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by Francesca Tessarollo<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every day, copywriters, social media managers and anyone involved in communication and writing wake up knowing that they will have to find a way to communicate effectively, inclusively and clearly.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is no small task, especially when communication takes place in complex fields characterised by technical and sector-specific language<\/strong>, and often by a tendency to complicate language much more than necessary<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each of us has encountered, at least once, a text that was difficult to read. And we are not talking about a book by Proust, but instructions or concrete information to be used in everyday real life. Package inserts, contracts, public administration texts: raise your hand if you have never felt, at least once, completely helpless when faced with texts of dubious interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The richness of language is certainly a wonderful thing. It is undeniable that using certain words rather than others adds precision and nuances of meaning that make every communication deeper and more authentic (as well as beautiful). Be careful, though: in certain contexts, there is a tendency to use language that is not so much rich as unnecessarily complex<\/strong>, stemming more from a desire to project an \u201celevated\u201d image and<\/strong> show off one’s authority than from an expressive need<\/strong>, effectively creating a distance between the speaker and the listener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n And this is where the fear of simplifying comes in: as if using clear and accessible language meant trivialising<\/strong> what is being said. In reality, when simplifying means making the message more functional and easier to understand, what we are doing is positive, not demeaning. Because we must not forget that we write and speak, first and foremost, to communicate, and we can only do so when we are able to understand each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n When we fail to make ourselves understood, we generate not only misunderstandings, but also frustration, disaffection<\/strong> and, in general, a rift between us and our users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n While the problems of \u201cbureaucratese\u201d are well known to everyone and risk making us feel like the protagonist of Kafka’s The Trial every day, there are other areas where the difficulty in communicating clearly stems from the technical nature<\/strong> of the subject matter itself. We are referring, for example, to the medical, engineering and IT fields, and so on. In these cases, it is undeniable that, among professionals, the use of technical language is functional to communication<\/strong> because it allows for the level of precision needed among \u201cpeers\u201d. But if you have to communicate with people who are not experts in the field, persisting in the use of complex and jargon-filled language means creating a linguistic distance between the speaker (or writer) and the listener (or reader)<\/strong>. This is where experts in writing and communication should come into play, using their skills to build a bridge between technicians and less experienced people, thereby facilitating the exchange of messages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat we will cover in this article:<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\n<\/a><\/li>\nSimplifying is NOT trivialising<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Writing clearly: it can be done!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n