Cutting the Bureaucratic Jargon

For those of us who work in the public sector, jargon and acronyms are all too familiar. Oftentimes, unfortunately, this esoteric internal vocabulary sneaks its way into our communication with the public we serve, obscuring the meaning of our messages.

The public often complains about bureaucratic hurdles in government, so we shouldn’t include bureaucratic language in our government communications. The goal should always be to provide the public with clear information in plain language that’s easy to comprehend. 

This new year, take time to review your communications with a discerning eye. Ask yourself whether you’re making public information more complicated than it has to be. If so, then here are four ways to write more clearly for the masses: