What's the secret to productivity at work?

One of the biggest barriers to productivity is ineffective communication. Productivity drops when employees have to spend time rereading poorly written emails or ploughing through impenetrable reports.

Use plain language to improve productivity by:

reducing misunderstandings and errors
saving writing and reviewing time
increasing reader engagement.

Use plain language to reduce misunderstandings and errors

Corporate writing is often full of jargon and convoluted sentences which are difficult to understand. This can lead to misunderstandings, wasted time or mistakes.

Plain language reduces mistakes: just look at the improvements New Zealand’s Ministry of Internal Affairs saw when they improved 1 application form. The error rate in completed application forms dropped from 66% to just 10%, which freed up employees to divert their attention to higher-priority tasks.

Use plain language to save writing time and rounds of review

Trying to decode a text infused with jargon, corporate speak and officialise takes time. Plain language is both quicker to read and write.

When comparing a plain English version of a medical brochure with its original, comprehension improved, and reading time fell from 14 to 4.5 minutes. That’s a 68% decrease in reading time!

And in our efficiency study, we found that clients who complete a plain English reform program reduce their document drafting time by 50%.

With less time needed for reading and writing documents, employees can spend time problem solving, creating and decision-making.

Use plain language to increase engagement

Disengaged employees are not productive ones. And employees trying to read dense reports are both disengaged and frustrated.

We’ve found that plain language documents satisfy and engage rather than frustrate the reader. One of our clients found that reader satisfaction increased from 62% to well over 90%!

When employees understand what’s being said, they’re more likely to engage with the information and act on it, increasing their productivity.

Use a plain language editor to boost productivity

We provide premium plain English consulting and editing services that can radically improve your documents and transform your writing culture. From multinational businesses, state and federal government departments to not-for-profit organisations, we can help you boost productivity with effective, clear and concise communications.

What’s the secret to productivity at work?