Publication Information
First Published: 3 September 2024
Author: Nathan Boeker, M. A. Certified Plain Language Instructor
To the Point
Plain language helps unlock communication. It. can transform communication into a strategic tool that can enhance efficiency, effectiveness, and collaboration in any professional field. By adopting these principles, organizations ensure their communication strategies are not just heard but are also understood, remembered, and used effectively.
Table of Contents
Before we dive into the how-to's, let's address the why. Plain language ensures that your message isn't just heard but also understood.
This doesn't mean your writing is made for everyone to read. It means your writing needs to fit your audience. Plain language ensures your writing is:
Accessible: It makes information available to your intended audience.
Efficient: It saves time and money when people understand things right the first time.
Legal and Ethical: Plain language is not just nice to have; it's often required by law for clarity in communication.
In the realm of professional communication, clarity, accessibility, and effectiveness are paramount.
ISO 24495, the international standard for Plain Language, provides a framework that enhances communication through four key principles: relevance, findability, clarity (the standard calls this understandability), and usability. Here's how each of these areas contributes to unlocking more effective communication in professional settings.
Relevance in communication ensures that the information provided is pertinent to the audience's needs. Professionals often face the challenge of information overload, where the sheer volume of data can obscure the message. By adhering to the principle of relevance, communicators can tailor their content to what is most important for their audience. This targeted approach not only saves time but also engages the audience more effectively, as they receive information that directly impacts their work or decisions. For instance, in project management, a relevant communication would include only those project updates that affect the immediate tasks at hand, thereby keeping the team focused and reducing cognitive overload.
The principle of findability addresses how easily information can be located when it's needed. In a professional environment where time is often of the essence, the inability to quickly find information can lead to delays, frustration, and inefficiencies. ISO 24495 encourages the organization of information in a logical structure, using clear headings, indexes, and search functionalities if digital. For example, a well-organized company intranet where policies, procedures, and past project documentation are easily searchable can drastically cut down the time employees spend looking for information, thereby enhancing productivity and decision-making speed.
Clarity is perhaps the most straightforward yet most challenging aspect of communication. The goal here is to make the content understandable at first reading. This involves using simple, direct language, avoiding jargon unless it's well understood by the audience, and structuring sentences and documents in a straightforward manner. In legal or technical fields, where complex information is common, clarity can transform a dense contract or technical manual into something accessible to all stakeholders, not just the experts. This not only democratizes knowledge but also reduces errors due to misunderstanding, thereby fostering a more inclusive and efficient work environment.
Usability extends beyond the text to how information is interacted with in practice. This includes the design and layout of documents, the use of visuals to aid understanding, and the consideration of how the document will be used in real-world scenarios. For professionals, a usable document might be a checklist or a flowchart that can be referenced during a task, or an interactive PDF where sections can be navigated via clickable links. Usability ensures that the communication tool or document not only conveys information but does so in a way that supports practical application. For instance, emergency procedures in a manufacturing plant need to be highly usable, with visual aids and clear instructions that can be followed under stress.
By integrating these four principles, ISO 24495 serves as a key to unlock communication barriers in professional settings. When professionals communicate with relevance, their messages are more likely to resonate and be acted upon. When information is findable, it empowers quick decision-making. Clarity ensures that all parties have the same understanding, reducing conflicts and mistakes. Lastly, usability makes sure that this clear, relevant, and findable information is also practical in its application.
In the realm of clarity, plain language is the master key that unlocks true communication.
Use this key, and your readers will discover a treasure of understanding.