Think about your audience

One of the most popular plain language myths is that you have to "dumb down" your content so that everyone everywhere can read it. That's not true. The first rule of plain language is: write for your audience. Use language your audience knows and feels comfortable with. Take your audience's current level of knowledge into account. Don't write for an 8^th grade class if your audience is composed of PhD candidates, small business owners, working parents or immigrants. Only write for 8^th graders if your audience is, in fact, an 8^th grade class.