Call me a purist but what has happened to plain old English grammar? Lately I have been noticing creative word spellings that make me stop and think, “What is going on?” I was reading a magazine article the other day in a prominent magazine and the writer used the word “bettered” instead of improved. Am I missing something here?
I was shopping the other day at a major department store and walked by their kitchen appliance section where I saw the words, “Kitchen Electrics.” The word electrics seem to have replaced the word electronics! Or did it replace the word appliances? I’m confused. Was this new word created for marketing purposes? These made-up words just bug me. Or maybe I just need to take an English grammar class to update my knowledge!
So you may be wondering what my word pet peeves have to do with training. I am not an expert in English grammar but I do know that how well you write makes a difference in teaching others. Think of all of the training materials we write. They include, but are not limited to, participant guides, lesson plans, job aids, power point slides, e-learning lesson text, etc. These made-up words may be acceptable in marketing or when texting (oh, another one!) a friend, but unclear words and confusing text in training materials can confuse our students and hinder the learning process.
Here are some examples to illustrate my point: Have you ever tried to read a legal document of any kind and really understood what it meant? Have you received medical test results in the mail and said, “What does all of this really mean?” When you purchased or re-financed your home and signed the seemingly endless amount of forms, did you ever fear that you were making a big mistake somewhere because you really did not understand all of the mortgage industry jargon in the paperwork?
Different writing styles exist because we write for different purposes and to different audiences. As trainers and designers we need to teach people about new things or how to do new things.
Here are some simple tips to keep our training materials easy and user friendly:
- Keep the words as simple as possible – the fewer syllables, the better. Be conversational!
- Avoid technical jargon or at least define the words when you first use them.
- Use short sentences approximately 15-20 words in length.
- Spell your words correctly and use correct punctuation. If necessary, consult the appropriate reference manual such as a dictionary or a style book.
- Use the FOG index to determine how “readable” your material is. (You will find more information about the FOG index in my colleague Melissa’s blog!)
Remember, our writing ability not only affects our credibility as professional designers and trainers but it affects how well our employees learn from us. Some write to impress but we write to make an impression!
Lynne
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