Anyone who’s ever read a legal brief knows what a slog that can be. Most briefs are repetitive, long-winded and full of legalese and jargon.
When it comes to writing (unless you’re Stephen King), less is usually more. And short sentences and paragraphs are better than long ones.
But try telling that to the average college graduate who tried to impress their professors by writing lengthy papers — or by padding a four-page paper into a seven-pager. Or tell it to the person in the workplace who wants to look smart by using big words and grandiose writing.
People who work for utilities aren’t immune from this and may well use plenty of jargon daily.
That’s fine when your peers know what you’re talking about, but it’s troublesome for the public. Too often, public communications aren’t written with the average person in mind.
You’ll be happy to know that there’s an easy solution.
Assume the public has no insight into whatever you’re talking about and use plain language instead. If there’s a chance the public (or parts of the public) will be confused by something, they will.
Even journalists might get confused, especially if they don’t regularly cover your utility. While trade publication reporters and utility beat reporters at larger outlets will understand how your utility operates, most of the reporters covering you will be generalists whose only normal contact with you occurs when they pay their power bill.
Consider that the reason for media communications is to get your point across, you’re not doing anyone any good if they can’t understand you.
Unfortunately, every profession gets a bit “nose blind” and assumes everyone has comparable knowledge.
So, how can you tell if John Q. Public understands what you’ve written?
Have someone outside the industry read it, assuming you’re not disclosing trade secrets or other sensitive information. You’re probably good to go if they can follow along. If not, make revisions and try again.
I’ve preached this many times and will continue to do so: Make your work more readable by using simple words.
“Use” is better than “utilize.” “Buy” is better than “purchase.” “Money” is better than “capital.”
Note that there is a difference between writing more simply and dumbing down content. You still need to get your message across so there are limits to how simplistic you can get.
Finally, when you think you’re just about done, go back and try to cut 1o% from what you’ve written. You’d be surprised at how many repetitive phrases and wordy passages you can trim. Even if you don’t reach 10%, your final work will be better.
