What it is
The International Plain Language Federation’s definition: “A communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended readers can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.” It was adopted in 2014.
Plain language isn’t dumbing down. It’s doing the hard work so the reader doesn’t have to. One rule I keep: when the simplest phrase would make a claim untrue, use a simple phrase that stays true.
How it shows up for me
When I was writing about AI, I took every expert and every idea and asked: can this be said simpler? “Epoch AI is a nonprofit, basically a bunch of people who really know the math and science behind this stuff, and they keep count.” That’s the voice I want for everything here.