Don't use jargon, if you want people to understand complex topics

If you want to communicate with the largest possible audience and have that audience be engaged and interested, it’s important to avoid using complicated words, according to a new study published in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology.

Choose clear, straightforward words if you want to make your topic engaging with for the most audiences.

In this study, the researchers asked people to read about specific topics, like 3D printing, surgical robots, or self-driving cars. One group was given a reading with complex words that were specific to each field (i.e. jargon), while the other was given the same reading with simple, straightforward explanations that did not use jargon. When subjects could easily read about the topic, they were found to me more engaged in the material and interested in learning more; when the readings were full of jargon, the opposite was true, even if the jargon as defined in the text. This is important both for communicating difficult topics and also for engaging the average citizen in discussions about these topics.

The authors of the study, led by Dr. Hillary Shulman, believe that this is particularly important because it suggests that even content that seems complex or intimidating at first, can become more approachable by reducing jargon to improve the reader’s experience. Specifically, it is more effective to communicate scientific information to a general audience if using more accessible language. Shulman and her colleagues believe that this is important to consider when designing public messaging, public health campaigns, and also for improving how science language can be improved, using concepts from the study of language and social psychology.