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The award-winning ​
Plain Language Academies
​

New: PLA Live 

Choose from live sessions or self-directed study with instructor support

​Our Program is built on Core and Advanced courses. Begin your plain language learning journey by understanding the real meaning of and the process of clear communication. Then enhance your awareness of your audience and improve your writing, editing, and design skills.

 Our Advanced courses are designed to meet the growing demand for specialized knowledge: legal, health, online content; science, technical, design, and strategic planning.

​Certificates are presented for successful course completion. Letter of Achievement is sent to you when six are  completed successfully. We recommend the first three core courses and any three others.

Three steps to your next course
​

1. Go to: PainLanguageAcademy.Moodlecloud.Com
2. Create your own Moodle account.
3. Choose the course/s you want and register.

Fees: $275 - $360 CAD or USD*
*Subject to change


Core Courses
See details below.
Course 1: Plain Language Basics
Course 2: Audience Awareness
Course 3: Plain Language Writing and Editing

Special 15% discount refund when you sign up for all three.

Advanced Courses

Online Content and Digital Design
  • Creating Clear E-content
  • Designing for Digital Accessibility​ (Fall 2025)
    ​
​​Strategy and Planning
  • Implementing Plain Language as a Strategic Priority: March 10. Register now.
  • The ISO Plain Language Standard: how it works in organizations 
  • PLA Live: The Plain Language ISO Standard: how it makes your communication easier
  • ​Live Sessions on June 4, 11, 18, 25
  • Plain Language Project Leadership
  • Focus on Feedback
Professional
  • Connecting with Citizens and other Stakeholders
  • Plain Language 2.0 and Health Literacy
  • Editing for Plainer Technical Writing​
Legal 
  • Editing for Plainer Legal Writing
​​​
Multi-lingual choices
​​
Courses in:
  • English: PLA listed here and with Plain Language Institute, SA
  • en Français through Académie du langage clair et simple;
  • en Español through the Academia de Languaje Claro;​
Online supported learning
You go through the course online, self-directed, with instructor support, interaction and assignment feedback.
Certificates and more
​Certificates for each course successfully completed. Letter of Achievement for six successfully completed courses.
Your time is important
Want to start a course on your time? Just ask  [email protected].
No time to study but need help?
We offer coaching and consulting.
 Ask [email protected].

Registration links below with course details.

PLA Core Courses

New package discount: The Core courses are required as part of your Letter of Achievement. Our  Core Courses Plain Language Basics (C1),
Audience Awareness (
​C2) , and Plain Language Writing and Editing (C3) are bundled for a discount of 15% ($115 rebate) when you register and pay for all three at the same time.
1. Set up your account on plainlangaugeacademy.moodlecloud.com 
2. Pay for each of the three Core courses individually using the PayPal link provided.
​3. You will then receive your rebate.
Get Core Course details here.

Plain Language Basics (C1)
​Registration open.  $275.00 CAD

Goals
You will learn:
the core guidelines for plain language
ideas on promoting it to others
what the process involves
skills to prepare you rof the next courses.

​

​Outline
Module 1:
 What is Plain Language? 
Module 2: Use Plain Language to Solve Problems
Module 3: Making the Message Clearer
Module 4: Review and Wrap-up
Module 5: Quiz
Module 6: 
Assignment
​

Facilitator
​
Kate Harrison Whiteside, Key Advice and PlainLanguageAcademy.com.
[email protected]
​
Audience Awareness (C2)
​Registration open.  $275.00 CAD

​
Goals
You will gain skills in:
  • getting to know your audience
  •  increasing your understanding of audiences 
  • designing and delivering messages that put the audience first.​
​Outline
Module 1: Knowing your audience
Module 2: Understanding your audience
Module 3: Design, accessibility, audience needs
Module 4: Review and resources
Module 5: Quiz
Module 6: Assignment

Facilitator
​
Kate Harrison Whiteside, Key Advice and PlainLanguageAcademy.com.
[email protected]

Plain Language Writing and Editing (C3)
Registration open.  $275.00 CAD

Goals
​
After completing this course you will be able to: 
  • create a clear plan
  • write for your reader
  • edit to meet plain language guidelines.

Outline
Module 1: Planning for Clarity
Module 2: Plain Language Writing
Module 3: Plain Language Editing
Module 4: Questions
Module 5: Assignment


Facilitator
​
Kate Harrison Whiteside , Key Advice  and PlainLanguageAcademy.com.
[email protected]
New Academies. New language options. New open registration offers. 

