as, “We determine” instead of “The determination of” | ||
| Did you use common words your audience will understand? | ||
| Did you remove jargon or define it if you must use the word? | ||
| Did you use the active voice? Such as, “We received your claim,” instead of “The claim was received by EDD.” | ||
| Did you avoid any ambiguous or vague words and statements? Such as, replacing “shall” with a more specific word like “must.” | ||
| Did you use parallel structure in your bulleted lists, headers, and subheadings? | ||
| Format for easier reading | Did you use headings and subheadings that help readers scan the content and see what’s next? | |
| Did you list information using bullets or numbers? | ||
| Did you use visuals for dense text-based content that makes information scannable and easy to read? Tables, charts, graphs, illustrations, etc. | ||
| Proofread | Did you proofread your final draft before printing, publishing, or sharing the document? |
A consistent, strategic content-creation process will help you work efficiently and accurately.
