How To Handle Technical Jargon In Manuals

No one is waking up at 7am, sipping coffee, thinking, “Wow, I really hope someone explains holistic wealth architecture today.” People want clarity. They want content that feels like a conversation, not a lecture. They want to understand what you’re saying the first time they read it. Write like you're talking to a real person. Not trying to win a Pulitzer. - Use short sentences. - Cut the jargon. - Sound like someone they’d trust with their money, not someone who spends weekends writing whitepapers for fun. Confused clients don’t ask for clarification. They move on. Here’s how to make your content clearer: 1. Ask yourself: Would my mom understand this? If the answer is “probably not,” simplify it until she would. No shade to your mom, she’s just a great clarity filter. 2. Use the “friend test.” Read it out loud. If it sounds weird or overly stiff, imagine explaining it to a friend at lunch. Rewrite it like that. 3. Replace jargon with real words. Say “retirement income you won’t outlive” instead of “longevity risk mitigation strategy.” Your clients are not Googling your vocabulary. 4. Stick to one idea per sentence. If your sentence is doing cartwheels and dragging a comma parade behind it, break it up. 5. Format like you actually want them to read it. Use line breaks. Add white space. Make it skimmable. No one wants to read a block of text the size of a mortgage document. Writing clearly isn’t dumbing it down. It’s respecting your audience enough to make content easy to understand. What’s the worst jargon-filled phrase you’ve seen in the wild? Let’s roast it.

Jargon Detox: Key Takeaways for Medical Communicators Jargon: the silent killer of clear medical communication. We've all been there, right? Lost in our own medical jargon, sometimes without even realizing it. However, clear communication is crucial, especially in healthcare. So, let's talk Jargon Detox! As medical writers, editors, and reviewers, we know that it is key to catching errors before our clients or audience does. Here are a few common jargon traps and how to avoid them: 📋 Jargon Overload: Keep it simple! If a word isn't essential, cut it. 📝 Audience Blindness: One size doesn't fit all. Physicians? Focus on the data. Patients? Speak plainly. 🗒️ Readability Roadblocks: The "read-aloud test" is your friend. Stumble over a sentence? Rewrite it. Jargon Detox Examples: ❌ “Polypharmacy is prevalent among geriatric populations.” ✅ “Older adults often take multiple medications.” ❌ “The intervention demonstrated a statistically significant improvement.” ✅ “The treatment worked better than the placebo.” ❌ "Gastrointestinal distress may be an adverse effect of this medication." ✅ "This medicine might upset your stomach." ❌ "The patient exhibited symptoms of pyrexia and diaphoresis." ✅ "The patient had a fever and was sweating a lot." Jargon Detox Strategies: ✔️ Simplify: Shorter words, shorter sentences. Think plain language. ✔️  Define (Sparingly): If you must use a technical term, define it clearly and concisely. ✔️  Structure for Success: Short paragraphs, bullet points, and clear headings make complex information digestible. ✔️  Readability Tools: Using the Hemmingway app or similar tools can help identify jargon and suggest simpler alternatives. ✔️  Know Your Audience: Are you writing for physicians or patients? It makes a difference. The Golden Rule💡: If your audience needs to Google a word, you've already lost them. What are your favorite "jargon-to-plain-language" transformations? Please share them in the comments! #PlainLanguage #MedComms #MedicalWritingTips #KJCmediahealth #MedicalWriter #ScienceWriting

I’ve struggled with bridging the gap between technical concepts and non-technical stakeholders, but this approach unlocked clarity and action: (And it’s not just about dumbing things down.) → Simplification with Purpose. Here’s how to apply this to communicating technical ideas effectively: 1️⃣ Use Analogies They Understand Technical concepts often feel abstract. Analogies help bridge the gap. For example: "The cloud is like renting a storage unit. You don’t need to own the building or worry about maintaining it, but you can store your things there and access them whenever you need." 2️⃣ Avoid Jargon—Use Everyday Language Too much technical language alienates your audience. Simplify without oversimplifying. "Instead of saying 'We need to refactor the codebase to ensure scalability,' say: 'We’re making sure the software can handle more customers as we grow.'" 3️⃣ Focus on Why It Matters, Not How It Works Stakeholders care about the results, not the technical journey. "We’re implementing this new security feature to make sure your customer data stays protected, which ultimately builds trust and reduces risk." 4️⃣ Use Visuals to Break Things Down Visual aids make complexity easier to handle. A simple flowchart, for instance, can illustrate how a data pipeline works far better than words alone. 5️⃣ Relate it to Their Goals Connect technical efforts to business outcomes. "We’re upgrading the database infrastructure so you can access customer insights faster. This will help improve decision-making and speed up time-to-market for new features." This approach taught me more than any traditional technical communication strategy. Master these techniques, and you’ll become the go-to person who simplifies complexity and inspires action 🚀

