FIGURE 1
Use the Clear Writing Hub From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to Test Your Content FIGURE 2
Resources Available to Collect Data to Learn About Your Audience
Develop Your Clear Communication Skills With These Resources
Resist Assumptions Assumptions are guesses. Even well-intentioned guesses lack the evidence or analysis needed for effective health communication. Resist com- Human Services (HHS) Health Literacy: https://health.gov/our- work/national-health-initiatives/ health-literacy • InformationLiteracy.gov: https:// informationliteracy.gov/page/health- literacy • National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clear Communication: www.nih.gov/ institutes-nih/nih-office-director/ office-communications-public- liaison/clear-communication • PlainLanguage.gov: www.plain language.gov/ • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Health Literacy: www. ahrq.gov/health-literacy/index.html • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Gateway to Health Communication: www.cdc.gov/ healthcommunication/index.html • Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Addressing Health Literacy: www.hrsa.gov/ about/organization/bureaus/ohe/ health-literacy • U.S. Department of Health and
Note. CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; USDA = U.S. Department of Agriculture.
pants with a bachelor’s degree who had low literacy skills. Resources abound to help us improve our health communication. But how often are we strategically incorporating clear commu- nication techniques because we know many of our readers will struggle to understand? How would we approach health communi- cation differently if we operated from this position of knowledge instead of a Field of Dreams assumption? This shift could help us, for example, choose a different channel (e.g., a video or meeting instead of an email) or collabo- rate more with others (e.g., literacy experts, health educators, members of the audience). Do not assume readers will understand you. Instead, strategically incorporate clear com- munication practices to improve readability. See the sidebar for tips on how to develop your clear communication skills.
assumptions are true. First, you know what is best for your audience and you consider their lives and experiences when you make recom- mendations for them. Second, your readers have great health literacy skills and will be able to understand what you are trying to say. So, your content will be totally effective, right? Maybe not. Even with this best-case sce- nario, you still cannot assume your content is going to work. You might be a subject matter expert, but if you do not write in plain lan- guage tailored for your audience, they might not get the message. Your content has to be presented in a way that makes people want to read it. If you are not sure about the effectiveness and clarity of your content, you have plenty of ways to make sure. Use your communica- tions team if you have one! They can give you tips about plain language, formatting, and layout to make your content easier to read. More importantly, test your content. Testing your content with members of your audience can also give valuable insight into whether your message will hit home or not. See Figure 2 for tips on how to test content.
Assumption #3: My Content Works
We will start off this section in what is prob- ably a dangerous way—by assuming the above
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November 2024 • Journal of Environmental Health
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