Communicating technical information to non-technical audiences Verve Communications Verve Communications 27 Austin Friars London EC2N 2QP 020 7017 2011
About this guide This guide has been produced by Verve Communications for people who need to communicate technical information to non-technical audiences. It is based upon our experience producing websites, print publications and other media, and working with clients teams to support organisational change or new systems across industries as varied as technology, digital media, health, local government and education. For example, we have: developed handbooks for use by human resources professionals across all departments of a local authority; produced material to showcase technology services available from a consortium of universities; developed marketing materials for a specialist supplier to the TV industry; and worked with clinicians to develop and implement changes in a large hospital trust. We have also written newsletters, public consultation documents, service brochures and annual reports, and supported HR professionals during restructure and reorganisations. This guide covers the process from beginning to end, and includes advice on: structuring information; choosing the right channels; developing content; presentation; and testing. It focuses on how to get across complex information for non-specialists, and is presented in a form which you can use as a simple and practical checklist. Why does it matter? Across all industries, the ways that teams work are changing rapidly, and the dialogue with customers and partners needs to be more complex and sophisticated. Some key trends: In public service organisations, increased accountability, for example the requirement for healthcare providers to publish Quality Accounts which set out their performance in an accessible way for patients and citizens In the private sector, increasingly self-managed teams and closer working between partners, suppliers and contractors along the supply chain The rapid growth of social media and smartphones, which have made the internet a genuinely consumer medium and truly ubiquitous but require users to have a greater degree of technical understanding to work properly The requirement for customers to become more expert, such as in telemedicine where patients with long-term conditions such as diabetes and chronic lung problems manage their own care, with the support of computer systems in their own homes linked to remote monitoring and healthcare professionals. In part, these are driven by technology. Increasing automation requires equipment and systems to work more effectively, technical support contracts are increasingly unable to cope, and users need to be more self-reliant. Manuals, training and FAQ-driven help functions are more important than ever. Complex systems using multiple technologies are being customised and integrated closely with the work of teams, often across organisational boundaries. Success increasingly means using technical solutions to enhance customer relationships in synch with the media that people use. 1 P a g e
1. Structuring information The first and most important step is to analyse in detail the key messages and learning points you need to get across. Two aspects are critical at the outset: An understanding how the information will be used, and by whom A detailed breakdown of the content into discrete concepts (or tasks). Think about what the audience must understand or be able to do at the end of the process and work backwards. This helps you to set the information out in bite-sized chunks and develop a structure which suits how people will navigate around it (e.g. will they always begin at the same place?) and enables you to fit the content together logically (i.e. main sections, headers and topics). Referred to in web design as information architecture, this approach will also be helpful if as is often the case content is to be developed by different people, each of whom will need a brief specifying what they should cover and how their contribution links with others. It will also help you to manage updating of the information, if necessary, such as setting review dates and responsibility within the content management system for web-based material. Pitfalls to avoid A common mistake is to start by thinking what do we want to say? Web pages are a pull medium, so the user s journey will be driven by the menu choices and links they click. Information must therefore be structured in a way which meets their needs and expectations. Treat each discrete section as standalone and as far as possible explain each concept from scratch, with references to other sections if necessary. The structure of online encyclopaedia Wikipedia is a good model for this. Think through the length of each section, and be prepared to sub-divide if necessary. For material which is designed to be read as HTML text on a webpage (as opposed to downloaded and printed) a maximum of around 400 words is a good rule of thumb. This is equivalent to about a side of A4 typed text, and can be read with no more than a single scroll in most browsers. Top tips Wherever possible use illustrations and diagrams to explain concepts, alongside narrative. Most readers absorb information in different ways, and using complementary approaches gives the best change of bringing the maximum number along. When developing your structure, think how you can help people to navigate through the information. With online material, this might mean page-to-page links as well as top/sidebar navigation and should include external links. With print documents, it can include contents/index, chapter summaries, and sources for additional reading. In developing training courses, it might mean a modular approach with common elements and bespoke events for teams or people in different roles. 2 P a g e
