Q We haven’t had any complaints about unclear language. If it isn’t broken, why fix it?

A You may not have a problem. On the other hand, your problem may be hiding. Think about your own life. When the garbage pick-up schedule changes on your street, do you read the new schedule, or do you peek out the window to see what the neighbours are doing? Often, instead of complaining, people try to cope with the problem on their own.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do we ask for feedback from our audience in a way that makes it easy for them to point out problems with our communications?
• Are there people in our audience who might feel intimidated by complex language and ashamed to admit they do not understand it?

Another way to find out more about whether a lack of clarity is affecting your workplace is to conduct a Clarity Audit™ using the tool included in this kit. A Clarity Audit will help you and your co-workers get a sense of the strengths and weaknesses of your communications and lead you to an action plan for making any needed improvements.

Q Is the clear language approach associated with any political party or agenda?

A No. Clear language is part of a more general movement in western democracies toward accountability, transparency and good government. This direction is supported by all political parties. In Canada, organized labour has been a leader in promoting clear language as a tool for building more democratic and inclusive unions. In the United Kingdom and Australia, clear language has been on the public agenda since the 1970s.

Q This is not the way we were taught to write in school. Is this ‘good English’?

A Most people are not taught to write for the workplace when they are at school. Clear language is a more modern writing style, but it does not break rules of grammar or spelling. It’s very good English!

Q Our municipality has a skilled communications department. Why do we need to use clear language?

A Your communication department is a centre of expertise and one of your most valuable assets. But good communication skills have become important for everyone in the modern workplace – not just those who handle external communications. For instance, forty years ago, most managers dictated letters and reports. Today, people write their own reports and handle huge amounts of their own correspondence through email.

Everyone can benefit from training that helps them get to the point and get the results they need. And in municipal government, it’s important that the training includes all levels of decision making. That’s because the approval process can change documents along the way. Without clear language training, some of those changes might make the document harder to read.

Q We produce so many documents in our workplace. Do we have to put everything into clear language?

A You don’t have to do it all at once. Do it strategically. Use the Clarity Audit to help you identify the ‘top tier’ of documents that are in most need of revision. Select the documents that will have the biggest impact on your organization in terms of time saved or errors avoided. One or two may be enough to get started.

Measure the improved results you get with this small group of documents and celebrate your success. Build on the energy and momentum you have created to move on to the next tier of documents that need revision.