10 Commandments of Clear Communications

Commandment #1 – THOU SHALL MAKE COMMUNICATIONS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL

Audiences may have similar interests, but no two people are exactly alike. Accessible communications take into account audience diversity and barriers that exist. Printed materials and online screens may be a barrier for people with vision, learning or cognitive disabilities. Audio recordings may be a barrier for those that are hearing impaired. While large type and Braille may allow some members of your audience to better understand and more easily respond to the information, there are other helpful ways to satisfy the total audience.

During emergency situations when information must be delivered quickly and clearly, accessible information is essential to making decisions, giving and taking directions and acting rapidly. So all forms of contact – computer, tablet, email, smartphone, text, etc. – must be available to get the word out. After all, four-alarm fires, tornados and pandemics wait for no one.

 Commandment #2 – THOU SHALL USE ONLY PLAIN LANGUAGE

Plain, clear, grammatically correct writing, preferably in your readers’ first language, is essential to easy, immediate comprehension. Written content must support the purpose of the information conveyed and must be relevant to your readers. What’s easy for one person to understand, may be impossible for someone else, and may not translate well into another language. Don’t let the information get lost in translation.

By removing unnecessary adverbs, modifiers, and redundant words, your audience will better understand what the message is, and the words will be stronger and more powerful. Don’t “dumb down” the information, but direct the message to each particular audience. To quote Mark Twain, “Don’t use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.”

Commandment #3 – THOU SHALL USE THE BEST PRACTICES OF GRAPHIC DESIGN

For any communication to be successful, it must follow the best practices of graphic design, the key elements of which include the proper uses of typography, color, white space, organization and hierarchy. Content must be well organized and related information appropriately grouped in a hierarchical fashion.

 The most important and frequently used information must be effectively highlighted and positioned so your readers can easily locate it. More importantly, the appropriate use of typography both in font choice, size and leading will allow them to find and read desired information easily and quickly. 

Commandment #4 – THOU SHALL AVOID INDUSTRY JARGON

Industry jargon is only understood by people within that particular field or someone who has spent a long time around it. The average consumer in financial services, insurance, healthcare or wherever will not understand the inside slang – or even actual terminology – used by professionals within them. 

To avoid this pitfall, use easy-to-understand terms and phrases, write them in plain language, and direct them at the specific audience you’re reaching. In some cases, legal, regulatory and industry terms must appear for reasons of legal compliance, but using a plain language definition is entirely appropriate to ensure comprehension. The task is to do your utmost to enable your consumer to more easily understand what you are saying.

 Commandment #5 – THOU SHALL CHOOSE FONTS WISELY  

The font you use sets the tone of your communication. First, it must be of a size and style that’s easy to read. That usually means no less than 10 and no more than 12 points for paragraphs, with larger sizes reserved for headlines and subheads. “Simple and clean” is the mantra when deciding on the typeface.

Second, keep bold, italic, and upper case to a minimum. Underlining usually points to a hyperlink so avoid using this unless you intend to harken back to the days of typewriters, when underlining was the only way to emphasize text. If you must emphasize certain information, never use more than one form of emphasis in the same piece of content.

Third, remember that ALL CAPITAL LETTERS is the hardest technique of all to read. In fact, it reduces readability by up to a whopping 20% and comes across as if you are shouting.

Proper use of typography is key regardless of output medium: hard copy, digital, SMS or a complete interactive digital application including social media posts and messaging.

Commandment #6 – THOU SHALL USE COLOR TO ENHANCE CLARITY

Color can be an effective tool in creating clear communications, and there are five reasons to use it wherever you can. In order of importance, they are:

1. To highlight key information
2. To assist navigation through the communication
3. To improve the information in graphics
4. To enhance the appearance of the communication
5. To reinforce the brand image
   

When using color to highlight text, be careful to use a color that contrasts with the rest of the text. Also, don’t overuse a highlight color in the text as using too much will defeat the purpose of highlighting any of it. Color is used for visual contrast, and must be selected with care to prevent the communication from looking like a ransom note. And don’t forget, even black and white communications contain colors, even though we don’t think of them that way.

As with typography, the proper use of color is key regardless of output medium: hard copy, digital, SMS or a complete interactive digital application including social media posts and messaging.

Commandment #7 – THOU SHALL USE WHITE SPACE APPROPRIATELY

White space enhances communication in a way that few people understand. In fact, most look at it as an area in a communication to be filled up, but that is exactly not the case. White space, unlike the other elements of design, is perhaps the most important attribute of all.

 Properly used, white space allows the eye to travel throughout the communication and easily find information. As such, it is not “blank” but rather a way to enable your readers to see content and easily move from one group of content to another.

As with typography and color, the proper use of white space is key regardless of output medium: hard copy, digital, SMS or a complete interactive digital application including social media posts and messaging.

Commandment #8 – THOU SHALL TEST, TEST, AND TEST

Testing your communications with the people who are to directly interact with it is the only proven way of finding out how they will find, understand, and act on what they read. The technique of choice involves In Depth Interviews (IDI).

 The IDI method uses one-on-one interviews to identify content that proves a barrier to comprehension and action so that content can be improved or removed. These interviews need to be conducted by an independent third party and should include all audiences that touch the communications both internally and externally. 

Commandment #9 – THOU SHALL DELIVER BASED ON THE PREFERENCE OF THE USER

Every person has a preference for how they want to receive their communications, and this preference must be honored. The choices range from hard copy paper sent by mail, to PDF documents and images delivered electronically, to complete interactive digital applications such as social media posts and messaging. 

Each delivery method has its own unique limitations and therefore its own unique design requirements. What works perfectly on a full sheet of paper usually does not translate to a small cellphone screen. These challenges must be anticipated and overcome.

In the end, be prepared to deliver communications in a variety of ways and let your recipients choose the way they want to receive them. 

Commandment #10 – THOU SHALL  ALWAYS ADHERE TO THE CLEAR COMMUNICATIONS MANTRA

The effectiveness of any business communication is heavily dependent on the clarity with which the message is communicated – otherwise, it may have just as well not have been communicated at all.

 The sequencing and placement of messages on a page, the words and phrases used, the sizes and styles of fonts chosen, the accessibility and usability of the message, the understanding of the recipient and other factors like these will dramatically impact the nature of the customer experience. To ensure it is always as positive as it can be, you must be devoted to the concepts listed above and have faith that they will bring the results you desire.

IN SUMMARY

Just as the Ten Commandments in the Bible help you stay on the straight and narrow in life, so too will the Ten Commandments of Clear Communications keep your communications on the proper path: clear, accessible, simple, and effective.