Your jargon is killing your credibility

For the last 5 years, trust in institutions has been steadily declining. It is a worrying trend that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer.

With the decline, we are sadly seeing the rise of misinformation globally and damaged relationships with authority in the community.

This isn’t just a trust crisis. This is a communication crisis.

When credible resources are hard to find, understand and use, people won’t ask you to be clear. They will go somewhere else, or to someone else. And they won’t come back.

If your organisation is responsible for giving people essential information, it is essential that it is clear. And your information can be made clear with plain language.

People trust information they can understand

Every day, people read roughly 100,000 words. This is the equivalent of two books worth of information. Most of this is online.

When we consider this, it is likely that someone would find it frustrating to read lengthy, complex or confusing information. This is before any other challenges like having low literacy, being a busy parent or carer, and reading your non-native language.

The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer report showed that being an ‘authority’ in your community is not enough to hold influence. You gain influence by showing that you understand what people need and want.

Written or digital information is often the first impression people get of your organisation. If that information is direct, easy to understand and use, and available in multiple formats, people feel seen. And relieved!

It is a cost effective but impactful way to gain influence with people who need to engage with you.

Centre the people who need it most

Accessible formats centre the people who need your information the most. This includes people in the community who face multiple barriers to getting essential information.

Some accessible formats you should consider when writing are:

• plain language (aiming for a reading level of year 8)

• translations

• Easy Read

• audio and visual.

You can also have clear contact information, so people know where to go for help.

Build credibility through care

There are a few simple questions you can ask yourself before you write anything for your organisation. When you address these questions before you do anything else, you are taking steps to establish your credibility.

• Who is our reader?

• What do they need to know?

• How will they find this information?

• Do they trust our organisation? If not, how can we show we have considered them?

At Plain Language Matters, we can work with you to make lasting change in your organisation. We have partnered with organisations across many sectors to transform their communication with plain language.

We’d love to chat - email info@plainlanguagematters.org