Study in French. Académie du langage clair et simple  is offering courses in plain French communicaiton. 
Study in Spanish. Academy, ​Educlaro. Plain Language 2.0 and Health Literacy is available in Spanish and English. 
Open registration means you start your online studies when you are ready. Many of our courses offer this option. 

Advanced Courses

All Advanced courses include one live session with your instructor.

Professional

Plain Language 2.0 and ​Health Literacy ​(A3)
Register now on Academy Educlaro in English and Spanish.
$275.00 USD Email 
[email protected] for details.

​Successful completion means a Certificate and credit towards the five course Letter of Achievement from the Plain Language Academy.
​Goals
In this course, we will explore the intersection between health literacy and plain language to promote successful health communication. Health literacy is defined as the ability to find, understand, and process information to make healthcare decisions. Plain language has a vital role to play in fostering access, understanding, and usability of health information.
Outline
1. Health Literacy as a Complex Construct
2. Plain Language for Health Communication
3. Writing Strategies for Clarity
4. Live Recap and Final Project

Self-study supported by group discussions, live video session and  instructor feedback on submissions.


Facilitator
Romina Marazzato Sparano, Language Compass, USA


Editing for Plainer Technical Writing (A9) 
For people who prepare technical information for non-technical readers 
Oct 7  $299.00.CAD 

Goals
This six-week course is for anyone who prepare technical information for non-technical readers.

​You might write: 
  • correspondence to citizens about their water quality 
  • reports to elected officials about development projects 
  • user manuals for customers with new electronics
You will learn to assess your audience and their information needs and to edit a technical document so that they can find the information they need, understand what they find and use that information quickly.
This course gives a certificate of achievement after your assignments are completed and marked. 
​

Facilitator
Nicole Watkins Campbell, Watkins Campbell Communications.

​Connecting with Citizens and other Stakeholders  (A 4)
For people who prepare government information for others - internal and external
Open registration from September 19, 2024  $299.00.CAD 


Citizens’ trust in their governments is disappearing. It’s happening around the world for many different reasons. This course will help municipal, provincial, and federal workers improve their writing or editing for the public and other stakeholders. 
Learning goals
·      identify their purpose in writing 
·      understand their audiences’ motivations and needs
·      use 10 writing tactics to make their writing more engaging
·      test whether their documents are working for readers
Topics
  1. Good communication is good public service
  2. Know your readers and your purpose
  3. Organize for clarity and ease
  4. Motivate with style and language
  5. Check your work
Facilitator
Nicole Watkins Campbell, Watkins Campbell Communications.

Strategy and Planning

​ Implementing Plain Language as a Strategic Priority (12-weeks) (A5)
March 10, 2025  $360.00 CAD Register now.
Email your interest to [email protected].

​
​Goals
The focus of Plain Language actions is often on specific documents or pieces of communication. Implementing Plain Language in a systematic manner in an organization is, however, a different challenge for executives, compliance officers, communication managers or customer relations. 
This course will empower you to make your organization truly customer- or citizen-centred.


Outline
​Module 1: A framework for implementing Plain Language as a strategic priority
Module 2: Getting leadership buy-in for Plain Language
Module 3: Developing a business plan for Plain Language
Module 4: Establishing a Plain Language process 
Module 5: Creating sustainable excitement for Plain Language
Module 6: Monitoring process and demonstrating return on investment ​

Facilitators
Sarah Slabbert and Nadja Green, Plain Language Institute, South Africa Note: Course is 12 weeks long. If you have any questions, email us at [email protected] or [email protected]
​
NEW   Plain Language ISO Standard: How it makes your communication easier (A 11)

PLA Live: June 4, 11, 18 25, 2025
​$340 CAD Register now.

Weekly live sessions.​ Email [email protected].

The recent Plain Language International Standard gave us all a common definition and development guidelines. It put the focus on our audiences and how to plan, develop, design and test to ensure we really connect with them. It is one of the most important developments in our profession and we want to share it with you.

Goals
By the end of the course, you will have the knowledge and skills to apply the standard’s four key guidelines to your plain language writing. You will get tools, information, assignments and feedback. Successful completion leads to a Plain Language Academy Certificate. Topics focus on the four plain language guidelines.

Course outline
We use four live sessions.  In each, we share information, answer questions, and give you an assignment. 


