THE LAB library

This Literacy Works webinar took place on July 16, 2026, as part of our Engaging Critically with AI series. Check out the recording, notes, and resources below. Watch on YouTube This webinar covers: Why it’s important to have an AI policy Elements to include in your AI policy Resources and guiding questions to develop your own AI policy Open a PDF of the presentations slides. Key ideas Creating a Gen AI policy will help you: Provide clarity for staff and partners Reduce risk

Each year the Clear Language Lab honors a community organization that has shown meaningful commitment to equitable communication and plain language. This year we are happy to acknowledge the work of Cook Uptown People's Law Center (UPLC) as the recipient of the Clear Language Lab’s Community Leader Award. Having access to high quality legal services is essential but not always accessible. UPLC is a vital, community-based legal clinic that focuses on supporting marginalized pe

This Clear Language Lab webinar took place on May 21, 2026, as part of our free quarterly plain language series. Check out the recording, notes, and resources below. Watch on YouTube This webinar covers: Establishing plain language guidelines across your organization Creating templates for common documents that align with plain language and accessibility standards Building a culture that encourages and rewards clear communication Open a PDF of the presentations slides. Key id

It could be an email, a routine notice sent out to clients, or an answer to a direct chat in a work messaging portal. We send messages every day, but sometimes invisible barriers in our writing make it harder for readers to find, understand, and use our message. There are some questions we should ask to make sure that we aren’t making things harder for those reading our message. Is my purpose for writing clear? (Have a clear purpose) You can have organized, relatable text. Cl

This Clear Language Lab webinar took place on February 25, 2026, as part of our free quarterly plain language series. Check out the recording, notes, and resources below. Watch on YouTube This webinar covers: How to cultivate a welcoming and safe tone, even when writing about serious topics Alternatives to common features of bureaucratic, legal, and academic writing styles How you can show that you’re a trustworthy source of information Open a PDF of the presentations slides

Introduction Have you ever started reading a document, paused halfway through, and went back to the beginning to start over? It sounded ‘professional’, but you weren’t sure what it actually said or what you were supposed to do next. This often happens in ‘professional’ writing. Someone uses complex words and long sentences to sound credible and knowledgeable, but it only confuses their readers. Professional writing helps people understand, decide, and act. If what you write

Here at the Clear Language Lab we seize every opportunity to talk about and uplift plain language. We know the importance of making information accessible and understandable for everyone. We’ve shared how plain language can help in healthcare, government and education. To show that plain language works everywhere, we want to highlight some other spaces you may not have thought of that are utilizing plain language. Sports and language access With athletics moving to a more gl

It’s hard to believe that we are already closing out another year! 2025 has come and gone in a whirlwind that brought new projects, partnerships, and ideas into the Clear Language Lab. As we do every year, we’d like to share some of the highlights with you. Responding to quickly changing times The year began with policy changes in our nation that had us and many organizations looking for ways to adapt to new requirements yet still stay true to our values and mission. Our

This Clear Language Lab webinar took place on November 19, 2025, as part of our free quarterly plain language series. Check out the recording, notes, and resources below. Watch on YouTube This webinar covers: Frameworks to help us identify when processes are creating challenges Strategies to make processes work better for you and your audience Tips for making plain language the norm across your organization You can access a PDF of the slides from this presentation here. Key i