Lisa Riemers is a communications strategist and accessibility advocate who helps organisations tell powerful, inclusive stories that connect and inspire.
Matisse Hamel-Nelis is an award-winning Métis communications and digital accessibility consultant based in Toronto. Together, they are the co-authors of the new book, Accessible Communications.
Have you ever felt intentionally or accidentally excluded from a conversation?
If you work with people who are new to your team or industry or you’re a recent hire yourself, misunderstandings are common, and it can be easy to feel left out.
That’s not to say there isn’t a learning curve for everyone when they start somewhere new. But confusion isn’t only for newcomers; sometimes even the most experienced professionals end up in awkward situations – or make costly mistakes – when there’s an assumed level of knowledge, or a shared understanding that isn’t really shared after all.
High-performing teams often use specific terminology, have in-jokes, and use shortcuts to help save time throughout the day. Research from Deloitte shows that inclusive teams outperform their peers by 80% in team-based assessments. If your team works remotely, in different time zones and across continents, it’s even more important to make sure those shortcuts aren’t unintentionally causing barriers to colleagues. Idioms and metaphors don’t travel or translate well in every language. 1 in 10 folks are estimated to be dyslexic, and the tech industry is also, as Leanne Maskell says, brimming with neurodiversity. Using plain language can help reduce ambiguity and give teams a clearer, shared understanding of what it is that needs to be done – and feel more connected while they’re doing it.
What is plain language?
Like with good product design, it’s about knowing your users! Plain language uses the words your audience understands the first time they read or hear it. It’s about using clear structure, a logical layout, and avoiding complexity to help people navigate the information. This helps reduce confusion and misunderstandings, reduces the cognitive load of the reader, and helps everyone get on with their jobs more quickly.
Plain language is not about oversimplification or patronising your audience. NNGroup research shows that experts prefer plain language as it helps cut through the noise and get things done. Knowing about a topic isn’t the same as being able to articulate it clearly. Clarity is not necessarily simple; writing and speaking clearly is a skill we can all practice that isn’t always faster to start with, but it can save a lot of time in the long term. There are times where specialized language is vital so don’t be afraid to use those terms – but make sure they’re explained somewhere that’s easy to access.
When terms don’t travel
Working in tech can present unique cross-cultural challenges and misunderstandings. From tone getting lost in writing, to different styles of verbal communication, it can be a challenge to find the right balance.
Lisa: One time I was working from the U.K. with a U.S.-based development team. In an email, we’d said something was a “bit of a shame” that we weren’t able to do something, which in U.K. English generally means something mildly disappointing. It was escalated to the departmental head as it was interpreted as us publicly shaming the team and caused a lot of upset for everyone involved. Trying to say what you mean can be tricky, but there are tools you can use to help review your choice of phrasing.
Shortcuts can be ‘othering’
Jargon, acronyms and even the way we use emoji are often used as a shortcut and can make you feel like you “belong” – we’ve both been part of teams and in groups where emoticons have their own meanings. For new people it can feel overwhelming and ‘othering’. We make sure we maintain a glossary to help remind us and explain to new people what they mean.
Matisse: If you have colleagues who are using screen readers, the overuse of emoji within content can get in the way of the core message as they’re all read out individually. Plus, different icons have may have different interpretations depending on your age or background, too.
Shared terms aren’t always shared
In the tech and digital space, sometimes the same words have different meanings. There may be internal terms that are almost but not exactly the same as in your previous organisation or industry. Sometimes people use similar terms, but if their backgrounds are different, it can cause misunderstandings.
Lisa: One time I was working with a head of technology to recruit a service owner for a set of digital products; he was using the definition from the ITIL Service Management framework, whereas I was using the U.K. government’s DDaT Capability Framework. It was only at the last minute that we realised we were not talking about the same thing. We were able to sort it out in the end, but it would’ve saved us a lot of time up front if we’d clarified our sources in the first place.
Tips on using plain language
- Know your audience and clarify your sources! Don’t be afraid to ask questions or check the definitions you’re using.
- Use shorter sentences (aim for 25 words or less) so they’re easier for everyone to read – particularly those with cognitive differences.
- Lay your information out clearly. Break up your information with meaningful headings and use bullets to make blocks of text easier to read.
- Use writing tools to help! Large language models (LLMs) can review or rewrite your information, web-based tools like Hemingway can check your readability and even Word has a built-in editor.
- Avoid ambiguous phrasing, idioms and metaphors. They don’t always mean the same thing to people – and can be vague or confusing – particularly for neurodiverse colleagues and those who are multi-lingual
- Have some shared references. Have a glossary of terms and make sure acronyms are spelled out the first time they’re used. Encourage everyone on the team to maintain it and make sure new people get to see it when they join.
- Remember it’s progress over perfection. There will always be misunderstandings that present themselves, and that’s OK. If you get it wrong, acknowledge and learn from it.
