A Large Block of Uninterrupted Text
Students in my graduate and undergraduate classes in technical communication this semester have been working with the Plain Language Guidelines. Plain language, sponsored by the US government, promotes communication that an audience can understand the first time they read or hear it. The tenets of plain language are useful for all writers – write for your audience, organize for readers’ needs, use active voice and short, simple sentences, etc.
Plain language also recognizes the importance of information design in improving communication:
- Use vertical lists
- Use tables to make complex material easier to understand
- Consider using illustrations
- Use emphasis to highlight important concepts
- Design your document for ease of reading
These are indeed important and practical lessons for all of us. We know that readers who confront a large block of uninterrupted text simply won’t read it. The Onion took this commonplace to the extreme in its satirical report on Americans collectively recoiling when confronted with a solid block of uninterrupted text. It’s really funny. I hope you’ll read it.
