Clear Communications Tip: Write in English

Here’s a fact: Technical experts tend to think that what they do is too complicated to explain in sixth-grade level English.

Here’s another fact: If you can’t explain what your product or service does in plain English, then you don’t actually know what it does.

I probably made some people mad with that statement, but I stand behind it. I’ve been a writer and editor for more than twenty years, with of much of that time spent working on technical information. Without exception, when the technical people I work with really understand how their product will meet their audience’s needs, they are able to explain it in non-technical terms.

So pull out that 6th grade grammar book and see if you can explain your product or service. It’s a great exercise.