Wordnerdery Sue Horner’s monthly tips on words and ways to reach readers – April 2022

Issue 110 – April 2022

Let’s do our part to make environmental communications clear

“Solving climate change requires us all to work together.” – David Suzuki

Happy (belated) Earth Day!

We all have work to do to “Invest in our planet,” the Earth Day theme this year. But what can one person do?

I was pondering that while out picking up garbage and recyclables to mark Earth Day. Even though I picked up a bag of each, you’d be right to suspect there will be another flurry of discarded masks, coffee cups and neatly packaged dog poop on the trails next week. But I’ve made a small difference.

Here’s the result of collecting litter near a local park.

And that's the idea. Look around and find some way you can make a difference, however small.

If you work in communications, here's one way you can make a difference: If your organization wants to talk about its environmental work, help them publish something readers will understand.

It’s not a given. The typical report – usually called environmental, social and governance (ESG) or corporate social responsibility (CSR) – is thick with words like “mitigate” and “utilize.” They contain complex subjects like “decarbonization” and “inhalable particulates.” And they often try to cram too much information into too many lengthy sentences.

Here are five ways to make these reports easier to read and understand:

1. Think about how to present the information

Can you replace some text with a chart or infographic to help readers better understand or compare? Can you use a photo with a longer caption, or embed a video?

Where you do use text, make it easier to read:

Break up text-heavy pages or alternate them with visuals.
Break paragraphs into fewer sentences (averaging just two or three).
Shorten long, complicated sentences (aim for an average 14 words or less).
Put statistics into simple tables and charts.
Use bullet points.

2. Put people up front

Talk about employees, show them and quote them. Use real people, not stock images. Show the people doing the work, not just the executives. Tell stories.

3. Use short, familiar words (average 5 characters)

Keep it conversational and use everyday words that are easier to understand. You’re not “dumbing down” the information; you’re saving people time and effort. Here are some examples:

All words and phrases here and below were taken from actual reports.

4. Use the active voice

The passive voice hides who’s doing the action, making the statement seem overly formal or even evasive. The active voice is usually simpler, clearer and takes fewer words.

5. Write short and cut out unnecessary words

Fewer words usually mean shorter, more easily understood sentences.

Once you’ve finalized your report, don’t just publish and move on. Pull out stories, photos, videos and other data from the report. Share snippets online, in regular blog posts and on social media. This both spotlights specific content and makes it easier for search engines to find your hard work.

And it shows the world that the company is trying to invest in our planet.

What other advice do you have to help a company tell the world about their environmental actions? Please share.

Email me!

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Appreciate