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We often get questions about plain language and its connection to accessibility. To help answer them, we've invited our friend and plain language expert Jamila Savoy for a conversation about why clear writing matters and how it builds trust with your audience.

1. Tell us a bit about Plain Language Matters. What services do you offer, and who do you work with?

Plain Language Matters is a boutique consultancy founded by me and my business partner Jess Mathew. Collectively, we have more than 20 years of experience in communications, specialising in multicultural communications and accessible communications.

We work with any business, organisation, or government department that needs to communicate a message to external audiences. 

2. You have built a brand that is deliberately modern and fun, which is quite different from the traditional plain language space. What prompted you to take this approach?

Our business is an extension of Jess and me. We wanted our branding to reflect who we are as people. We love colour and we’re all about making an impact.  

We also want to show people that clear communication is something relevant to everyone. If our bright and bold branding attracts people to learn more about plain language, we’ve done our job.

3. So, what is plain language, and what isn't it?

Plain language is an internationally recognised way of writing with specific rules and principles. 

At its core, it’s about putting your reader first. It’s about knowing what they want to hear about and delivering the information in a clear, concise and easy-to-understand way.

It is not, as some people say, ‘dumbing things down’. 

Writing in plain language means you are respecting your readers' time and energy, something that should be important to all of us. 

The four principles of plain language are:

• Knowing and understanding your audience

• Writing clearly

• Organising the content

• Evaluating