Facilitators
Kate Harrison Whiteside and Nicole Watkins Campbell
Plain Language Academy

ISO Plain Language Standard:
How to make it work in organizations (
A12)

Next offering September 2025

Email your interest or questions to​ us at [email protected].

​In 2023, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published the first international standard for Plain Language. The standard provides nearly universal Plain Language guidelines and techniques. In an organisational context, these guidelines and techniques can be translated into a content development process that delivers relevant, findable, understandable, and usable communication.
This course will help you translate the principles and guidelines of the ISO Plain Language standard into a content development process tailored for your organisation.

Facilitators

Sarah Slabbert and Nadja Green, Plain Language Institute, South Africa
​

Note: If you have any questions, email us at [email protected] or [email protected]


Legal

Editing for Plainer Legal Writing (A2) 
For writers with no legal training
Register now. Next course Oct 7, 2024  $299.00.CAD

Goals
This six-week course is for anyone who prepare technical information for non-technical readers.

​You might write: 
  • correspondence to citizens about their water quality 
  • reports to elected officials about development projects 
  • user manuals for customers with new electronics
You will learn to assess your audience and their information needs and to edit a technical document so that they can find the information they need, understand what they find and use that information quickly.
This course gives a certificate of achievement after your assignments are completed and marked. 
​

Facilitator
Nicole Watkins Campbell, Watkins Campbell Communications.
Focus on Feedback (A6)

Register anytime.  $299.00 CAD  

​Goals
After completing this course, you will:
  • understand the testing options available
  • develop a list of resources
  • be able to make informed decisions about which method you can manage, that best suits your project and resources. ​

​Outline
Module 1: 
The role testing plays
Module 2: How to plan for testing
Module 3: Choosing a testing method
Module 4: Questions 
Module 5: Assignment


Facilitator
Kate Harrison Whiteside,  PlainLanguageAcademy.com
[email protected]
Plain Language Project Leadership (A8)
 
Register anytime.  $299.00 CAD 
​
GOALS

Plain Language Project Leadership encompasses the whole plain language process, focusing on a project client document. This course lets you to practice leading a complete a project with guidance, feedback, and support.  You will develop a project plan, content, and a report.

​Benefits 
  • opportunity to put together all your knowledge and skills on one project 
  • enhance your experience in audience awareness and document testing 
  • create a working template for future plain language projects.  ​​

Facilitator
 Kate Harrison Whiteside, Key Advice and PlainLanguageAcademy.com

Online Content and Design

Creating Clear E-content (A1) 
Register anytime .  $299.00.CAD

​
Goals
Online content, whether for websites, social media or electronic communications (emails, texts) is now part of our daily communications. We need to adapt our style of writing to these platforms. Integrating plain language practices, including new ISO standard, into your online content development is important to succeed.

Outline
​

1. Why we need clear e-content.
2. Planning online content
3. Building audience awareness
4. Writing online conversations
5. Content and visual design
6. Testing and evaluating
Assignment


Facilitator
​
Kate Harrison Whiteside, Key Advice and PlainLanguageAcademy.com.
[email protected]
Designing for Digital Accessibility (A7) 
Fall 2025   $395 CAD /€260 Euros

Goals
Accessibility of digital documents and content ensures inclusive design for all. In today's digital age, accessibility is not just a legal requirement, it is a moral obligation. This course is aimed at helping you learn how to create digital content that is accessible to everyone, regardless of ability or disability.
​
Facilitator
dr Izabela Mrochen, Poland, EU

 
Email your interest in registering or questions to​ us at 
[email protected].

Course Policy, Registration Cancellation or Withdrawal 
We know circumstances change. If you register and pay for a course, you can withdraw prior to the start of course for an 90% rebate.
If you withdraw in the first 5 days of the course, you receive an 80% refund.
After one week, we will credit your fees to the same course in the future or another course of equal fees.
If you wait two weeks or more, no refund is available.
​
​Courses are generally available for 8 weeks. After that, unless special permission has been granted, you will be removed from the course. If you wish to complete it at a future date, you will have to pay again. 

Choose your Academy. Choose your courses. We are here to work with you.

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  • Home
  • Courses
    • Plain Language Standard (ISO) Courses
    • Core Courses
    • PLA Advanced Courses
  • Connect
  • Students
  • About Us
  • News, blogs, vids
    • PLAIN 2023 Conference
    • Videos