In honor of International Plain Language Day, I’ll address a common concern about using plain language when writing at work. Will plain style make your audience think less of you? With my colleagues, I’ve published two studies that answer your question. The published sources are listed at the end of this post.
The bottom line:
U.S. workers prefer plain style and perceive writers of plain style as more confident and professional.
Study 1: U.S. workers prefer plain style in writing.
Let me start with clear evidence that plain style is preferred by readers in U.S. workplaces. We tested the preferences of 614 workers for two major style categories by showing them two short passages: one in plain style and one that was not.
We found 76% of workers preferred the plain options. This was true for all workers although a little less so for those in blue-collar jobs. Preferences were the same regardless of gender. Preference for conciseness was lowest among those who did not attend college.
I’ve summarized how we defined plain style if you’re interested.
Conciseness
There were four subcategories of conciseness tested with pairs of short passages.
| Subcategory | Plain example | Plain preferred | Not plain example |
| Nominals (2 pairs) | The first part of this report defined a portfolio and shows how it can benefit Northern Telecom’s investment decisions. | 62% | The first part of this report provides a definition of a portfolio and how it can be beneficial to the investment decisions of Northern Telecom. |
| Expletives (2 pairs) | Fifteen institutions have responded, which should yield sufficient data to complete our analysis. | 79% | It is believed that the responses of the 15 institutions we have contacted so far will yield sufficient data to complete our analysis. |
| Non-requisites (3 pairs) | An Information Flow and Technology audit has revealed a computer problem with the reconciliation process at the end of the banking day. | 65% | An Information Flow and Technology audit has revealed that there was a computer problem with regard to the reconciliation process at the end of the banking day. |
| Hedges (3 pairs) | The degree of uncertainty inherent in dispersion modeling has led to overly conservative decisions about when to abort a mission. | 81% | I believe the degree of uncertainty inherent in dispersion modeling has led to overly conservative decisions about when to abort a mission. |
Word Choice
There were five subcategories of word choice tested with pairs of short passages.
| Subcategory | Plain example | Plain preferred | Not plain example |
| Formality (3 pairs) | While working at ACE Electric, I learned much about the electrical trade and believe this experience has given me an appropriate background for the job you’re offering. | 88% | While working at ACE Electric, I learned much about the electrical trade and believe this experience has given me a good feel for the job you’re offering. |
| Grammar (2 pairs) | Although controlled fires are usually designed to serve a single purpose, they frequently have several benefits. | 85% | Although controlled fires are usually designed to serve a single purpose, they frequently benefit several. |
| Homonyms (3 pairs) | The Cahaba River site exceeds all of the minimum criteria for a wetland restoration project. | 63% | The Cahaba River cite exceeds all of the minimum criteria for a wetland restoration project. |
| Connotation (2 pairs) | It may take some time to gain the same product recognition in the foreign market that we have in the US. | 87% | It may take some time to gain the same product notoriety in the foreign market that we have in the US. |
| Jargon (1 pair) | The liquidity of assets, including the balance of the petty cash fund, should be entered in the journal. | 75% | The liquidity of assets, including the balance of the imprest fund, should be journalized. |
Study 2: Readers perceive plain style writers as more (not less) confident and professional.
Plain style also influences how readers perceive writers. Using the same data collected from Study 1, we investigated those perceptions.
We found statistically significant evidence that writers conveyed
- confidence by being concise, in particular by avoiding non-requisite words, jargon, and nominals, and by choosing words with standard/plain connotations and grammar
- professionalism by avoiding non-requisite words and hedges and by using standard/plain homonyms
See sources to learn more.
Campbell, K. S., Naidoo, J. S., & Smith, J. (2021). When Your Boss Says, “You Need to Sound More Professional”: Writing Style and Writer Attributions. International Journal of Business Communication, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/23294884211025735
Campbell, K. S., Amare, N., Kane, E., Manning, A. D. & Naidoo,J. S. (2017). Plain-Style Preferences of US Professionals. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 60(4), 401-411. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPC.2017.2759621