You encounter it every day: small print in a contract or bill, ‘legalese’ from a law firm, medical jargon from your doctor, … The list goes on and on! All too often, texts – whether written or spoken – are difficult to understand, even if you have above-average language skills.

Of course, we are all guilty of sometimes using the specialised language of our own ‘universe’, which can be unclear to outsiders. But this isn’t only unnecessary, it can even be dangerous. Just think about the patient who barely understands his doctor’s instructions and ends up taking medication incorrectly.

Hippocrates speaks

2400 years ago, Greek physician Hippocrates had already concluded, “The most important virtue that language can have is clarity. And nothing harms it so much as the use of unknown words. ”

Does this mean that, like a certain American politician, we have to use the language of the average nine-year-old? Short sentences, one-syllable words, plenty of repetition? Not really: in our professional communication, we certainly don’t have to push it that far. But what should we do?

Use clear and neutral language

It is not that difficult to write clearly. The rules we learned in school still apply; for example:

• Make your text inviting, and structure it using paragraphs and headings.
• Keep paragraphs short, and no more than one topic for each.
• Separate main issues from secondary issues.
• Speak directly to the reader. Use ‘you’ and ‘I’ or ‘we’.
• Use concrete terms. A word is concrete when it evokes an image that is shared by most people. So, say ‘car’ instead of ‘transport’.
• Minimise jargon and difficult words. If there is no alternative, explain in simple language what the term means.
• Avoid passive voice.
• Avoid very long sentences, and switch between short and longer sentences.
• Avoid formal and old-fashioned words (‘theretofore’, ‘aeroport’, ‘endeavour’, ‘moreover’, etc.) and more complex expressions (e.g. say ‘with’ instead of ‘using’).
• Finally, use graphic material to visually support your message.

Write spoken-style language

You may believe that by using a very formal style of writing, you will be taken seriously. But make sure you don’t lose your audience’s attention! Our brains focus more on spoken language than written language – including on-line. When you visit a website that uses spoken-style language, you get the impression that someone is conversing with you. And you feel you should be able to add something to the conversation from time to time. So the spoken-style language keeps you attentive.

And don’t worry about your reputation. Using spoken-style language automatically creates a natural, easy-to-read text. That makes your reader’s – i.e. your customer’s – life easier, and helps them to quickly and smoothly perform tasks, for example on your website.

They say doctors make the worst patients… that may or may not be true, but certainly for us, as communications professionals, creating our new website presented many challenges! We approached it by acting as if we were our own clients. We asked ourselves all the questions we pose when putting together a client’s project – about mission, message, performance, goals.

One thing we knew we couldn’t miss was testimonials. Nothing replaces the feedback of a satisfied customer. Testimonials are key to establishing trust and confidence in potential clients, but they also help a team to understand, from the client’s perspective, where their strong points are.

Testimonials are something of a specialty for us. We put together project stories from around the world, turning the experiences of satisfied customers into a value-added communication tool that highlights our own clients’ products, services, project management skills, and much more.

Are they old school? Yes and no: they have been used for a long time exactly because they are so powerful.

What do you need to consider when creating a customer story or testimonial? Here are a few things we tell our clients:

1. Let the customer tell their story, but have a preferred direction in advance: the testimonial needs to fit within your own communication strategy.
2. The customer is putting their own reputation on the line when giving you a testimonial: they are making you look good, but you need to make them look good, as well.
3. Avoid ‘generic’ stories: even if you have several projects that ‘look alike’, focus on a different aspect of your product or service in each, and be specific. If you are proud of your ability to customize your product or service, include an example.
4. When possible, talk to the customer rather than asking for something in writing from them. Ask them questions that give more depth to their answers. Follow the interesting aspects of the story. And remember that every contact with your customer is part of building your relationship with them.
5. Readers are people, too! Make sure your text is dynamic, your visuals are attractive, and your story is engaging.

You can find out more about testimonials and other services we offer on our Services page. If you would like to discuss how we can put our experience creating gripping customer cases and stories to work for you, contact us.