Why sounding “smart” is actually hurting your mission.
We’ve all seen those lengthy paragraphs that contain complex grammar structures and advanced vocabulary that you don’t actually understand, or even worse, have never seen before.
It sounds really impressive and professional. But the truth is, this kind of writing usually pushes people away.
At Beacon, we champion and design for comprehensive visual accessibility, including:
- Ensuring colours have high contrast so everyone can differentiate them
- Adding descriptive alt text to images so screen readers can describe them to users
- Building logical heading structures that make navigation easy for people who use the keyboard to do so
But we don’t just stop there: we also achieve true accessibility in how we speak (and write).
If your goal is to build empathy and connect with audiences from all walks of life, it’s important to consider when to use complex vocabulary and when to use everyday language. Here’s why, in so many instances, plain language is an issue of equity, not just style.
The “Grade 8” rule is not dumbing it down
There’s a common misconception that simple writing looks unprofessional and too simple. We worry that if we don’t use academic or formal language, it might show that we are “not that good or serious of an organization”.
But consider who you are actually trying to reach.
Is it a busy single parent skimming your website on a bus?
Is it a community member for whom English is a second language?
Or is it a person with a cognitive disability that makes processing dense text difficult?
Writing at a Grade 8 to 11 reading level to best serve these audiences (a standard we strive for at Beacon) isn’t about “dumbing down” your content. It’s about being considerate of all your possible target audiences, not just one segment. Simplicity is smart.
In short, if your writing requires a master’s degree or a specialized vocabulary to understand, you’re unintentionally gatekeeping your own mission.
The “utilize” trap
At Beacon, we have a specific list of words we try to avoid. At the top of that list is “utilize.”
Why? Because “use” means the exact same thing, and it doesn’t sound so bureaucratic or pretentious. When we choose five dollar words over fifty-cent words, we’re dressing up simple statements to give them an air of importance (George Orwell has a lot more to say about this in his essay, Politics and the English Language, which you can read here). And this creates distance. We signal that we are an “institution” rather than a group of humans helping other humans.
When drafting copy, especially if your audience is the general public, the best approach is to write the way you normally communicate with the people around you.
For example, think about how you talk to your coworkers, your neighbours, or the people you meet at the community centre. It’s most likely that you use simple language to get straight to the point. You want to save each other’s time (we are all increasingly busy these days) and make sure they understand what you’re saying right away.
You wouldn’t use advanced and poetic words in those conversations. That just wastes time on both sides: it takes your time to think of those words, and their time to decode what they mean.
Simplicity is the most effective way to communicate.
Empathy in syntax
Accessibility isn’t just about vocabulary; it’s also about sentence structure.
Many people have been taught to use formal and academic language. For example, this happens most often to people who speak English as a second language. As a result, they use it in their everyday writing, thinking it’s “the right way” because the textbook said so. What ends up happening is that they try to use all the grammar structures they learned in a single document.
But in the real world, long, winding sentences with multiple clauses are hard for the human brain to process and retain, and they’re difficult for screen readers to parse.
Take this sentence, for example: “The initiative, which was originally conceived to address the growing gap in educational resources, has, despite initial funding challenges, managed to provide computers to over 500 students.”
It forces the reader to hold too much information in their head at once. Instead, break it down: “We started this initiative to close the education gap. Despite funding challenges, we provided computers to 500 students.”
By shortening your sentences and cutting out the convoluted structure, you aren’t just being concise; you’re making it easier for someone to care.
Then there’s the issue of voice. Passive voice (like “Assistance was provided by the organization”) feels cold and detached, lacks movement, and removes the person or group from the action. Instead, use the active voice (like “We helped”). It’s punchy, clear, and emotional, and it puts people front and centre.
A quick before and after
Let’s look at how a shift to plain language changes the feeling of a message.
The “professional” version: “Our organization endeavours to facilitate the implementation of strategic educational resources to underserved communities, utilizing a multifaceted approach to pedagogical support.”
(Verdict: hard to read, robotic, and emotionally flat. Outside of academia, who even uses the word pedagogical? What does it even mean?)
Even if you just use one or two complex words but they happen to be the keywords in your message, you have immediately silenced yourself to a wider audience.
The plain language version: “We help students in underserved communities get the education they deserve by providing free books, tutors, and safe places to study.”
(Verdict: clear, human, and inspiring.)
The bottom line
In the work we do, trust is our most valuable currency.
Complexity hides the truth, simplicity reveals it. When you strip away the jargon and the academic/formal posturing, you are left with your mission in its purest form. And that’s language everyone can understand.
So, here’s our challenge to you: take ten minutes today to review your organization’s copy style. Read your mission statement out loud. Does it sound like a human wrote it, or an institution? If you find yourself tripping over words like “strategic implementation” or “utilize,” it’s time for a refresh.