Escape the tech-speak black hole... Most customers don’t talk like developers. Neither should your messaging. Many tech firms write like they’re talking to… ❌  A boardroom of PhDs ❌  A compliance officer reviewing legal fine print ❌  A machine, not a human Here’s how to fix it… 1️⃣  Replace ‘Smart’ Words with “Clear” Words If a 10-year-old wouldn’t understand it, rewrite it. ✅  Swap technical terms for plain language that means the same thing. Example: ❌  "AI-powered diagnostics for proactive disease identification." ✅  "This AI catches diseases before doctors do." 2️⃣  Talk Like You Would in Real Life If you wouldn’t say it in a conversation, don’t put it in your pitch. ✅  Read your messaging out loud. If it sounds robotic or awkward, rewrite it naturally. Example: ❌  "Our solution facilitates improved patient adherence." ✅  "We help people stick to their treatment plans." 3️⃣  Cut Excess Words Too many startups overwrite their messaging. ✅  Cut every extra word. If it works without it, delete it. Example: ❌  "A cloud-based, AI-driven, user-friendly, scalable solution for data analysis." ✅  "A simple AI tool that makes sense of your data." Action Step: Find one sentence in your website, pitch, or LinkedIn bio that sounds too technical. Rewrite it using these rules and post it in the comments. I’ll fix it for you. ***** Howdy, I'm Brian B. 🤠 I say "Howdy" even though I'm not from Texas. 🥂 And "Cheers" even though I'm not a Brit.  🕣 Follow for tips to be Clear, Memorable, and Market-Ready Cheers, #technology #communications 

One of the biggest problems I find when helping companies such as Meta, Apple, and Intel with their written comms is excessive jargon use. The dictionary says that jargon is “special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.” Kind of like wearing a three-piece tuxedo to a backyard barbecue. The wearer thinks they’re dapper and dandy. Everyone else thinks it’s desperate and overkill. Let’s unpack the four biggest problems with jargon: 1. Jargon Self-Defeats If your goal is to move your reader from "I need to understand this" to "I understand this," jargon is like throwing hurdles in their way. It defeats the very purpose of writing, which is to convey ideas clearly. 2. Jargon Annoys & Reduces Engagement Jargon makes users feel excluded and irritated. This not only stops them from reading but also discourages sharing or discussing the content, leading to missed business and innovation opportunities. 3. Jargon Kills Productivity When people don’t understand what they’re reading in a business setting, they either give up, spend too much time trying to figure it out, or disrupt someone else to ask for help. 4. Jargon Lowest Trust In 2016, the SEC fined Merril Lynch $10 million for misleading investors in their writing. Excessive jargon use can come off as "We're hiding something, or we would put it in plain language." Now that we’ve established why jargon is so problematic, let’s look at 8 ways to avoid it: 1. Tailor your language to the audience's expertise. 2. Use simple, common words when possible. 3. Define specialized terms clearly. 4. Have an outsider review your writing. 5. Use analogies and examples to bring complex ideas to life. 6. Spell out acronyms on first use. 7. Provide concrete details instead of vague jargon. 8. Edit ruthlessly, focusing on clear communication over impressive language. Conclusion: Don’t be the person wearing a fancy three-piece suit at a backyard barbecue. P.S. Ok, let’s have some fun. Craft your most ridiculous jargon-filled sentence and drop it in the comments section. I’ll go first: “In our quest to synergistically leverage cutting-edge lexical optimization protocols, we must hyper-contextualize our mission-critical verbosity reduction initiatives, thereby quantum-leaping our linguistic ROI while simultaneously future-proofing our omni-channel communication matrix against disruptive jargon-centric paradigms in the ever-evolving logosphere of next-gen ideation exchanges.” 😂😂😂

Tech jargon smothers great ideas. We see it every day at Motto® Brilliant innovations and products are hidden under complex language their customers can’t understand. Why? ⦿ We forget what it feels like to be a beginner. ⦿ Our internal lingo becomes a crutch, creating distance. ⦿ We mistakenly equate simplicity with lack of depth. But your tech isn't the only hero — what it does for the customer is. So, speak more human. Show how you make lives better. Instead of "Leveraging blockchain for decentralized finance solutions”... …say, "Helping people control their money without middlemen." See the difference? One confuses, and the other connects. Smart tech brands are catching on. Clear language doesn't diminish expertise — it *showcases* it. When people get you, they want you. To make this shift… → Use simple, relatable words → Focus on benefits, not features → Talk to your customers and listen to how they describe you → Test your message with non-tech people → Explain your tech like you're talking to a curious friend When you land this, something incredible happens: People see precisely how your tech fits their lives. You’re no longer just another tech company— You're a problem-solver people need. Clear language isn't dumbing down… …it's amplifying your impact.