When we talk about readability, peoples eyes tend to glaze over and think we are going to talk about “school meals operatives” and “vehicle access approval officers” instead of old fashioned “Dinner Ladies” and “traffic wardens”

Wikipedia says that

“Extensive research has shown that easy-reading text improves comprehension, retention,  reading speed, and reading persistence.”

Now this should ring bells for us managers and trainers – getting our message over quicker and with less resistance and scope for misunderstanding.

But how can we incorporate readability as an everyday habit.

Let’s face it – when most of us write, we just start writing. When we have finished, we give it a quick once over, maybe spell check it and send it to where it is going. Very few people will read and re read to check for clarity.

Lets look at a sample survey which you can find on almost any website or catalogue

“The following questionnaire is designed to provide us with information that will help us to improve the site and make it more relevant to your needs.  Please select your answers from the drop down menus and radio buttons below. The questionnaire should only take you 2-3 minutes to complete.”

At the bottom of this form, you can chose to leave your name, address and telephone number. If you leave your name, address and telephone number, you may be contacted in the future to participate in a survey to help us improve the site.

If you have any comments or concerns that require a response,please contact customer services.”

Here are some comments

The following questionnaire is designed to provide us with information that will help us to improve the site and make it more relevant to your needs.

This is just “clearing the throat” type of writing, it makes the writer feel important. Remember – you aren’t writing for you – you are writing for your reader…

“Please select your answers from the drop down menus and radio buttons below.”

Most people know how to fill in a form on a website. You are likely to scare them by using phrases like radio buttons. Most people don’t know what they are.

“The questionnaire should only take you 2-3 minutes to complete.”

I am not yet convinced of WHY I should actually fill this in yet. The word “should” generally means it might actually take much longer. (“Your car should be ready by 5pm” generally means “It won’t be..”)

At the bottom of this form, you can chose to leave your name, address and telephone number. If you leave your name, address and telephone number, you may be contacted in the future to participate in a survey to help us improve the site.

This looks scary and the reader is not sure if they are likely to be pestered again (“you may be contacted in the future”). The writer obviously hasn’t read the text back to themselves. Putting long phrases like your name, address and telephone number back to back makes it hard work to read.

If you have any comments or concerns that require a response,please contact customer services

But it doesn’t actually tell me how to do this…

In the next couple of days – we will re-write the text making it much easier to read.

Related course – Plain english