Writing for the Web -- Confab 2019

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Writing for the Web H o w a n d W hy t o U s e P l a i n L a n g u a g e fo r A l l A u d i e n c e s B e c k y S p u r b e c k @ b e c k y s p u r b e c k

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Introductions

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Two Girls Walk Into a Bar

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Introductions — Take 2

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What We’ll Talk About Who Needs Plain Language? Accessibility How to Measure Plain Language Downfalls of Reading Level Formulas Benefits of Plain Language How to Simplify Your Writing

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Let’s Play a Game

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Images from Amazon

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Images from Amazon

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Images from Amazon

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Images from Amazon Stats from, “This Surprising Reading Level Analysis Will Change the Way You Write,” on Contently

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Who Needs Plain Language?

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Plain Language Is Global

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Who Needs Plain Language? Picture from Twitter user @belledundi. Poster designed by Microsoft: aka.ms/inclusivedesign

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Accessibility

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Not Actually Realistic. Who Knew?

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Accessibility

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Picture from Twitter user @belledundi. Poster designed by Microsoft: aka.ms/inclusivedesign Who Needs Plain Language?

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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines aka: WCAG or Accessibility P O U R Perceivable Operable Understandable Robust

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Your Responsibility as a Content Strategist

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How to Measure Plain Language

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1921 1923 1948 1952 1968 1969 1975 2004 A Little History Lesson

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All Reading Level Formulas Measure Two Things.

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23 & Words per sentence Syllables per word

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0.39 total words total sentences total syllables total words + 11.8 — 15.59

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File > Options > Proofing > Show readability statistics 1 2 3 4

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HemingwayApp.com Readable.io Simplish.org Rewordify.com Websites to Help Simplify

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Pros and Cons of Reading Level Formulas

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30 The Zoom Test

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31 SEO and Page Analytics

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32 SEO and Page Analytics

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Benefits of Plain Language

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Hey Girl, I’ve Got Data.

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Benefits of Plain Language $ Save Time and Money Shorter Documents Better Comprehension Preference and Perception $

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Saves Time and Money General Electric Company Business customers made 125 more calls per month. Saves $22,000 to $375,000 per year, per customer. “Tackling NHS Jargon,” by Sarah Carr. p. 25 $

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Shorter Documents GE Aviation Legal contract for prospects went from 100 pages to 5. Negotiating time is down 60%. Customers are happier. “Honey, I Shrunk the Contract: How Plain English Is Helping GE Keep Its Business Humming,” by Kristin Kloberdanz $

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Shorter Documents — Usually Take two pills, three times daily. — or — Take two pills in the morning. Take two pills at lunch. Take two pills before bed.

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Better Comprehension Lower-Literacy Users Completed 7 tasks in 22 minutes Each task took 3+ minutes Completed tasks with 46% success “Lower-Literacy Users: Writing for a Broad Consumer Audience,” on Nielsen Norman Group

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Better Comprehension Lower-Literacy Users Completed 7 tasks in 9.5 minutes Each task took 90 seconds Completed tasks with 82% success “Lower-Literacy Users: Writing for a Broad Consumer Audience,” on Nielsen Norman Group

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Image from

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Better Comprehension Higher-Literacy Users Completed 7 tasks in 14.3 minutes Each task took 2+ minutes Completed tasks with 68% success “Lower-Literacy Users: Writing for a Broad Consumer Audience,” on Nielsen Norman Group

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Better Comprehension Higher-Literacy Users Completed 7 tasks in 5 minutes Each task took 50 seconds Completed tasks with 93% success “Lower-Literacy Users: Writing for a Broad Consumer Audience,” on Nielsen Norman Group

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Preference and Perception We perceive people who use plain language as being: • More persuasive • More prestigious • More competent “Answering the Critic,” by Joseph Kimble. p. 61, 73

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10-Minute Break

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How to Simplify Your Writing

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Use short, simple Words Sentences Paragraphs

