Why Concise Documents Matter

I’m still seeing complex business documents that are difficult to read and understand. That’s a barrier if you want to share information and encourage readers to act on it. So, let’s cut the jargon and pages full of text and start writing business documents for diverse readers.

What’s the purpose of the document?

The starting point for any business document is to clarify the purpose:

• What is the key message?
• Why is it important to you and the reader?
• What action do you want to result from sharing this information?

Keep this in mind as you prepare the content and cut anything that’s not relevant.

Write for your reader

Your next consideration is the reader and how to engage them.

Avoid misunderstanding & confusion

In many cases, a diverse audience will read your internal and external business documents. That includes people with minimal knowledge of the subject, industry jargon, technical terms and abbreviations. Complexity is a barrier to understanding, so keep the language simple.

Be aware that your colleagues or customers include readers with dyslexia, English as an additional language, low literacy levels, and neurodivergence. For many of these individuals, metaphors or turns of phrase and overly flowery wording can lead to misunderstandings, so be specific.

In addition, people juggling multiple tasks are highly likely to skim-read the key points. You want all of these individuals to understand your message and act on it.

5 steps to increase readability, understanding and action

• Use simple language
• Explain any technical terms that have to be included
• Use a minimum 12-point font size
• Ensure there is a strong contrast between the text and background colour
• Embrace digital formats that enable readers to use assistive technology

Create business documents with a logical structure

As a document specialist, I know that the presentation of the information is as important as the message.

In my experience, what works is:

• A well-organised, logical structure
• Text broken up into sub-headings, bullet points and short sentences
• Consistency of formatting, font, tone, vocabulary and colour
• Visual icons that guide the eye to key points
• Infographics, charts or graphs that summarise data
• Links to related documents or videos

If you would like to hand over this work, contact me.

However, if you are giving it a go, I suggest starting with a headline and a short description of what the document is about – your key message. Then, highlight the actions that you want readers to take and how this benefits them.

If you engage them with this top section, they are more likely to read on.

Below that, you can provide further details that support your message and are relevant to the reader. Keep sentences short and break up the text with visual elements, sub-headings and bold text. Then add links to further insights for those who want to know more.

Use inclusive language in business documents

I’d like to make a few points on inclusive language, which helps the reader recognise that the document is for them.

Firstly, it is best to write as if you are in direct conversation, using ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘we’. This makes the document personable and relevant as it is read. What I often see is ‘the company’, ‘the employees’, which creates distance.

Secondly, make changes that recognise diversity. Your team will include individuals of different cultures, genders, ages, abilities and levels of expertise, and you want them all to see the message as relevant to them. That means avoiding bias.

To give some examples, use:

• Partner, instead of husband/wife
• Wheelchair user, instead of wheelchair bound
• First language, instead of native language
• Worker, instead of workman
• Older people, instead of senior citizens

Further inclusive language guidance is shared by the University of Leeds.

Clarity drives action

Complex and wordy business documents cause confusion, hesitation, alienation and avoidance.

So, when you have information to share, use simple language and a structured layout to increase readability, understanding and inclusion. The greater the engagement, the higher the chances that your desired actions will be achieved.

As your document partner, I can create branded & formatted templates, impactful reports, accessible staff manuals and more! Contact me or connect with me on LinkedIn to find out more about my tailored document services. Let’s share your message with clarity!