“I like fruit baskets because they give you the ability to mail someone a piece of fruit without appearing insane. Like, if someone just mailed you an apple you’d be like “Huh? What the hell is this?” But if it’s in a fruit basket you’re like, “This is nice!”
—Comedian Demetri Martin
In other words, it’s all about context. At Siegel+Gale we know that how an idea is positioned and packaged is just as important as the idea itself.
As a plain language writer, I often wonder whether positioning the idea of straightforward communication through the term “plain language” is really communicating what the plain language movement represents.
For most people, the word plain is synonymous with being unadorned, lacking flavor or (dare I say) boring. But the goal of plain language writing isn’t to lull anyone to sleep. It’s to boil complex ideas down to their essentials and communicate them in a way that everyone (not just lawyers) can clearly understand. So, perhaps “plain language” could use a little rebranding. “Cut-to-the-chase language” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, but you get the idea.
While its purpose is to get to the point, I think cut-to-the-chase language at its best is also about communicating with the right tone. To be engaging, cut-to-the-chase language needs to have a personality that’s relatable to (and liked by) readers. Based on my experience as a human being, I think people respond well to humanity and humor, particularly when it’s coming from an unexpected source, such as a government or financial institution.
An email I recently received from ING Direct proves this point, and shows how cut-to-the-chase language that’s written with humanity and humor can go a long way.