It’s 8.30pm on a Monday. You’ve just sat down for dinner after a long day at work and taking care of all those other life issues that pop up unannounced – boiler giving up, the cat letting a live mouse loose in the house, clearing up that broken glass that you skillfully elbowed off your desk, counselling a friend / family member through their latest drama – the list really is endless. In the back of your mind, you know you also have a pile of life admin to trawl through. When you finally grab a moment, are you greeted with seemingly straightforward messaging that promptly descends into white noise that echoes around your brain?

What the what now?

Spreading to just about every service, the jargon has taken over. Residing in the terms and conditions section, although often debuting before, seemingly to test your tired brain. Legal, or perhaps, medical documents are in a league of their own here. Even with Google in the palm of your hand, who has the time, inclination or brain capacity to decode the key points hidden within a raft of industry specific terms and acronyms?   
What is the wording trying to conceal? Additional fees, random add-ons, an auto-renew, the threat of Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen turning up at your home to inconveniently position hideous furnishings in the very centre of your kitchen? Quite possibly.
There is a reason why people don’t tend to commute holding War and Peace or Ulysses – you’d be mentally exhausted before the working day even commenced.

Plain English

Making something easier to read, would no doubt be less taxing and encourage more engagement.
There is research to back this up. In 2012, Christopher Trudeau at the Thomas M Cooley Law School in Michigan, conducted research into the use of language in legal documents.
When given a choice, 80% of people preferred sentences written in clear English and the more complex the issue, the greater that preference.

Cognitive load plays a big part here. We are all busy and no doubt tired at the end of the day (let’s be honest – often at the start of the day) and we can lack the capacity to get our heads around complicated phrasing and jargon.  We have a lot on our minds and simply do not require an additional weight.

The report also found that the more educated the person, the greater their preference for plain English. This is somewhat reassuring – even those with the most complex of vocations would rather things be expressed clearly, using uncomplicated language.  

Promoting plain English

So how do you promote plain English in your communications?
When I’m faced with complex topics that need to be written about, I find that research is the way forward. Read up on the topic, seek colleagues or contacts that know the topic and speak to them. Verbal communication – not by email. This way questions can be asked immediately and clarified.
Make notes and then write about the topic as if you were explaining it to a friend. Be clear and concise and avoid the use of uncommon vocabulary. Read it aloud.

Does it make sense?
Does the topic feel approachable?
Moreover, do you understand it?

If so, you are well on your way to content that can be processed and remembered.  

Hopefully, this trend will catch on and our minds can have a little respite -which is much needed as I can’t handle walking into a room and not remembering why anymore!