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Words

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Use the Simplest Word

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Use the Simplest Word Utilize Additional Approximately Assistance

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Use the Simplest Word Use More About Help

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Use I, We, and You

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Use I, We, and You The customer Perforce Software The developers at Perforce

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Use I, We, and You You We Our developers

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Avoid Redundancies

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Avoid Redundancies 8 a.m. in the morning Whether or not Added bonus

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Avoid Redundancies 8 a.m. Whether Bonus

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Don’t Turn Verbs Into Nouns

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Don’t Turn Verbs Into Nouns Upon completion of the task We had a discussion She made a suggestion

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Don’t Turn Verbs Into Nouns When the task is completed We discussed She suggested

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Turn Proper Nouns Into Pronouns

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Turn Proper Nouns Into Pronouns Jane Smith, MD, PdD Maple Grove Clinic & Specialty Center

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Turn Proper Nouns Into Pronouns She Our clinic

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Avoid (or Explain) Jargon

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Avoid (or Explain) Jargon It may be necessary to update the driver for your printer.

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Avoid (or Explain) Jargon Update the driver for your printer. (The driver is the software that contains instructions for your printer.)

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But Also Know Your Audience If you’ve ever found yourself searching for lines of code, you’re probably familiar with the p4 grep command. p4 grep is exactly what you’d expect from a grep command.

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69 If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. Image from Amazon

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Explain Awards and Acronyms

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Explain Awards and Acronyms Joe’s Burgers was named as a winner of the Bronze Stevie Award in the Customer Service Department of the Year category at the 15th Annual American Business Awards.

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Explain Awards and Acronyms Joe’s Burgers is a Bronze Stevie Award Winner for Customer Service Department of the Year. The goal of the Stevie Awards is to recognize excellence in the workplace.

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Your Turn

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StrongWriting.com/Confab Exercise 1: Words

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Simplify the Words The primary goal of multi-factor authentication is to provide a multi-layered defense system. This helps guarantee that the people who utilize your system are who they claim to be. Even if one factor is compromised, there are still additional barriers to breach. For example, if an individual’s computer password is stolen, a malicious person would still need more information to break into the account. Reading level: 11.1 (in Word)

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Simplify the Words The primary main goal of multi-factor authentication is to provide a multi- layered defense system. This helps guarantee ensure that the people who utilize use your system are who they claim to be. Even if one factor is compromised breached, there are still additional more barriers to breach. For example, if an individual’s someone’s computer password is stolen, a malicious person thief would still need more information info to break into the account. Reading level: 8.3 (in Word)

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Sentences

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Be Direct

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Be Direct When you have a minute, could you please complete this short questionnaire and send it back to me?

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Be Direct Complete this survey, and send it back to me.

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Use Active Voice

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Use Active Voice The software was bought by Becky.

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Use Active Voice Becky bought software.

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Use Active Voice — Usually

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Use Active Voice — Usually Our support team flagged your account.

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Use Active Voice — Usually Your account was flagged by our support team.

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One Thought Per Sentence

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Avoid Compound Sentences

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Start Sentences With “And”

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HealthPartners is the largest consumer- governed, non-profit health care organization in the nation with a mission to improve health and well-being in partnership with members, patients and the community.

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HealthPartners is governed by our consumers. We’re the largest nonprofit health care organization who can make that claim. Our mission is to improve health and well-being. And we partner with members, patients and the community to do that.

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Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist. Image from Amazon

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Your Turn

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StrongWriting.com/Confab Exercise 2: Sentences

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Simplify the Sentences Multi-factor authentication improves security. Large companies use multi- factor authentication to limit access to mission-critical systems; health care systems use multi-factor authentication to guarantee protected health information stays secure; and many smaller business use multi-factor authentication because it helps keep phishers out. Reading level: 16.3 (in Word)

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Simplify the Sentences Multi-factor authentication (or MFA) improves security. Large companies use multi-factor authentication MFA to limit access to mission-critical vital systems. Health care systems use multi-factor authentication it to guarantee ensure protected health information stays secure. And smaller business use multi-factor authentication because it helps it to keep phishers out. Reading level: 9 (in Word)

