May 29, 2019
How can an agency full of policy wonks, lawyers, and actuaries make sure it’s using plain language? The Texas Department of Insurance uses a volunteer focus group to test its materials.
Texas Insurance Commissioner Kent Sullivan created the focus group in May 2018 to help make sure the agency’s communications didn’t use words and terms that readers didn’t recognize.
A year later, the 95 volunteers have reviewed a dozen communications and made more than 125 edits and suggestions. They’ve reviewed articles about uninsured and underinsured motorists, rental car insurance, and electric scooters.
“We want Texans to understand every word in our communications,” Sullivan said. “The focus group is one best practice we’ve adopted to get there.”
For example, an early draft of a consumer feature on storage units mentioned Marie Kondo, star of a Netflix show on tidying your home. Kondo may be all the rage in some circles, but some members of the agency’s focus group weren’t sure who she was so she didn’t make the final cut.
“If it doesn’t make sense to someone on the focus group, we’re not hitting the mark,” said Stephanie Goodman, deputy commissioner for Public Affairs. “Their feedback lets us know when we need to find a better word or better way to explain something.”
Real value
TDI writer Ben Gonzalez said the group’s outside perspective brings real value to the editing process.
“We did a short feature on GAP insurance for new cars,” Gonzalez said. “One reviewer pointed out that many senior citizens think of Medicare supplemental coverage when they hear the term ‘GAP insurance.’ If it’s not clear we mean auto insurance, they might skip the article and miss valuable advice. I wouldn’t have made that connection without the focus group.”
Overwhelming need
The focus group includes participants from government, the insurance industry, and the public. Dr. Arthur “Tim” Garson, director of the Health Policy Institute of the Texas Medical Center, is among those who volunteered because they’ve seen the benefits of plain language in their own jobs.
“The need for plain language is overwhelming,” Dr. Garson said. “We know that people who understand their health information make better choices and actually spend less. That makes the plain language initiative one of the best concepts to come from government—whether state or federal—in years.”
Another focus group member, Ron Lucey, executive director of the Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities, noted that plain language is especially critical for someone who has a reading disability or uses assistive technology.
“The technology often works more efficiently with a document that has been clearly structured and organized,” he said.
Lucey also addressed the mistaken notion that plain language is the same as “dumbing down language.”
Plain language, he said, is more than writing to a specific grade level. Instead, it ensures excellent customer service by making sure readers understand a document the first time they read it.
Lend a hand
If you’d like to help improve TDI’s communications, the focus group could always use a fresh set of eyes. The agency typically sends out an email with something to review about once a month, and members reply as time allows. You can opt out any time.
To sign up, email MediaRelations@tdi.texas.gov, and put “Plain language” in the subject line.