A lot of EU and public policy writing is dire. It is full of double dutch, jargon, and legalese. The reader is hard-pressed to understand what the writer is trying to communicate.
The European Commission has an illustrious track record of producing press releases, positions and laws that are incomprehensible. Too many NGOs and Trade Associations have mimicked this style.
Is poor written communication a problem
Writing utter drivel is a problem. It leads the reader to mistrust you. The reader simply assumes that the writer must be trying to hide something if the writing is so tough going. They’ll likely switch off after the second paragraph.
I am sure that the constant flow of poor communication by the European Commission contributed significantly to the low degree of public distrust about the EU in the UK. The vote to leave is not a surprise.
I think that the UK leaving the EU will make the problem worse. Indeed, too many people want to return to a by-gone age and switch back to French as the main working language. Apart from leading to all Commission documents becoming 3 times longer, it sends a signal to the young of Europe, and to the world, that the EU is embarking on a navel-gazing exercise.
But, as President Juncker said recently:”So now we will also impose import tariffs. This is basically a stupid process, the fact that we have to do this. But we have to do it. We will now impose tariffs on motorcycles, Harley Davidson, on blue jeans, Levis, on Bourbon. We can also do stupid. We also have to be this stupid.”
A Simple Test
It can help to write with the reader in mind. I use this test.
“Can a civil servant understand what has been written in one reading when reading it on a Friday at 7 pm?”
If the reader can’t, the writer has failed.
Teach yourself
There is an alternative to producing sleep inducing letters and papers. If you want your reader to understand your writing, there are three things you can do.
- Read a lot of good writing
I like The Economist and Peter Ludlow.
- Teach yourself to write plain English
Here are some useful links and books that will help you banish double dutch from your writing.
- Plain English campaign
- UK Government
- European Court of Auditors, “Misused English words and expressions in EU publications.”
- Bryan Garner
- William Strunk
- Rudolf Flesch
- Joseph Williams
3. Banish Foggy thinking
A lot of poor writing is just the symptom of lazy, fuzzy or confused thinking.
Barbara Minto’s “The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking and Problem Solving” will help you lift the fog.