Have you ever read a communication three times and still had no idea what it was trying to tell you?   

Maybe it was an explanation of benefits from your health insurer, a letter from your bank about a fee change, an order update from a retailer, or a notice from a government agency.  When this happens, we sometimes blame ourselves. Why don’t I understand this?    

I have news: The problem isn’t you. Organizations routinely make customers work too hard to understand information. And it turns out that the resulting confusion and other negative feelings this creates damages the customer experience, customer loyalty, brand perception.   

At Forrester we study dozen of drivers that influence Brand Experience (BX) and Customer Experience (CX), two dimensions of a brand’s total experience. “Communicates with me using plain language” is among the top drivers of total experience for auto manufacturers, banks, health insurers, hotels, investment firms, and retailers.  Yet in these industries, fewer than two-thirds—and in some cases fewer than half—of customers say that brands communicate in plain language.  

How To Communicate In Plain Language  

Plain language doesn’t only benefit people with limited English proficiency, lower reading levels, or learning disabilities. It helps all customers understand what they need to know, feel confident about what to do next, and leave an interaction with a more positive impression of your brand. 

In our new report, Communicate In Plain Language To Improve Your Total Experience, we identify six proven practices for communicating more clearly.  They include:  

  • Avoid jargon (no, really) and scale plain-language alternatives through your design system. Think you’re brand already does this? Our data shows that it probably doesn’t. Replace technical, legal, and internal jargon terminology with words your audience can understand. When technical terms are unavoidable, explain them using simple definitions, examples or analogies. Scale the use of plain language alternatives for frequently used jargon by documenting words to use and avoid or “dos” and “don’ts” in your organization’s design system.  When using generative AI to create content, always require human review before publication to ensure it’s accurate, clear, and inclusive.  
  • Apply information design best practices. The way you structure and present content matters as much as the words themselves. Use descriptive headings, concise paragraphs, lists, white space, and progressive disclosure to help customers find and understand what matters most. Apply visual emphasis (such as bolding content) selectively and ensure text is easy to read by meeting accessibility requirements for color contrast and font size and making sure that text size scales based on user-defined settings. 

See What Plain Language Looks Like In Practice

Read Communicate In Plain Language To Improve Your Total Experience to explore all six best practices, understand why plain language has such an important influence on total experience, and see dozens of examples of how brands across industries communicate clearly in the moments that matter most.  

Let’s Connect  

If you’re a Forrester client book a guidance session with me to discuss how to implement best practices in your organization and explore more examples of what good looks like.  You can also connect with me on LinkedIn if you’d like.  

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