2. Choose the right channels In general, you will achieve greater impact by providing the same information using different channels and different media. This is because people process information in different ways. Research suggests that face-to-face is the most effective channel for explaining complex information, and when faced with uncertainty people consistently rate direct communication as an important medium. It provides the opportunity to explore and ask questions, and access to an expert provides important reassurance and underlines the importance of the information and the commitment of the organisation. Where your project involves large-scale organisational change or the implementation of a major programme, using a mix of channels is essential. A comprehensive programme might include: Project updates Newsletters with case studies and key dates All-staff emails Workshops and events Briefings and presentations by leaders Handbooks and printed resources Web-based information, which may include streaming video/audio Social media (Facebook, Twitter etc.) Training / learning modules. When multiple channels are to be used, plan for these from the outset. Based on your original structure, think about which information is best presented in each format, and look at online and offline material as part of the same set. Use the same wording and terminology throughout, and consistent branding (e.g. branded micro-sites, as opposed to corporate web pages). Top tip When planning a major project, consider creating a brand, house style or slogan to give a campaign feel across different media. This helps to identify and define a coherent programme, and enables you to reinforce key messages. Professionally designed logos and simple templates (e.g. for newsletters, headers and Powerpoint presentations) need not be very costly. Above all, reformat the content for each medium, and avoid printing out a website, or simply taking a print document and uploading it. Write and design for the channel (e.g. use HTML rather than PDF files for reading online, and minimise images and large blocks of colour in documents for download). Where others will be delivering training or presentations, make sure that they are comprehensively briefed, and consider a training the trainers session to ensure that they are using resource material properly, understand the context, have the answers to key questions and are giving consistent messages. 3 P a g e
3. Developing the content Use your structure (or architecture ) to develop a more detailed specification for each section of the content. This should cover: The media and/or channels which will be used to deliver it (e.g. presentation and web pages), along with wordcounts for each Key messages / learning points Concepts, functionality or details which need to be explained Appropriate charts, graphs or illustrations, with a clear summary of the points each supports Links to other sections (What knowledge is required to understand the section? What further reading or resources are available?) Case studies and examples The information owner or source. The content specification provides the starting point to cut out extraneous information, for example about structures and history where these are not relevant. Be ruthless. The owners and producers of technical information tend to develop jargon. This short-hand enables shared references and understanding, and hence speeds up the exchange of ideas. But it is a problem when the same information is translated for a non-technical audience. Beneath the jargon often lie quite precise definitions and common assumptions, which may not be obvious to the outsider. For example, IT industries may refer to technical specifications (3G, Bluetooth etc.), which move quickly into common language, but can be used in the wrong context or misunderstood. Where definitions such as these are used, always describe what they mean (with links to external references if possible) and why they are relevant in the case you are describing. With resource materials, consultation documents or handbooks, glossaries of commonly-used specialised terms can be extremely useful. They can also help with materials to support face-to-face training remember that people may remain silent if they do not understand what they are being told, for fear of appearing foolish. Top tip Where menu choices or handbook contents are used, it is always worth providing a short summary of what the section contains, or when to use them, for example in a hover over on website menus. Set out clearly at the beginning of each section or chapter who is expected to read it and what it will tell them. Use examples and case studies to illustrate why information is important, and signpost how you expect people to use it. People stories are particularly strong, and can be used to communicate information which is highly complex and technical. For example, clinicians often use patient pathways to describe the route into contact with healthcare professionals, and for referral and treatment within hospitals and through recovery. 4 P a g e
4. Presenting information It is tempting to begin writing from your own point of view. While the content should be planned with a clear understanding of the information which you need to get across, the copy should always be written with the audience in mind. Before writing, it is worth looking at examples of other documents which you think deal with similar subject matter well, and consumer newspapers and magazines which are aimed at the same readers. This will help you to pitch the right level of detail, writing style and tone of voice. Trade press can be very helpful in this respect where you have a professional audience. Technical information is sometimes seen as functional, and the care and creativity which tends to be invested in other forms of communication can be neglected. Design is important. Just think about the experience of your audience in other areas of their life. Banks, electronics manufacturers even supermarkets need to present technical information for a consumer audience. And don t underestimate how design savvy consumers have become. A poorly produced leaflet or badly laid-out annual report powerfully signals that it is not important. Top tip Good design need not be costly, but must be planned. Remember these basic principles: Commission a designer to produce simple graphics and supply them as Jpegs so you can use them flexibly with a series of templates in common format (e.g. newsletters in MS Word, Powerpoint presentations etc.). Specify the whole set as one job. Use colour schemes, textures and imagery designed for use with desktop printers Use A4 layouts where possible Stock photographs are easy and low cost, and often come as a set of related images. One bright, upbeat image can really lift a technical document (think about your mobile phone user manual). 5. Testing It is important to test understanding at many different points, building-in opportunities to take stock within both written and face-to-face content. This means pauses within a presentation, or providing content summaries of key points at the end of each chapter of a handbook. In the case of written materials, consider taking a structured approach to testing materials. This can include lab testing, for example, where website users are asked to make realistic searches and their journey is tracked, recorded and analysed. Similarly, readers can be given a comprehension test to check their level of understanding of technical documents. This kind of testing is particularly important where public consultation documents are concerned, as you may be required to produce evidence to demonstrate openness and fairness of the process should the result be challenged. 5 P a g e