Seven Rules for Producing Effective Written Materials
Peggy Denker
Families USA
1. Be an advocate for readers
One of the most important jobs of an editor is to be an advocate for the reader. The editor should make sure the reader doesn’t drown in unnecessary detail or get lost in a narrative that wanders away from the main point. The advice, “Keep it simple” does not mean the material has to be simple-minded, but it must be clear and straightforward, with little jargon and no uncommon acronyms. To reach this goal, you may have to argue with the author: Sometimes writers can be like new parents, oblivious that their audience wants to know the baby is healthy but isn’t really asking for a detailed report on every new hair. If you are both the writer and the editor, you’ll have to work at this: You may find the writer in you is more insistent than the editor.
2. Think first
As early as possible, spend some time thinking about your task. Who’s your audience? What do they really need to know about this subject? Try to break the information down into a simple, logical progression: What’s the first thing the reader needs to know? (“There’s a new drug program starting next week.”) The second? (“You may be eligible for this program.”) The third? (“Here’s what you should do to apply/find out more/whatever.”) It’s tempting to jump right in and start writing, especially if you have a lot of information to share. But time spent clarifying the task—before you begin to work on it—is time well spent.
3. Pare down to essentials
Follow the advice on packing for a trip: Lay out the very minimum you think you need, then cut that by half. Write up your draft as simply as you can, then see if you can’t pare away more. Remember that everyone is busy and swamped with things to do, so push yourself to limit the amount of information you provide in one document. This is especially important when you’re dealing with a complex, daunting topic. Ask yourself if the reader really needs to know how to appeal adverse decisions at the same time he or she is learning how the program works. Perhaps the material should be separated into one piece explaining the new program and another troubleshooting problems readers may encounter.
4. Be conversational
Avoid jargon and acronyms (except really well-known acronyms, like CIA or HMO). Unless it’s completely inappropriate, use contractions (“don’t,” “you’re”) and address the reader directly (“What drugs do you take?”). You probably won’t have to struggle over the tone if you’re writing the latest celebrity gossip, but complex policy issues can be off-putting—and even soporific. Try to give your readers a break. If you can, inject a little humor (but don’t overdo it) and use real-life examples to illustrate your points. One device that may help you break the information down is to imagine yourself, sitting at the kitchen table, explaining the topic to a friend or a relative—someone who’s smart, but hasn’t had the time or opportunity to learn about it. Better yet, find a friend who owes you a favor and ask him or her to hear you out.
5. Pay attention to layout and design
How written materials look can make a big difference. Is your piece attractive and inviting? In part, the design will depend on the purpose of the piece and the intended audience: If you’re trying to catch people’s attention, to stand out, you may want a dramatic design. On the other hand, if you’re trying to offer reassuring information to a bewildered, possibly flustered audience, you should probably opt for a very simple, straightforward design. Whatever you do, don’t let the design become more important than the content. Use lots of simple headings in boldface type. Use color and graphics sparingly. Keep the layout simple and clean, with plenty of white space. In general, serif typefaces (e.g., Times New Roman, which has little strokes at the top or bottom of letters) are preferred for body copy and sans serif typefaces (e.g., Swiss or Helvetica) are used for headings.
6. Translate cautiously
While those of us who value diversity favor translating our materials into Spanish and other languages, this is an area where non-native speakers should tread carefully. There are many ways your good intentions can go awry when dealing with translations. You can get tangled up by practical obstacles (e.g., translated text can be significantly longer than the English text, meaning more pages and higher printing costs; overseeing corrections and changes in a language you don’t speak is obviously something of a challenge; many English terms simply have no equivalents in other languages and word-for-word translations can be hilariously wrong) or cultural differences (e.g., Spanish translations may need to be adapted to suit the target audience since “Cuban Spanish” is different than “Colombian Spanish.”). If you are a non-native speaker managing the translation of material, you should definitely find a native speaker of that language—someone who understands the nuances of the topic—to help you communicate with the translator as well to assist with quality control.
7. Test, test, test
The last step—and one of the most important—is to test the document on as many people as you can. Corner your colleagues and pigeonhole your friends: Ask them to read it over and tell you what they learned from it. It is truly amazing how many people can misunderstand something you think is perfectly clear. If possible, enlist testers who resemble your target audience: People under the age of 25 may not get your reference to carbon paper, and many grandparents won’t understand your iPod example.
February 2006
