Guides and playbooks
Use plain language to help people during a crisis
People in a crisis can be overwhelmed. Using plain language helps them get what they need. When people are stressed or grieving, it's important to make the information they need easy to understand. Plain language is also easier to translate.
California's plain language standard suggests providing information to the public at an 8th grade reading level or lower. The standard also suggests:
- Using smaller, more common words
- Avoiding technical jargon
- Keeping sentences short and simple