How we structure plain language training around the ISO principles

Many organisations invest in plain language training because their documents have become difficult for customers to understand. They want their teams to use familiar words, write simpler sentences and explain technical information more clearly. These are important skills, and we spend time developing them. We also look at the decisions that determine what goes into a document and how readers will use it.

Our training is structured around the four governing principles of ISO 24495-1: relevance, findability, understanding and usability. Each principle addresses a different part of the work. Together, they give participants a way to plan a communication, improve a draft and assess the result. We apply them to the documents that participants need to write in their own organisations.

1. Relevance: choose the information readers need

Relevance is the first principle, and it begins with the purpose of the communication. Before deciding how to explain something, we need to establish why the reader needs to know it. That involves understanding the reader’s circumstances and what they need to achieve. In our training, we examine these questions through reader research, context research and a clear account of the intended outcome.

For a financial adviser writing to a client, the purpose might be to summarise recommendations discussed at a meeting. The letter needs to make that purpose clear and explain what the client is being asked to do. A letter asking for a decision will need different information from one confirming an arrangement already agreed. Establishing that distinction helps the writer select the content and decide what needs prominence.

We also consider the channel and format in which the information will reach the reader. A document may contain the right facts while still being difficult to use in the circumstances in which it is received. Decisions about format therefore belong alongside decisions about content. Participants learn to connect those choices with the reader’s needs, rather than starting with an existing template and filling it in.

2. Findability: organise information so readers can find it

Once the purpose and content are clear, the next question is how to organise the explanation. Readers need to find the part that answers their question without working through everything else first. This is why our findability training covers information hierarchy, meaningful sections and headings. We also look at how to provide an initial summary while keeping fuller explanations available when readers need them.

Headings are particularly useful because they let readers see what a section contains before deciding whether to read it. In our financial writing training, we compare vague headings with ones that describe the information beneath them. For a section explaining the firm’s responsibilities, “Notes” gives the client very little help. “Our responsibilities” tells them what they will find. Similarly, a section explaining fee changes is easier to identify under “Fee increases this year” than under “Important increase”.

A section about the firm’s responsibilities
Before: Notes
After: Our responsibilities

A section about changes to fees
Before: Important increase
After: Fee increases this year

The point is to give readers enough information to recognise a useful section. That can require a longer heading, especially when the subject needs an explanation. We apply the same thinking to the order of sections and the amount of detail each contains. A document becomes easier to follow when its organisation reflects the questions readers are likely to bring to it.

3. Understanding: explain the content clearly

With the content selected and organised, we can examine how the wording helps readers understand it. This part of the training covers familiar words, jargon and technical terms, as well as sentence length and complexity. We begin by separating language that carries a necessary technical meaning from language that is simply more formal than it needs to be. That distinction helps participants make useful changes without losing accuracy.

For example, a request to check contact details can become unnecessarily complicated when it uses “verify” and “before the commencement of”. The reader needs a straightforward instruction about what to check and when. Replacing those expressions makes the request easier to follow while preserving its meaning. This example from our financial writing training shows the difference:

Before
Kindly verify your postal and email address details before the commencement of our meeting.

After
Please check your postal and email addresses before our meeting.

Technical terms require a different decision. If clients need to know a term, we explain it where they encounter it, so they can understand the surrounding information. If they do not need the term, a familiar expression may be more useful. Participants practise making that decision in context, with attention to the knowledge the explanation can reasonably assume.

Sentence structure deserves the same care. A sentence can be short and still leave the reader unsure who must do what. We look at subject–verb–object order and at clauses that interrupt the main point. When a sentence contains several conditions, we examine how to explain their relationship. The revised version must preserve those conditions while making the meaning easier to follow.

4. Usability: establish whether the communication works

The fourth principle brings us back to the purpose established at the start. A clear communication should help readers achieve the outcome it was written to support. In training, we therefore begin our discussion of usability by defining what success would look like. That gives participants a basis for deciding what to evaluate and which methods will provide useful evidence.

Readability measures can flag some language features, while an expert review can identify difficulties against a set of criteria. Testing with intended readers addresses a further question: whether people can actually find, understand and use the information. For a letter asking for a decision, that means checking whether clients understand their options and what they need to do next. Asking whether they like the letter would not establish the same thing.

Our usability training also covers monitoring and evaluation after publication. If customers repeatedly ask about the same condition, the organisation needs a way to investigate and respond. This leads to questions about governance, including who owns the document and who can approve changes. We discuss how participants can advocate for these practices within their teams, so improvements continue after the course.

Apply the principles to your own documents

The ISO principles give our training a consistent structure, while the emphasis depends on the work your team needs to do. A legal team may need more time on technical meaning and exceptions. A financial communications team may want to concentrate on explaining recommendations or testing customer understanding. We use your material to connect the principles with those practical decisions.

You can explore a specific example in our article on writing financial planning letters. Our guide to testing financial documents with customers explains the evaluation work in more detail. To discuss a course for your organisation, view our plain language training or contact Narratology.

Source and further reading

ISO 24495-1:2023, Plain language: governing principles and guidelines. Our plain language and ISO guide explains the wider framework and answers common questions.