At the UPA 2008 Conference in Baltimore, Annetta Cheek, Chair, Center for Plain Language, gave of presentation on the connections between usability and plain language, with examples of plain — and not so plain — language from federal documents.
- If you can’t understand it, you can’t use it (ppt 238K)
- Introduction to plain language poster (pdf 127K)
About the speaker
Dr. Cheek is an anthropologist by training, earning a PhD from the University of Arizona in 1974. She spent most of her Federal career writing and implementing regulations. After becoming interested in the Plain Language movement in the early 90s, she spent four years as the chief plain language expert on Vice President Gore’s National Partnership for Reinventing Government. She was the chair of the interagency plain language advocacy , since it was founded in 1995 until her retirement from the federal government in early 2007. During that time she also administered the group’s website, www.plainlanguage.gov. She is currently the Chair of the board of the private sector Center for Plain Language, a federally tax-exempt cooperation. She works part time as a consultant providing plain language training, writing, and consulting services. She was instrumental in getting the US Congress to introduce legislation mandating plain language in certain federal documents.