If we show clarity and compassion when writing about health, it’s more likely that people will listen.
When a person makes a decision relating to their health, they need content that’s both accurate and empathetic. The principles and tools of plain language can help to create health information that makes a difference. Read more
Plain language means presenting information in a way that your target audience can understand and use. It is a set of linguistic principles that you apply, for example:
For example: the metaphor, ‘we wash our hands of jargon’ shows a conversational tone but is not plain language. ‘We don’t use jargon’ is a better way of writing this in plain language.
Key points of this overview:
To comply with laws and regulations that mandate plain language, you need to find a way of assessing whether content is clear. Readability formulas aren’t fit for purpose. We suggest that you use reader-focused testing instead, and measure results against an established standard for plain language. Pay attention to the ‘why’ of plain language. Ty to set up creative ways to measure the clarity of communication in terms of strategic goals such as fairness and transparency.
‘Content is king.’ Yet often websites contain information that is irrelevant, out-of-date and unreadable. It is only with a defined content strategy that organisations can give users the content that they want and need – content that is clear and user-friendly, and that complies with laws and regulations.
No longer do consumers tolerate ‘small print’ and unnecessary jargon in insurance. Increasingly, these are viewed as wilful barriers to the truth – as WMDs (Words of Mass Deception). Organisations that continue to use them risk losing the trust of their stakeholders.
Many UK companies are investing in improving their customer communications so that they are written clearly, in a way that´s aligned with Treating Customers Fairly and the Consumer Rights Act. But how do you measure if you are achieving this goal when there are no objective criteria for clear communication or plain language?
Large companies produce thousands of documents, from adverts to customer-service letters, from annual reports to supplier agreements. A company-wide plain English and Treating Customers Fairly audit allows you to identify strengths and weaknesses, and understand where to focus your efforts.
Transparent, fair and clear communication is not only about legal compliance: it is also about selling and marketing complex products and services more effectively to customers who are not willing to buy offerings they don’t understand. Transparent content can help reposition your brand to compete in an age of growing consumer power.
Download our white paper to explore how transparent communication can be an opportunity to sharpen innovation, competitiveness and customer-centricity in your business. This is especially critical in the context of the Consumer Rights Act and Treating Customers Fairly regulation.