Jahonabegim’s World

Importance of plain language

The average person in the United States reads at about an eighth grade reading level. However, many messages are written at a much higher grade level than that. One way to check the reading level of your messages is using the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test, which is actually part of Microsoft Word (it's in the settings in the same area as the spelling and grammar check).

The Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test was developed through a contract with the U.S. Navy in 1975 to assess the difficulty of technical manuals. When this test was put to a sample of some common periodicals, the results were surprising:

1. Time magazine: 9th grade reading level.
2. USA Today: 10th grade reading level
3. Better Homes & Gardens: 11th grade reading level.

We can also see the power of using plain language in society, both good and bad. One classic example of this can be seen in the final presidential debate between Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter in 1980. Carter had just given an eloquent response on why the American people should vote for him and it was Reagan's turn. His answer, while not eloquent, resonated with everyone watching the debate because of the simplicity of his response.

Note that Reagan really just had one main message that was repeated over and over again with slight differences. It was easy for anyone watching to answer those questions that he posed to them and, do to the simplicity of the message, there were no gray areas - it was either yes or no. Although the debate didn't decide the election, Reagan's easy-to-understand messaging throughout his campaign was a reason he won in 1980 in a landslide.

Agar men bilan interview/podcast bòlganida qanday savol bergan bòlar edingiz?

Kommentariyda yozishingiz mumkin, agar noqulay bòlsa shu botga.