Principle: Understandable

Use plain language

Tactics to apply to make your communications understandable

Use plain language

Communicators must translate technical information into messages non-expert audiences can understand. People are more likely to trust and act on information they understand. To ensure the target audience understands WHO information, advice and guidance, communicators must:

be clear about the desired outcome
get to the point quickly
know what the audience wants and needs.

Use familiar words

If people have to read a WHO message several times to understand it, they are not likely to act on the advice and guidance in the message. When writing for non-experts, WHO communicators and editors can use the Organization’s resource “Using Words That Work”.

Practice good writing

To practice good writing, communicators need to consider the following steps:

organize information so the most important points come first;
create a single overarching communication outcome (SOCO) that defines the desired outcome, for example, behaviour change;
break long and complicated information into understandable portions;
use simple language to explain the meaning of technical terms; and
format documents with plenty of white space so they are easy to read.

Ensure fact sheets are clear

WHO fact sheets explain WHO’s global health priorities.

They are the most popular pages on the Organization’s website. Communicators must ensure that fact sheets follow a consistent format and are accurate, easy to understand and concise so people can easily: