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Webinar recap: Setting up your organization for communication success

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.



This webinar covers:

  1. Establishing plain language guidelines across your organization

  2. Creating templates for common documents that align with plain language and accessibility standards

  3. Building a culture that encourages and rewards clear communication




Key ideas

To make plain language and clear communication the norm at our organization, we can:

  • Provide clear guidance

  • Share accessible templates

  • Make it everyone's job


Before you jump into making big changes, remember:

“Small is good, small is all.” - adrienne maree brown, Emergent Strategy

Small, consistent actions have a big impact over time. For example, tweaking your color palette so that texts always pass accessibility tests doesn't feel big, but can make a meaningful difference for many people.


Once we're comfortable and confident with one new thing, we can introduce something else. This is how we help folks build skills without getting overwhelmed.



Tips for getting started

Build on what already exists

You don't need to start from scratch. Even if your long term goal is to create a robust and custom writing style guide, you can start by sharing one from a similar organization.


Prioritize what's most relevant to your context

Plain language is not about following rigid rules. Effective communication is adaptable to the context and audience. Narrow your scope by focusing on the types of writing you do most often and the needs of your audience.


Collect feedback at every stage

If we want a tool to be useful, we need input from the people using it. That means learning about their needs, what's challenging for them, and what makes resources useful. Remember, plain language is just as important for internal communications!

Provide specific examples

Use samples from your organization to show what strategies look like in practice. That might mean taking a less effective example and revising it. You could also start with a strong example and rewrite it to show "what not to do." Either way, most people need to see what a good version looks like to feel confident creating one of their own.



Sharing accessible templates

Start with commonly used documents

Think about how you already communicate and choose something that folks already use regularly. Common places to start are recurring emails, event flyers, and social media posts.


Plan for how people will find and use it

There's no point in making a template if people can't find and use it. Talk to the people who will be using it and find out what they need to use it consistently.


Include critical details

Part of what makes templates useful is that they can serve as a checklist of key details. What exactly does this communication need to include? Having a clear place for that information in the template will make sure folks don't forget important pieces.


Check that it meets accessibility standards

An important step for creating templates is making sure that they pass accessibility standards. There are some different considerations for information shared online and in print (PDF), so you may need to have two versions of some templates. This step is important to help folks who don't know as much about accessibility confidently share things that are as usable as possible to as many people as possible.


Introduce it intentionally

So many well meaning projects die because we don't have a plan for keeping momentum. Think about things like:

  • How can you introduce this to all users at the same time?

  • How can you model using it in real time?

  • How will you hold folks accountable moving forward?



Making it everyone's job

Shift your organization's culture

The organizations that have the most success implementing plain language broadly, have clear support from leaders. That means leaders are talking about and using plain language. They are encouraging folks to use it and connecting it to the values and goals of the organization.


Make it fun

Take some pressure off by giving people opportunities to have fun and celebrate their work. you might try:

  • A contest to make a flyer for an upcoming staff event

  • A "wall" to highlight strong documents folks have created

  • Asking folks to make "bad" versions on purpose


Assign clear roles and workflows

Most of us collaborate with at least one other person when creating content. When asking for feedback, be explicit about the type of feedback you want. And know from the beginning who has final say over various elements.




Additional Resources



Examples




Interested in learning more about professional development at Clear Language Lab? Check out other past webinars, find upcoming events on our training page, or contact Sarah Glazer, Sr. Program Manager, at sarah@litworks.org to learn more about our offerings.

© 2026 Literacy Works


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