How to write clear English for your diverse audiences

We’re advised to tailor our writing to our audiences. But what if our intended audience is very diverse? What can we do to write as clearly as possible?

In today’s interconnected world, many of us write for audiences with a wide range of fluency and comfort with English. To make your text accessible to as wide an audience as possible, try using some of these plain language techniques. (Updated 28 May 2024¹)

Writing for an international audience

Without an audience, our writing is nothing. That’s why when we’re writing, we need to think about whom we’re communicating with and why, and to tailor our writing to that audience. When our readers feel that they are included in the conversation, they are more likely to read our words, understand what we’re saying, and trust us.

If you’re writing for a diverse audience (I’m especially thinking of audiences who are from all over the world), your readers will differ in their fluency with English. They will differ in the languages and cultures they know, the socioeconomic conditions they’ve experienced, and the identities they hold. Some may have disabilities; others may have temporary conditions like injuries and stress levels. All of these will affect how they engage with your writing.

When there is no shared culture, we need to be more explicit

To speak to such a linguistically and culturally diverse audience, clear, plain English is a powerful tool. When two people come from the same culture, they share common code that helps them understand what is not explicitly stated. But when people are from different backgrounds, they don’t have that common ground. And that’s why in that case we need to express things explicitly in words.

Tips for writing clear English for diverse audiences

So! Here are some things you can keep in mind. (These tips are a part of plain language, but plain language is more than about words and sentences.)

1. Be aware of your word choice

Plain language is about choosing the words your audience is familiar with. If your expected readers are all over the globe, it may mean carefully limiting the words and phrases that you use.

⯈ Avoid slang, figures of speech, cultural references

Slang, figures of speech, and cultural references make it harder for your international audiences to understand you. It can leave them confused and even feeling excluded.

In slang and figures of speech, the literal meanings of the words are different from the intended meaning—so it’s not clear to a wide audience.

Also be wary of cultural references. That means referring to TV shows and films, sports, fashion trends, celebrities, and music, as well as politics and even history and religion. Not everyone watches European football or American basketball or Netflix or is familiar with what Easter is about.

We often use slang and cultural references to signal that we’re members of the same group. But that also may exclude those who don’t understand the reference, making them feel like outsiders.

⯈ Avoid jargon & acronyms – if you must use them, EXPLAIN

In all professions and industries, we use jargon and acronyms. Jargon is useful when we’re talking about complex ideas with people who know what those terms mean. But we can get so accustomed to using certain words that we forget: not everyone is familiar with them.

Avoid unnecessary jargon and abbreviations. Be selective. Choose the words that your audience expects and that you need to get your message across. (Also remember that more people prefer plain language than you may expect. Research shows that even lawyers don’t like legalese. And PhDs in your field may not know all the specialized terms you use.)

For the technical words that you choose to use, explain them the first time you mention them. And please, don’t invent new acronyms. (I was reading a journal article and got frustrated because the authors made up the acronym ??? and I kept forgetting what it was!)

When defining those words for the first time, especially for a non-specialist (lay) audience, consider using plain words. Formal definitions can be very technical, filled with more jargon. It may be helpful to offer an alternative definition that your lay readers can more easily understand and remember.

Once you’ve defined the words, remind people what those words mean from time to time.

2. Focus on the action

⯈ Say WHO is doing WHAT

When writing in English, make it clear WHO is doing WHAT. That often (but not always) means you should use the active voice.​

If you can add “by zombies” at the end, that may mean it’s in passive voice 🙂

In passive voice, WHO is doing the action can get easily hidden, which can make it harder for us to follow the meaning. (But this doesn’t mean the passive voice is wrong. If the WHO is unimportant, obvious, or unknown, the passive voice is more appropriate.)

⯈ Keep the WHO & the WHAT close

Following from the above point, try to keep the WHO and the WHAT close to each other in the sentence. It will help readers from getting lost.

Compare the following two:

⯈ Rescue the action

Often, we “smother” (hide) the action by changing verbs into (static) nouns. On this, see this post: 3 ways to cut the clutter from your writing > Find the verb.

3. Keep it short

Remember that your reader’s attention is limited. Especially on a website, it’s better to keep the text short and to the point.

• Stick to one key message per sentence. (Or one message per slide, if you’re presenting.)
• Use short sentences around 15-20 words long, on average. But it gets monotonous if all sentences are the same length, so do mix things up and keep some sentences shorter and others longer.

Many plain language practitioners lament that too much writing advice is limited to “use short words” and “use the active voice.” Remember that structuring your content and using design elements are essential too, to get your message across.

Be respectful

Finally (and perhaps needless to say), remember to be respectful.

If you don’t know who’s in your audience, you may want to take a politer tone than you might otherwise. Avoid sarcasm and be very careful about humor, as both do not translate well across cultures or in writing.

Where’s the fun? Finding your voice

I feel like a killjoy (someone who sucks the fun out of activities) with all these “do NOT”s. How—you may wonder—can anyone write interesting and lively text with all these restrictions?

In the end, it’s a balancing act. Your challenge is to find a voice that matches the purpose of your writing and communicates well with your intended audience. I’m still working on that too 😉

Resources

Plain language

• Plain English Campaign (including “The A-Z of alternative words”
• PlainLanguage.gov (US government)

Inclusive language

• Inclusion Guideline: How to Write Inclusive Copy
• Better Presentations: A Guide for Scholars, Researchers, and Wonks

* Many thanks to Sarah Black, Athru Communications, for the inclusion resources.

If you would like to discuss whether we might be a good fit for your non-fiction scholarly writing project, please send me details via the contact form or email me at info@theclarityeditor.com.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay