Examples of great writing in plain language

Examples of great writing

Click on each example to see my notes on why these writers have nailed it

DTI is a law firm based in Hamilton.  The website homepage claims they "give clear accurate advice in a manner that you understand". When I look at their terms of engagement, I believe them. Why this document connects with me

Colleen Trolove 21/09/2026 Colleen Trolove 21/09/2026

Legal doc — a terms of engagement that connects

Read More

Presenting incomplete data sets accurately
Kat Greenbrook from Rogue Penguin specialises in data storytelling. (She runs workshops on it – I recommend them!) In 2020, she thoughtfully presented information about measles It's an imp

Colleen Trolove 20/09/2026 Colleen Trolove 20/09/2026

Infographics — presenting incomplete data sets accurately

Read More

Strong overview at the start
Mum and Dad had a burst of organisation a few months ago and decided to sort their end-of-life plans. I was glad they did. We now know how to honour their wishes in the last stages of their lives witho

Colleen Trolove 01/09/2026 Colleen Trolove 01/09/2026

Web content — strong overview at the start

Read More

Medical trial report for young study participants Imagine you're 15 years old and just learned you had type 1 diabetes. You agree to participate in a Europe-wide clinical trial.  Months after the trial, you receive a report with

Colleen Trolove 05/07/2026 Colleen Trolove 05/07/2026

Health info — medical trial report for young study participants

Read More

Doing one job very well
I was impressed by this IVF Medication Calendar by Highmark Health. It won the Fillable Materials category in the USA ClearMark Awards this year. Simple pamphlet that makes it easier to self-administer meds

Colleen Trolove 05/07/2026 Colleen Trolove 05/07/2026

Health pamphlet — doing one job very well

Read More

Spoken style in a formal document I've never seen this before. I've wanted to, but I never have. In a briefing to David Seymour, the Ministry of Education uses contractions ( we're rather than we are ). Formal situation. Spoken lan

Colleen Trolove 18/06/2026 Colleen Trolove 18/06/2026

Minister's report — spoken style in a formal document

Read More

'Now I understand' health information This infosheet about cervical screening was surprisingly fascinating reading. Over 4 pages, the authors took me from "Ho hum, another health pamphlet" to "I never knew that" to 'Wow! This is so us

Colleen Trolove 19/05/2026 Colleen Trolove 19/05/2026

Info sheet — 'Now I understand' health information

Read More

Perfectly ordered info
This email from Paypal does everything right structurally. Bottom line up front Paypal's clever communications staff know many customers won't open a mass email, so they put the bottom line (the main point) i

Colleen Trolove 06/05/2026 Colleen Trolove 06/05/2026

Email — perfectly ordered info

Read More

A friendly 'About us'
This pamphlet from Tautohetohe Whaipainga Utilities Disputes explains what they're about in a few clear paragraphs. They write like they speak They've chosen language that comes across as approachable and su

Colleen Trolove 17/04/2026 Colleen Trolove 17/04/2026

Pamphlet — a friendly 'about us'

Read More

Facelift for a deed
In the classic Oxford Guide to Plain English,  Martin Cutts rewrote a deed of amendment (second edition, pages 180 and 181). Here's the original Can you guess what issue they were amending?

#

Colleen Trolove 02/04/2026 Colleen Trolove 02/04/2026

Legal doc — facelift for a deed

Read More

Example of getting to the point, and not Same subject matter; different posters. The first poster has been up in Lyall Bay, Wellington, for months now. It was made when there was a sewage problem but not a sewage disaster. The p

Colleen Trolove 18/02/2026 Colleen Trolove 18/02/2026

Poster — example of getting to the point, and not

Read More

Annual report with life and character I was impressed by the Rotorua Lakes Council's Annual Report 2025. Reports this big are written by many people. Despite this, there's a sense of collective identity in the report.  How this

Colleen Trolove 06/02/2026 Colleen Trolove 06/02/2026

Annual report — with life and character

Read More

Plain language description of disability models Dr Nicolina Newcombe has published a chapter of her PhD thesis. She's called the publication Models of disability in Aotearoa New Zealand. You should read it for two reasons: 1. It's e

Colleen Trolove 01/12/2025 Colleen Trolove 01/12/2025

Academic writing — plain language description of disability models

Read More

Brief info for grieving people When you're overwhelmed with grief, you can't take in screeds of advice. In fact, straightforward information is the only kind that will stick. The wonderful people at Manaaki Tāngata Victim Support unde

Colleen Trolove 04/11/2025 Colleen Trolove 04/11/2025

Brief info sheet — for grieving people

Read More

Helping parents understand kids' illnesses KidsHealth is a fantastic plain-language resource for parents.  It deserves its spot as a finalist in the Awards' Best Plain Language Website — Private Sector category! Classic inverted

Colleen Trolove 22/10/2025 Colleen Trolove 22/10/2025

Web content — helping parents understand kids' illnesses

Read More

Making it easier to pay parking fines Palmerston North City Council has cleaned up their webpage on parking fines.  It's a finalist for the Best Plain Language Turnaround at this year's Awards, the category for documents that hav

Colleen Trolove 09/10/2025 Colleen Trolove 09/10/2025

Web content — Council making it easier to pay parking fines

Read More

Answering questions about privacy protection The Ministry of Education made this year's shortlist for Best Plain Language Document — Public Sector with this Awards entry.  I loved the approach to the contents page of their d

Colleen Trolove 26/09/2025 Colleen Trolove 26/09/2025

Summary — answering questions about privacy protection

Read More

Pinterest gives me the bottom line A picture I re-pinned of a country garden belonged to someone who didn't want it on Pinterest. Oops.

#block-ba1308f0d8ff6093639b {

--stroke-style: none;--stroke-thickness: 6px;

Colleen Trolove 26/08/2025 Colleen Trolove 26/08/2025

Email — Pinterest gives me the bottom line

Read More

Communicating a requirement – nicely This message from Stats NZ is a great example of regulatory communication: politely asking people to do something they legally have to do. They started by making sure I opened the envelope...

Miraka Davies 11/08/2025 Miraka Davies 11/08/2025

Envelope from StatsNZ — communicating a requirement nicely

Read More

Words with images for quick understanding I was lucky enough to judge the USA ClearMark Awards this year, and was assigned to the apps category. This app blew me away. I'm so pleased it won!  Show me for Emergencies  on

Colleen Trolove 26/07/2025 Colleen Trolove 26/07/2025

Emergency app — images and words in harmony

Read More