Today a family member received a "thank you" letter that contained a long, fairly obscure word. In fact, I had to look it up in the dictionary, for I had never heard it used in conversation, nor read it. The word sounded like something you’d see in those "Word of the Day" calendars.
That word completely took me out of the overall context of the letter, which was actually very kind and gracious. However, my thought process was interrupted by that word, and having to look it up.
I was instantly reminded of advice I’ve read many times- Write for an eighth-grade audience. When you write over someone’s head, you instantly lose them, and at that point all of the work you put into writing a particular piece is pointless. Most people aren’t going to take the time to break out a dictionary to find out what you’re talking about. They’ll move on.
I think I grapple with this from time to time, in part because I write a good number of articles and releases addressing medical terms and procedures, which are rarely clear to non-medical personnel (myself included). Still, why say "myocardial infarction" when "heart attack" gets the point across so much more effectively?
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