The Benefits of Using Simple Language in Communication

"That's great ... now explain it to me like I'm 10 years old." This is my most commonly-used phrase when on set with clients, especially corporate leaders who are often great subject matter experts, but struggle to simplify their message. So why is it important to use simpler language on video? 1️⃣ ENGAGEMENT: 🚀 Simplified language doesn't just speak; it sings! Studies show that videos with clear, straightforward messaging receive up to 2x more engagement. Your audience is more likely to hit play, stay tuned, and take action when they understand what you're saying. 2️⃣ RETENTION: 🧠💡 Ever watched a video, got lost in a sea of jargon, and ended up feeling like you missed the plot? You're not alone! Simple language improves information retention by a whopping 75%. Keep your audience hooked by making your message crystal clear. 3️⃣ UNIVERSAL APPEAL: 🌍🤝 Your audience is diverse and likely unfamiliar with your cultural references or quirky turns of phrase. Simplified language bridges gaps, making your content accessible to a wider audience. Research indicates that 65% of viewers are more likely to share videos that are easy to understand. 4️⃣ TRUST BUILDING: 🚀💼 Trust is the cornerstone of any successful brand. When you break down complex ideas into digestible bits, you're not just communicating; you're building trust. 82% of consumers trust companies more when they use simple language. 5️⃣ CONVERSION: 💸📊 Simplifying language isn't just a feel-good strategy; it's a conversion powerhouse. Videos with clear messaging have a 40% higher conversion rate. Turn viewers into customers by ensuring your message is not just heard but understood. So, there you have it – the data-backed proof that simplifying your language for video marketing isn't just a trend; it's a strategic move for success! 🏆🌟 Ready to elevate your video strategy? Let's chat about turning your complex ideas into captivating content! #VideoMarketing #DataDrivenInsights #SimplifyToAmplify #MessagingMagic

This is the last day of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Here's your last small action to make lasting change. How many times have you found yourself re-reading a sentence or a paragraph? Does feeling tired, stressed, or fried after a busy day affect your ability to understand something? Imagine the content being written for industry pundits filled with jargon and big words. Now, that will be a tough one to absorb when your cognitive functions aren't at their best. All content needs to be written in plain language. All. Of. It. A lot of research supports this. A 1995 study on "Answering the Critics of Plain Language" by Joseph Kimble showed more understood plain language than they did the original contract. In every scenario, it took participants less time to answer questions correctly in the plain language version compared to the original. I've seen resource after resource showing the advantage of plain language. Lest you think educated people prefer fancy language, check out this quote from a GOV UK article: "First, when given a choice, 80% of people preferred sentences written in clear English and the more complex the issue, the greater that preference. "But second, it found that the more educated the person, the more specialized their knowledge, the greater their preference for plain English. The old argument (or 'excuse for lazy writing') that 'these readers will understand this language' may be true, but it doesn’t mean they want to read it. Do you?" Many factors affect our cognitive functions. Humans experience cognitive impairment every day. Even when we're at our best, do we want to expend much energy in reading digital content? We all have a lot of work and reading to do. Don't make it harder for us to understand your content. Write in plain language. It'll make your content more accessible. Your readers will thank you. 🔔 Tap the silent profile bell for more treats, no tricks! 🎃👻🍬🍫 👉 Follow #MerylMots to find all my content ❤️ Like this? Repost and add your thoughts in the comments #Communication #Accessibility #NDEAM Image: Selfie of me wearing Snoopy pumpkin earrings and shirt "This is my scary book reader costume" with a mummy holding a book

