Avoiding Jargon in Policy Writing

No one is waking up at 7am, sipping coffee, thinking, “Wow, I really hope someone explains holistic wealth architecture today.” People want clarity. They want content that feels like a conversation, not a lecture. They want to understand what you’re saying the first time they read it. Write like you're talking to a real person. Not trying to win a Pulitzer. - Use short sentences. - Cut the jargon. - Sound like someone they’d trust with their money, not someone who spends weekends writing whitepapers for fun. Confused clients don’t ask for clarification. They move on. Here’s how to make your content clearer: 1. Ask yourself: Would my mom understand this? If the answer is “probably not,” simplify it until she would. No shade to your mom, she’s just a great clarity filter. 2. Use the “friend test.” Read it out loud. If it sounds weird or overly stiff, imagine explaining it to a friend at lunch. Rewrite it like that. 3. Replace jargon with real words. Say “retirement income you won’t outlive” instead of “longevity risk mitigation strategy.” Your clients are not Googling your vocabulary. 4. Stick to one idea per sentence. If your sentence is doing cartwheels and dragging a comma parade behind it, break it up. 5. Format like you actually want them to read it. Use line breaks. Add white space. Make it skimmable. No one wants to read a block of text the size of a mortgage document. Writing clearly isn’t dumbing it down. It’s respecting your audience enough to make content easy to understand. What’s the worst jargon-filled phrase you’ve seen in the wild? Let’s roast it.

One of the biggest problems I find when helping companies such as Meta, Apple, and Intel with their written comms is excessive jargon use. The dictionary says that jargon is “special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.” Kind of like wearing a three-piece tuxedo to a backyard barbecue. The wearer thinks they’re dapper and dandy. Everyone else thinks it’s desperate and overkill. Let’s unpack the four biggest problems with jargon: 1. Jargon Self-Defeats If your goal is to move your reader from "I need to understand this" to "I understand this," jargon is like throwing hurdles in their way. It defeats the very purpose of writing, which is to convey ideas clearly. 2. Jargon Annoys & Reduces Engagement Jargon makes users feel excluded and irritated. This not only stops them from reading but also discourages sharing or discussing the content, leading to missed business and innovation opportunities. 3. Jargon Kills Productivity When people don’t understand what they’re reading in a business setting, they either give up, spend too much time trying to figure it out, or disrupt someone else to ask for help. 4. Jargon Lowest Trust In 2016, the SEC fined Merril Lynch $10 million for misleading investors in their writing. Excessive jargon use can come off as "We're hiding something, or we would put it in plain language." Now that we’ve established why jargon is so problematic, let’s look at 8 ways to avoid it: 1. Tailor your language to the audience's expertise. 2. Use simple, common words when possible. 3. Define specialized terms clearly. 4. Have an outsider review your writing. 5. Use analogies and examples to bring complex ideas to life. 6. Spell out acronyms on first use. 7. Provide concrete details instead of vague jargon. 8. Edit ruthlessly, focusing on clear communication over impressive language. Conclusion: Don’t be the person wearing a fancy three-piece suit at a backyard barbecue. P.S. Ok, let’s have some fun. Craft your most ridiculous jargon-filled sentence and drop it in the comments section. I’ll go first: “In our quest to synergistically leverage cutting-edge lexical optimization protocols, we must hyper-contextualize our mission-critical verbosity reduction initiatives, thereby quantum-leaping our linguistic ROI while simultaneously future-proofing our omni-channel communication matrix against disruptive jargon-centric paradigms in the ever-evolving logosphere of next-gen ideation exchanges.” 😂😂😂

Jargon Detox: Key Takeaways for Medical Communicators Jargon: the silent killer of clear medical communication. We've all been there, right? Lost in our own medical jargon, sometimes without even realizing it. However, clear communication is crucial, especially in healthcare. So, let's talk Jargon Detox! As medical writers, editors, and reviewers, we know that it is key to catching errors before our clients or audience does. Here are a few common jargon traps and how to avoid them: 📋 Jargon Overload: Keep it simple! If a word isn't essential, cut it. 📝 Audience Blindness: One size doesn't fit all. Physicians? Focus on the data. Patients? Speak plainly. 🗒️ Readability Roadblocks: The "read-aloud test" is your friend. Stumble over a sentence? Rewrite it. Jargon Detox Examples: ❌ “Polypharmacy is prevalent among geriatric populations.” ✅ “Older adults often take multiple medications.” ❌ “The intervention demonstrated a statistically significant improvement.” ✅ “The treatment worked better than the placebo.” ❌ "Gastrointestinal distress may be an adverse effect of this medication." ✅ "This medicine might upset your stomach." ❌ "The patient exhibited symptoms of pyrexia and diaphoresis." ✅ "The patient had a fever and was sweating a lot." Jargon Detox Strategies: ✔️ Simplify: Shorter words, shorter sentences. Think plain language. ✔️  Define (Sparingly): If you must use a technical term, define it clearly and concisely. ✔️  Structure for Success: Short paragraphs, bullet points, and clear headings make complex information digestible. ✔️  Readability Tools: Using the Hemmingway app or similar tools can help identify jargon and suggest simpler alternatives. ✔️  Know Your Audience: Are you writing for physicians or patients? It makes a difference. The Golden Rule💡: If your audience needs to Google a word, you've already lost them. What are your favorite "jargon-to-plain-language" transformations? Please share them in the comments! #PlainLanguage #MedComms #MedicalWritingTips #KJCmediahealth #MedicalWriter #ScienceWriting