How to tackle people's instinct to change clear writing back again
When I run workshops, some participants worry that their manager will fancy up their plain writing or change it back to the old, formal style.
Sometimes, they're right. Someone in the review chain changes the document to a heavier, more bureaucratic style.
Why does this happen?
It happens because a lot of our decision-making is under the surface, almost instinctual. Here are some of the unconscious biases that make people resist a clearer writing style.
1. Familiarity bias. When we see something that's different from what we've seen for years, our instinct is to think the new thing is wrong.
2. Status quo bias. We tend to prefer things as they are.
3. Authority bias. If a senior person prefers formal language, others often adopt that style without questioning whether it communicates better.
4. Conformity. If everyone around us writes in a formal, bureaucratic style, plain language can feel like breaking an unwritten rule.
We are social creatures who follow group norms
To make plain language common in an organisation, enough people have to write clearly for it to become the new "way we do things here".
What can you do to help create this change?
If you ask for a review from a senior leader...
Explain to them that you've used plain language because your busy readers need that level of clarity to remember the messages.
Tackle their worries head on:
Familiarity bias – "This will look different from what you usually get from us"
Status quo bias – "This style is objectively better as it's based on decades of research into how readers behave"
Authority bias – "Our GM/CEO/board chair expects more concise papers"
Conformity – "This is considered best practice across our sector"
If you're a senior leader...
Harness everyone else's authority bias.
Make a lot of noise about how important plain language is in achieving your organisation's mission.
Be clear that you expect concise writing – that it's the considerate, professional thing to do.
Push back on drafts you need to sign off. "I struggled to understand it quickly, so it needs to be clearer for the end reader".
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