Interlude: Simplicity, Plain Language, and Health Communications
Later this month, I'm giving a couple of talks on the power of using plain language when writing for experts. Yes, experts.
Many people only associate plain language with writing for a lay audience, or the general public. But plain language is a powerful way to communicate information to any audience.
Plain language is clear, concise, easier to understand, and faster to read. And all these things make the reader's job easy—the number one principle in scientific writing.
Because plain language has been on my mind, I thought I'd put together another themed issue on the topic for you.
Let's get to it!
💌 Round-up
📆 Upcoming
The Power of Plain Language and Improving the Readability of Your Writing – September 21, 2023
I'm thrilled that Edge for Scholars at Vanderbilt University Medical Center invited me to talk about my favorite topic: the power of using plain language to enlighten expert readers. After the seminar, I get to facilitate a workshop on how to improve the readability of your writing.
👓 Reading
Questions Surround “Paused” NIH Health Communication Research Program
“The NIH’s explanation for why it halted the health communication program seems to raise more questions than it answers: ‘NIH has decided to pause moving forward with the development of the program to reconsider its scope and aims in the context of the current regulatory and legal landscape around communication platforms,’”
Comparing lay summaries to scientific abstracts for readability and jargon use: a case report
"It was found that (1) the average reading grade level of lay summaries was significantly higher than that of scientific abstracts, and (2) a higher proportion of technical terms were used than the recommended threshold in both lay summaries and scientific abstracts."
Want to learn how to craft effective lay summaries at the right reading grade level? Check out my Lay Summary Fundamentals course.
🖥️ Watching
Demand to Understand: How Plain Language Makes Life Simpler
Deborah Bosley has dedicated her life to making information clear and simple. In this TEDx talk, she shares how "people have the right to understand information that affects their lives," and we need to "demand to understand" and "lead with simplicity."
💬 Quote
“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” – Hans Hofmann
📝 Challenge
Open the latest lay summary that you wrote and check the reading grade level with the Editor function in Word or an online tool, such as Storytoolz or the Hemingway App. Does your lay summary meet the 8th-grade reading level recommended by the CDC, AMA, and NIH?
Thank you so much for reading.
Warmly,
Crystal