Ever glazed over during a meeting filled with marketing acronyms and technical terms that are difficult to understand – maybe feels like noise Here's the thing: impactful marketing connects, and that means speaking a language everyone understands Need to stop the jargon juggling: Imagine saying that a campaign "garnered a million impressions," got "200,000 visits,"  “100,000 engagements”,  boasted a "12% click-through rate”, and a “10% conversion rate” at a cost of $100,000 Confusing, right? Instead, try this: We targeted a million potential customers, converted 10,000 of them into paying customers, all for $10 each! That's a total investment of $100,000. It was 15% cheaper than our last campaign! See the difference? Same data, crystal-clear impact Here’s what you can use instead: 👉 𝑺𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒚: Ditch the fancy words that make you sound smart but leave everyone else lost 👉𝑭𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝑰𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒕: They care about results, not how many hoops you jumped through to get them. Showcase the "what" (new customers!), not the "how" (click-through rates) 👉𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒌 𝑩𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔: Marketing is the engine, but business is the car. People want to know how your marketing drives success, not the inner workings of the engine. Remember, clear communication is king By simplifying your message, you'll connect with your audience, tell a compelling story, and ultimately get the results you want

Have you ever witnessed a brilliant mind utter words so convoluted that they lose the very audience they're trying to inspire? It's a dance we've all seen: the powerful brain trying to convey a concept with intricacy, only to be met with blank stares. But what if I told you that the real power lies not in complexity, but in simplicity? Dive in and discover why when it comes to leadership and communication, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Conventional wisdom often glorifies complexity. Many believe that the more intricate our language, the more intelligent we appear. We decorate our speech with elaborate words, thinking it elevates our status. But when leading a team, the very essence of effective communication is clarity. A vision lost in translation is a vision unfulfilled. Complex ideas do not need complex language. In fact, using straightforward words can illuminate the essence of an idea, making it more digestible for a team. When concepts are easier to understand, they're easier to act upon. A team that understands its direction will be infinitely more productive than one lost in a maze of jargon. Furthermore, there's an old saying: "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Taking a multifaceted idea and breaking it down into its purest form is an art. It not only demonstrates a profound understanding of the topic but also showcases a leader's ability to connect with their team at every level. To influence, inspire, and instill belief, leaders should embrace simplicity. For in the realm of communication, it is simplicity that often carries the most profound impact. The next time you stand before your team, remember: Speak to inspire, not to impress. The power of simplicity will lead the way.

If we truly want to do more than preach to the choir, we must speak the language of the lay public. Unless you've had formal media training, you’re often left to figure this out on your own. So here are a few guiding principles: 1️⃣ Less is More When we write papers, we love every detail. But when communicating to the public, keep it short and sweet—just the essentials and a clear call to action 2️⃣ Avoid Defensive Writing We live in an age of “caveat overload.” Scientists often hedge every statement to preempt criticism. That doesn’t work in public communication. 3️⃣ Use Simple Language Aim for a 6th-grade reading level. Big words aren’t badges of intelligence—they’re barriers to understanding. 4️⃣ Make Statistics Human-Friendly Avoid percentages when you can express them more intuitively: ✅ Say: “8 in 10 people…” ❌ Don’t say: “80% prevalence” Also, instead of saying ❌ “The odds of XYZ were 1.80 times higher among group A than B in the cross-sectional study,” simplify as: ✅"Group A was 80% more likely to report XYZ than Group B based on survey data." Clarity sometimes requires sacrificing a little scientific precision. That’s okay—impact trumps jargon. 5️⃣ Visuals Work—Just Keep Them Simple Stick to: 👉Pie charts 👉Bar graphs 👉Trend lines 👉Or use illustrations—e.g., highlight 8 out of 10 stick figures. 6️⃣Stick to your Single Overriding Communication Objective (SOCO). Especially with journalists, don’t stray into speculation or personal opinion. If you're representing an agency, remember: 👉 “CDC shocked by results!” could become a headline even if you didn’t say it directly. Always circle back to your SOCO. 7️⃣ Don’t List Personal Contact Info In press releases, always refer inquiries to your organization’s press office. Let them manage engagement—even if you move on, responses will still be handled. 8️⃣ Simplify Without Sounding Unprofessional Using accessible language doesn’t mean becoming casual or sloppy. Don’t say: “Half the kids were smokers” Instead: “One in two adolescents reported smoking in the past 30 days.” Professional tone matters—even when simplifying. 9️⃣ Use a Hook Your title should draw people in. In scientific journals, we avoid declarative titles. But in media communications, you want your title to pop: 🟢 “Youth Smoking Reaches Decade-High” 🟢 “Progress in Tobacco Control Stalls in 2024” 🔟 Emphasize Results Over Methods Scientific audiences love methods. But for public-facing content, highlight the results first. Keep key methodology minimal: 🧑🧑🧒 Who was studied? 🌎 Where? 📅 When? Leave the regression models, weighting techniques, and confidence intervals. You can always link to the full article. 🎯Final Word Effective science communication is a skill. Done well, it builds trust, bridges knowledge gaps, and brings the public closer to science. Let’s do the work to make our message clear—and make our work matter. #PlainLanguage #PrecisionVsClarityTradeOff #PublicHealth #HealthLiteracy #MediaTraining

