Communicating Clearly: The Importance of Plain Language

Note: This is a self-paced online course.

Training Overview

Plain language is important to use to increase the understanding of our health promotion, education, and communication efforts for the communities we serve. After completing this course, you will know the basic principles of plain language and understand the benefits of clearer communication in all your work. You will also learn how to apply the principles to content ranging from educational materials to social media posts. 

The course contains three modules: the content module, a resources module, and an evaluation. After finishing all three modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion. When the certificate is available, learners will see a Certificate button on their dashboard.

The entire training is expected to take 20 minutes to complete. Participants will need a broadband internet connection (Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are preferred browsers) and computer speakers. For technical support, please contact emoryphtc@emory.edu. 

About the Course Developers
This course was developed by the Region IV Public Health Training Center at the Emory University Rollins Schools of Public Health. We would like to thank Cynthia Jorgensen, DrPH, Adjunct Professor at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health and former Associate Director for Communication Science for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for her contribution as the subject matter expert. We would like to thank Sheryl Golub, MPH and Tanya Hauth of Lexicon Strategies, for their contribution to the instructional design of this module. 

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.