Health Literacy and Plain Language
Build skills that support clarity for informed decisions.
This course helps you create information that respects people’s time, reduces uncertainty, and supports informed, confident decisions.
Why This Course Matters
People want to understand information that affects their health, their choices, and their well-being — yet much of the content they receive is confusing, overwhelming, or inaccessible. When clarity is missing, hesitation grows, mistakes happen, and trust begins to break down.
This course is designed to help you change that. You’ll learn how to create communication that feels clear, supportive, and usable — information that reduces uncertainty and helps people act with confidence.
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What You’ll Learn
Through guidance, real examples, and practical tools, you will learn how to:
- explain complex ideas in ways people can follow
- recognize where readers may struggle or feel overwhelmed
- design materials that guide people step by step
- choose words and structure that support understanding
- reduce system-level barriers that make information harder to use
- rewrite unclear materials into accessible, compassionate communication
These skills don’t just improve documents — they improve people’s journeys.
You’ll leave with a repeatable approach to writing and designing information that truly supports the humans who rely on it.
Course Syllabus
Course Syllabus Overview
Our Plain Language & Health Literacy Course is organized into four modules that build from foundational concepts to practical application. Participants learn not only what health literacy and plain language are, but how to create, assess, and refine clear, actionable communication.
This course gives you practical, adaptable tools to improve understanding, reduce confusion, and support better outcomes in any health or technical communication.
Module 1: Health Literacy
Understand the people and systems behind health literacy—and why clarity matters.
1.1 What Is Health Literacy?
- Definitions and key concepts
- Individual vs. organizational health literacy
- Real-world examples of barriers and breakdowns
1.2 Assessment of Health Literacy
- How to identify literacy challenges
- Tools for evaluating health literacy needs
- Recognizing red flags in communication
1.3 System Complexity
- How organizational structures increase cognitive load
- Hidden demands and navigation barriers
- Techniques to reduce complexity
- System Complexity Quiz
Module 2: Plain Language
Learn the principles and practices that make communication clear, usable, and accessible for all audiences.
2.1 What Is Plain Language?
- Core definitions
- Why plain language is not “dumbing down”
- The role of accuracy, empathy, and usability
2.1 Activity – Strategies and Analogies
- Exercises to explain plain language to colleagues and stakeholders
- Analogies for justifying clarity in regulated environments
2.2 Plain Language Scope and Principles
- Core principles (audience needs, structure, wording, design)
- Legal and compliance foundations
- Application across formats: instructions, guides, websites, forms
2.3 The Writing Cycle and Checking for Effectiveness
- A repeatable process for writing clearly
- Techniques for improving drafts
- How to test materials for clarity and actionability
Module 3: Clear and Actionable Health Communication
Apply the tools of plain language to create polished, effective communication.
3.1 Design
- Layout that supports comprehension
- Hierarchy, whitespace, typography, and visual cues
- Before-and-after demonstrations
3.2 Wording
- Choosing clear, familiar language
- Avoiding jargon without sacrificing precision
- Sentence structure, transitions, and tone
3.3 Clarity in Writing
- Bringing everything together
- Strategies for conciseness and flow
- Techniques for revising dense or technical text
- Practice with real-world examples
Module 4: Review and Application
Strengthen understanding through reflection and hands-on practice.
- Recap of key concepts
- Review checklists and assessment tools
- Final application exercise
- Preparing for real-world use
- Certificate of completion
Contact us
Reach out, we try to answer all emails within 24 hours on business days.
We will be happy to answer your questions and help you achieve bolder communication results with writing, translation, and elearning!