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Paragraphs

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About 3-5 Sentences Per Paragraph

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Use Headers

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Use Headers A drug list is the medicine that’s covered by an insurance plan. You may also hear this referred to as a formulary. You can see if your prescriptions are covered by searching the list. This is also a good place to find pricing information. If your medicine is not on the list, or if it displays with “NF,” your medicine is non- formulary. This can mean one of two things. Either your medicine is not covered by your insurance, or it’s covered but may cost more to fill.

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Use Headers What’s a Drug List? A drug list is the medicine that’s covered by an insurance plan. You may also hear this referred to as a formulary. You can see if your prescriptions are covered by searching the list. This is also a good place to find pricing information. What If My Medicine Isn’t on the Drug list? If your medicine is not on the list, or if it displays with “NF,” your medicine is non-formulary. This can mean one of two things. Either your medicine is not covered by your insurance, or it’s covered but may cost more to fill.

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Use Straightforward Headers

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Use Straightforward Headers Clever Punny Cute Stats from, “The Most Entertaining Guide to Landing Page Optimization You'll Ever Read,” on Moz Stats from, “5 Landing Page Headline Formulas Tested,” on Unbounce

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Use Straightforward Headers Straightforward Descriptive Clear “The Most Entertaining Guide to Landing Page Optimization You'll Ever Read,” on Moz “5 Landing Page Headline Formulas Tested,” on Unbounce

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Use Bulleted Lists

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Use Bulleted Lists I hereby certify that the above information is correct; I have not received reimbursement previously for these expenses from any other plan; the total of any reimbursed dependent care expenses does not exceed my or my spouse's earned income (W-2 Pay) for the year, if less than $5,000. I have read the printed materials I have received describing this plan; I will retain a copy of this form and all original receipts for my records; and I am responsible for compliance with all applicable administrative processes; tax regulations and documentation. I understand that it is my responsibility to return any duplicate reimbursement received from any other sources to my account; I am responsible for any and all bank, savings or checking account charges that I incur; and that expenses reimbursed through this account cannot be used as a deduction on my personal income tax return. I understand that if I have received an overpayment HPAI reserves the right to offset future reimbursements equal to the overpayment until the overpayment has been recouped.

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Use Bulleted Lists I confirm that: • The information above is correct • I haven’t received reimbursement for these expenses from any other plan • The sum of the dependent care reimbursements does not exceed my income or my spouse’s income for the year • I read the materials describing this plan I’m responsible for: • Keeping a copy of this form and original receipts for my records • Complying with any applicable administrative processes, tax regulations and documentation • Returning duplicate reimbursements • Paying all bank, savings or checking account charges that I incur I understand that:

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Your Turn

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StrongWriting.com/Confab Exercise 3: Paragraphs

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Simplify the Paragraph MFA requires users to verify their identity using two or more independent methods of authentication. Individuals need to authenticate using factors from at least two categories: something the user knows, something the user has, and something the user is. Knowledge factors are the most common type of security, but they are also the most vulnerable because the information is easier to share or steal. Authentication examples of something the user knows include passwords, PIN (or personal identification numbers), and answers to supposedly secret questions (such as “Where were you born?” or “The name of your first grade teacher”). Something the user has – also called possession factors – have been the foundation of security for centuries; the most basic version is a key, which opens a lock. Possession factors are more complex now, but the premise is the same. Authentication examples of possession factors include Google Authenticator (an app on your phone), SMS text message with a code, soft token (also called software token), hard token (also called hardware token), and security badge. A biometric verification (or something the user is) is a way to identify a person using their unique biological traits. Examples of biometric verification include fingerprint, palmprint, voice, retina and iris patterns, signature, and DNA. Reading level: 13.6 (in Word)

