The 5 (plain) love languages

It’s the season for love. And we love plain language. Because nothing says you care like an email that gets to the point. Emotional intelligence is great, but plain language might be the real key to professional harmony. To show your colleagues you care, we recommend:

• words of clarification
• acts of summary
• gifts of relevant information
• touches of formatting
• respect for others’ time.

Words of clarification

In the workplace, love isn’t telling someone they’re amazing – it’s telling them exactly what you mean.

Words of clarification respect your reader’s time and cognitive load. No jargon. No fluff. Just simple, specific language, for example:

Corporate-speak: We’re leveraging synergies across verticals to drive operational success.

Plain language: We’re working with other teams to achieve our goals.

Acts of summary

True care is creating a 1-pager from a 1,000-word policy. It’s summarising the key points of each chapter in a progress report. It’s thinking: ‘How do I make this easier for someone else to understand?’

Acts of summary show empathy – they say, ‘I’ve done the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to.’

Gifts of relevant information 

Sometimes, the best gift you can give your colleagues is less. Fewer words. Fewer acronyms. Fewer attachments.

By thinking carefully about what information your readers most need to know, you’ll save their and yours, and make them more likely to act on the information you’ve sent.

Go one step further by sequencing your information in a way that makes sense for readers. This means prioritising what your reader most needs to know: your request, recommendations or response to their question.

Touches of formatting

Want to be a corporate sweetheart? Make information easy for readers to find with information-rich, 1-line headings. Break up long and complex sentences with bulleted lists or tables. And a font that’s easy to read will reduce reader distraction, so they can focus on what you’ve written.

Effective formatting guides your reader and shows that you’ve thought about their reading needs. Nobody wants to dig through a wall of text. A well-structured message feels like a warm, confident handshake. You’re in safe hands. You know what’s going on. You can act.

Respect for others’ time

Every tweak you make to move your writing from corporate speak to clear communication shows that you respect others’ time. Tell your coworkers how much you care by writing like a human.

Want to transform your writing at work into writing that works? Contact us for ISO-aligned training and editing services.