cityplanner.ca
Discussing big picture urban/city planning and design issues.
Jul 26, 2009
Imagine the difference a word can make.
Both of the signs shown above may achieve the desired effect - keeping people off the new grass - then again, they may not...
Two nearly identical signs with nearly identical messages make you pause. Are you or the citizens you serve more likely to “comply” with one than another? What sorts of emotions are stirred up? Are there any connotations of cultural or religious significance? Does political (in)correctness come into play?
It's the old: "It's not what you say, it's how you say it."
In crafting a message, you have to consider who your audience is: government officials, Council members, children, seniors, "workies", technical staff, engineering and design experts, community groups, or the general public? From there, you can ballpark an appropriate grade level, and use your word processor to evaluate your material for that target.
This link to a Microsoft page describes how to make sure Word and Outlook are scanning for readability. Alternately, if you have a different word processor which won't calculate readability stats, but will calculate the number of words, sentences, and syllables, then you can use the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test, based on U.S. school grade level, to self-assess your document. The formula, from the same Microsoft page, is as follows:
(.39 x ASL) + (11.8 x ASW) – 15.59
where:
-- ASL = average sentence length (the number of words divided by the number of sentences)
-- ASW = average number of syllables per word (the number of syllables divided by the number of words)
I have read documents intended for distribution to the general public that were full of jargon and written at a university reading level, so the importance of this should not be underestimated.
If you are likely to be communicating information to a wide range of stakeholders, age groups, technical abilities, and/or education levels, you may want to (or have to) produce multiple communication materials. You might try a basic one-page overview or brochure, as well as a detailed report; or a detailed report with an executive summary that can be printed separately. If you are trying to reach an audience with limited ability in English, you may wish to produce additional maps or simplified documents with lots of pictures to aid understandability.
The better people understand your proposal, assuming it is a good proposal, the more likely they are to support it on its own merits.
Both of the signs shown above may achieve the desired effect - keeping people off the new grass - then again, they may not...
Two nearly identical signs with nearly identical messages make you pause. Are you or the citizens you serve more likely to “comply” with one than another? What sorts of emotions are stirred up? Are there any connotations of cultural or religious significance? Does political (in)correctness come into play?
It's the old: "It's not what you say, it's how you say it."
In crafting a message, you have to consider who your audience is: government officials, Council members, children, seniors, "workies", technical staff, engineering and design experts, community groups, or the general public? From there, you can ballpark an appropriate grade level, and use your word processor to evaluate your material for that target.
This link to a Microsoft page describes how to make sure Word and Outlook are scanning for readability. Alternately, if you have a different word processor which won't calculate readability stats, but will calculate the number of words, sentences, and syllables, then you can use the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test, based on U.S. school grade level, to self-assess your document. The formula, from the same Microsoft page, is as follows:
(.39 x ASL) + (11.8 x ASW) – 15.59
where:
-- ASL = average sentence length (the number of words divided by the number of sentences)
-- ASW = average number of syllables per word (the number of syllables divided by the number of words)
I have read documents intended for distribution to the general public that were full of jargon and written at a university reading level, so the importance of this should not be underestimated.
If you are likely to be communicating information to a wide range of stakeholders, age groups, technical abilities, and/or education levels, you may want to (or have to) produce multiple communication materials. You might try a basic one-page overview or brochure, as well as a detailed report; or a detailed report with an executive summary that can be printed separately. If you are trying to reach an audience with limited ability in English, you may wish to produce additional maps or simplified documents with lots of pictures to aid understandability.
The better people understand your proposal, assuming it is a good proposal, the more likely they are to support it on its own merits.
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Contact Myron Belej, MCIP, AICP at myron@cityplanner.ca to:
- invite Myron to speak at a conference or event
- feature a version of this article in another publication
- inquire about Myron's consulting or coaching services
- request more information
Learn more about 'How to Hire Myron'.
Contact Myron Belej, MCIP, AICP at myron@cityplanner.ca to:
- invite Myron to speak at a conference or event
- feature a version of this article in another publication
- inquire about Myron's consulting or coaching services
- request more information
Learn more about 'How to Hire Myron'.