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MFA requires users to verify their identity using two or more independent methods of authentication. Users need to authenticate using factors from at least two of the following categories — something the user knows, something the user has, and something the user is. Examples of Something the User Knows Knowledge factors are the most common – and vulnerable – type of security. Knowledge factors are less secure because the information is easier to share or steal. Authentication examples of something the user knows include: • Passwords • PIN (or personal identification numbers) • Answers to supposedly secret questions (such as “Where were you born?” or “The name of your first grade teacher.”) Examples of Something the User Has Something the user has – also called possession factors – have been the foundation of security for centuries. The most basic version is a key, which opens a lock. Possession factors are more complex now, but the premise is the same. Authentication examples of possession factors include: • Google Authenticator (an app on your phone) • SMS text message with a code • Soft token (also called software token) • Hard token (also called hardware token) • Security badge Examples of Something the User Is A biometric verification (or something the user is) is a way to identify a person using their unique biological traits. Examples of biometric verification include: • Fingerprint • Palmprint • Voice • Retina and iris patterns • Signature • DNA

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Accessibility (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines or WCAG)

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Don’t Use Idioms

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Image from denofgeek.com

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Image from denofgeek.com

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Image from denofgeek.com

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Don’t Use Idioms

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Don’t Use Idioms We’re all in the same boat. We don’t see eye to eye. Back to square one.

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Don’t Use Idioms We all have the same problem. We don’t agree. Start over.

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Use Semantic Structure With Headers

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Use Headers in the Right Order

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Use Headers in the Right Order • Header 1 • Header 3 • Header 2 • Header 4 • Header 7 • Header 7 • Header 3

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Use Headers in the Right Order • Header 1 • Header 2 • Header 2 • Header 3 • Header 4 • Header 4 • Header 2

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Use Descriptive Links

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Use Descriptive Links Read more Learn more Click here

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Use Descriptive Links Download my card Upgrade my account Start my free trial

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10-Minute Break

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Putting It All Together

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How Would I Approach This? A formulary (or drug list) is the medicine that an insurance plan covers. Individuals can search the formulary to see whether prescriptions are covered, and, if so, how much those prescriptions will cost. If a medicine is not on the list, or if it displays with “NF,” the medicine is non-formulary, which means either the medicine is not covered by the individual’s insurance, or it’s covered but may cost more to fill. Click here to see what medicine is covered. Reading level: 10.2 (in Word)

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Your Turn

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As Seen in the Emergency Room Reading level: 13.2 (Word)

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StrongWriting.com/Confab Exercise 4: Emergency Room

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Rewriting Something You Don’t Understand Geo Distributing Your Repository in the Cloud This presentation reviews trends and advantages from migrating large repositories into the cloud, and the benefits of doing so. It covers case studies and trends, showing examples of cloud only as well as hybrid models for repositories of many TB and being accessed by hundreds or thousands of users. Hints and tips for planning are also given to take advantage of cloud benefits while managing your costs effectively. Reading level: 12.8 (Word)

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StrongWriting.com/Confab Exercise 5: Geo Distributing

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Rewriting Something You Don’t Understand How to Take Advantage of Geo Distributing Your Repo in the Cloud Learn about the trend of migrating large repos to the cloud — and the benefits of doing so. We’ll look at case studies to see examples of cloud- only repositories, as well as hybrid models that have several TBs and are accessed by thousands of users. You’ll get tips on how to take advantage of being in the cloud, and learn how to manage your costs. Reading level: 9.1 (Word)

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Work on Simplifying Content From Your Company

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Final Thoughts

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What We Talked About Who Needs Plain Language? Accessibility How to Measure Plain Language Downfalls of Reading Level Formulas Benefits of Plain Language How to Simplify Your Writing

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Benefits of Plain Language $ Save Time and Money GE saves $22k-$375k per customer, per year. Shorter Documents GE Aviation cut a legal contract from 100 pages to 5. Better Comprehension Comprehension jumps from 46% to 82%, and from 68% to 93%. Preference and Perception Perceived as being more persuasive, prestigious, and competent. $