A Call for Clarity

When I was editor of the business section for a daily newspaper, one of our regular beats included writing about the state Public Service Commission, which was responsible for regulating utilities.

I covered that beat for a while when I was a reporter, and it was complicated work. It took me months of attending meetings and asking questions to learn the technical terms the commission used and to understand the issues they were addressing.

Just as I was starting to feel like I had it figured out, I left the beat, and another reporter took over.

That may seem like a strange time to make a change, but it was absolutely the right thing to do. Why? Because that jargon I finally understood was starting to find its way into my stories. Having become somewhat knowledgeable about the commission’s work, I was no longer as likely to ask questions that would allow me to explain issues in a way the average reader could understand.

My stories were still correct, but they weren’t as clear. 

We often fall into this same trap when communicating within our businesses or organizations. We forget that even when we understand what we’re writing or saying, those who are receiving our message might not. If our communication isn’t clear, confusion and frustration are sure to follow.

Here are a few ideas to help you ensure clarity in your internal communications.

• Know your audience. Before you start writing an email or speaking in a meeting, think about your target audience. Is it a homogenous group with a shared understanding of technical terms? Or is it more diverse, including colleagues with varied backgrounds who fill many different roles within the organization? Keep the answers to these questions in mind as you communicate.
• Keep it short. People are busy, and their attention spans are getting shorter all the time. Get to the point of your message quickly. If possible, share the most important information first, then add background for people who are willing to read further.
• Eliminate jargon and acronyms. You may know all about OKRs, KPIs, and LTV, but not everyone in your audience has the same experience, background, and education as you. Avoid using potentially confusing terms whenever you can, and if you must use them, define them. Creating an easily accessible glossary of jargon and acronyms used by your company is also a good idea, but it’s better if people don’t need to have that readily at hand to understand what you’re saying or writing.
• Be transparent. I’ll delve more deeply into this subject in another post, but I believe it’s wise to share as much as you can when communicating with your team, especially when dealing with sensitive topics. If you’re trying to hide something, it will show in your communication. Writing around an issue tends to result in messages that are long and confusing, which will frustrate your reader. Besides, if you’re sharing as much as you can, it lets you control the message. Better that than letting the company grapevine distribute the news.
• Invite questions. Ask your audience to let you know if something you’ve said or written isn’t clear. If you receive a good question, follow up with an answer for your entire audience. If one person was confused enough to ask a question, it usually means others had the same thought, even if they didn’t ask.

When you’re communicating clearly, everyone benefits. You can be confident that you’ve provided the right message to your target audience, and they will understand how that information relates to their roles and tasks.

What tools or tips would you add to this list? Let’s talk about it in the comments.