We have all experienced the unpleasant sensation of being the target of an avalanche of technical jargon - whether in a presentation at an AI conference or maybe in a medical setting - where the skilled practitioner rattles off dense information that may well be impressive and accurate but totally fails the "effective communication" challenge. This technical shorthand is effective AND efficient among peers of similar skill in each profession, whether they are neurosurgeons, welders, educators, or data scientists. Naturally, as soon as there is a linguistic and expertise disconnect, the same exact utterance can become a source of frustration and discomfort to the listener and a barrier to communication and desired outcomes Because it is so easy to apply familiar, jargon-laden language across the board out of habit, I recommend consciously applying an extra dash of "Cognitive Courtesy" to all communication, but especially in the field of AI where we also contend with audiences who have vastly different levels of understanding, the technology's disruptive potential can cause discomfort and anxiety, and the pace and scope of adoption is baffling to even skilled practitioners The key concepts of Cognitive Courtesy focus on emphasizing communication effectiveness over efficiency, creating "elegantly simple" communication that avoids "talking down" to listeners, and pro-actively designing messaging for many different audiences. More details in the attached presentation - thoughts, feedback and comments welcome as always! #CognitiveCourtesy #AI #LLM #GPT #AIcommunication #EnterpriseAI #ML #Communication #effectivecommunication

Communicating Clearly: Cutting Through the Jargon Monoxide. Leaders constantly convey ideas, strategies, and goals to our teams and stakeholders. However, in today's corporate world, we have often fallen victim to using jargon and acronyms as a shortcut for communication. This "jargon monoxide" has become so prevalent that it hinders our ability to communicate effectively and connect with those around us. Think of jargon as the carbon monoxide of communication—invisible but deadly. Just like carbon monoxide can cause harm without being seen, jargon can create barriers and misunderstandings in our communication without us even realizing it. It may seem like fancy terms and buzzwords make us sound intelligent, but they only create confusion and alienate those unfamiliar with the jargon. As leaders, we must strive to speak directly, plainly, and jargon-free. This means using simple language that is easily understood by everyone and avoiding acronyms and industry-specific terminology that may not be familiar to all. By doing so, we can effectively convey our message and ensure everyone is on the same page. But why do we use jargon in the first place? Some may argue that it makes us sound more professional or knowledgeable. However, the real reason behind this usage is often to save time and effort. We use jargon as a shortcut, assuming that everyone understands it. But the truth is, not everyone does, leading to miscommunication and inefficiency. Moreover, jargon can also create a sense of elitism within an organization. Employees unfamiliar with the jargon may feel excluded or inferior, leading to a toxic work culture. As leaders, we are responsible for fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment, and using jargon goes against that. So, how can we break the habit of using jargon monoxide? First, we must be aware of our language and its impact on others. We should actively use simple and clear language in all our communications. Second, we should encourage our team members to speak up if they do not understand any jargon or acronyms being used. This promotes open communication and breaks down any barriers created by jargon. As the saying goes, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough." Let's lead by example and cut through the jargon monoxide for a more connected and productive workplace. #ATestForOurTime #CrisisLeadership #NextNormal #ClearCommunication #NoJargonMonoxide Read more about my Monday Motivational Messages in my book: https://lnkd.in/erME_cyK