Speak to me plainly, please
December 1, 2011
On Monday I conducted a webinar on plain language. Any time I talk about plain language to people unfamiliar with it, I tell them why plain language is not about dumbing information down.
Most people think it is.
Think about it this way: A highly trained physician has a computer issue. He calls the computer doctor to explain what’s going on and the computer doc replies in geek speak. This is exactly what the medical doc’s patients encounter when they try to understand what’s going on with their health issue.
The physician needs and wants to understand his computer issue, but since he doesn’t know geek speak, he needs the information explained to him in plain language void of jargon. Not dumbed down, just explained in clear and concise language so he can understand what it is he needs to know to use his computer.
Granted, most of us whether we’re physicians or not will turn the problem over to the computer doc and go do something else. Just fix it, please.
But we can’t do that with our health. We need to know what we need to know to get healthy and stay healthy. Understanding the underlying issues can make a big difference in how we live our lives and how long we live.
Understanding the underlying computer issues can help us forecast our computer’s lifespan and budget for it’s replacement.
Either way, plain language matters to all of us.
