What are 4 steps for organizing for plain language?

One of the first steps in plain language writing is organization. To create writing that is accessible and enjoyable to read takes planning. Document design is an important aspect of plain language writing.

What if your writing process starts with getting it all down first? That's ok! But once that's done, pausing to organize your document will help your reader connect with your message.

So, how can you approach organization?

Outline

Did you have a teacher who encouraged you to outline before writing a single sentence of your essay or report? Outlining often feels like a waste of energy when we are bursting with information and could write on our topic for hours. But outlining gives that bigger-picture overview to your readers before they delve into the landscape of your message. Whether you start or end with it, an outline can help you develop your logic and flow or discover your existing organization and where it needs improvement.

Use headings

Have you ever been on a long hike far from civilization? Especially when the sun is setting and I'm a bit lost, I've felt a slight feeling of relief when I've reached a guidepost pointing me to a place of safety and rest. Those little signs mean so much more than just direction.

Often points in the outline can become headings, which serve as guideposts throughout the document, allowing the reader to quickly see the topics addressed and the logical flow of the document as a whole.

Did you know that online readers scan text in an F pattern? They read by looking at the first few lines of a text, and then drop down to the next important point. If these points are difficult to find, readers will often lose interest or feel frustrated trying to persevere to find the main points. So, be sure to clearly format your headings to direct your readers to each section.

Use lists, tables, and other elements

Imagine you walked into a coffee shop and found the price list was provided in a long sentence. You'd probably be slightly annoyed by the inhospitable display of text forcing your brain to dice and segment it into separate bits of information.

Just as a menu displays content in a list that is easy to see, some places in your writing may benefit from the same treatment. Have you ever found yourself repeating the same words in a sentence? If so, a bulleted list may better serve your writing than a long list in a sentence. A bulleted list eliminates repetitious sentence constructions and presents data that is easy to locate, absorb, and remember. Can bulleted lists be overused? Yes! But a strategically placed list can decrease a reader's tension by easing their access to information.

Should you organize a bulleted list? Yes! Sometimes we order our lists according to what comes to mind first, but this can result in illogical organization. So be strategic in how you order your lists. To avoid haphazard lists, you can organize points

• alphabetically

• by steps or process

• by function

• from greatest to least importance (or vice versa)

Similarly, tables or other elements, like graphs, icons, and diagrams, can help distill data and draw the reader to the important information in a memorable way.

Use white space

What? White space is the opposite of writing! How does the lack of writing help the reader? Including white space in your layout provides a place for the eyes to rest and for eye muscles to relax. Reading large blocks of text, especially in tiny font with little white space, is a workout for the eyes. White space gives a path for your readers' eyes to travel to find the information they need while providing a hiatus for the eye muscles from the busy text.

You can create white space by doing any or all of the following:

• Apply ample margins.

• Divide your document into sections with headings.

• Use spacing to keep text readable and sections clearly separated.

• Keep paragraphs and sentences short and direct—use active voice when possible.

• Use graphic elements to break up blocks of text and draw readers in.

So, remember that organization is not just a tool that benefits your writing but also your readers! Your readers will appreciate that you value their time by creating content that's easy to access.