Step One: Define Your Goal

Define your specific communications goals in relation to the problem and/or scope. There may be different goals for different audiences. Some may just need awareness of something where others need to engage or act.

Important Questions:

*Do we have enough time to develop and execute a communications approach that will help us achieve our goals?

• Strategic: The strategic plan outlines the vision and mission of the organization, as well as the objectives, goals, internal and external situation, performance indicators, and success metrics. This is a top-level plan that describes at a high level how the organization will move forward with its goals.
  
  
• Operational: The operational plan is more strategic and outlines the communication priorities, timing of communications, individual communication specifications, communication objectives, key audiences, supporting materials, and other activities.
  
  
• Work: The working plan defines the actual deliverables and the role and responsibilities of the communication team and client.
  
  
• Support: The support plan describes the tactical activities that are needed to reach the goal.

SMART Goals:

• Specific - States the intended outcome concisely and explicitly as possible. (Hint: Try starting with an action verb.)
  
  
• Measurable - It should be clear what a team needs to do to achieve the goal. The measures may be descriptive, yes/no, quantitative, or provide a range.
  
  
• Achievable - Achieving the goal should be within the team's control and influence.
  
  
• Relevant - The goal should relate to the higher order business context and product vision.
  
  
• Time-Bound - Goals must have a deadline, otherwise they will be continually deferred, delayed, or denied.

Step Two: Identify Your Audience

Defining and understanding your target audience is one of the most critical steps in developing your communications strategy. By understanding the needs of your stakeholders and target audiences, you can develop more meaningful and persuasive messaging. 

Understanding the needs of the people you are communicating with is the main focus of communicators. By communicating openly and consistently with these various groups of people, the organization builds support for its initiatives and provides good will when conflicts or issues arise. 

Stakeholders:

This group affects or is affected by an organization's actions. These people can be external or internal to the organization.

• Primary: The customers, suppliers, employees and other affected by the economic aspects of the organization. 
• Secondary: The media, the general public, activist groups, and others affected by the actions of an organization.

Audiences:

Audiences pay attention to a particular medium of communication. Television watchers, radio listeners, and blog readers all represent types of audiences. Audiences are broken up into two types:

• Passive: These audiences receive a message from the media through unplanned encounters. The audience has no influence on the message. Television and radio are examples of passive channels.
• Active: These audiences actively seek out information to fulfill a need. In this case, the audience gets a chance to interact with the media to express their views and interests. 

Publics:

Publics are groups of people who share a common interest, usually around a particular issue. 

• Latent publics: Publics that are unaware of any issues related to the organization.
• Aware publics: Publics that are aware of an issue.
• Active publics: Publics that actively engage with the organization.

Audience Segmentation:

Understanding who the organization is trying to connect with is critical so that the organization does not waste time and resources on segments that will not help them achieve their goals. Marketers use segmentation to divide large groups of people into small, distinct groups. Segmentation allows communicators to understand audiences on a basic level and communicate with them in a way that is most likely to resonate with them.

Reference:  Holston, D. (2015) Show Me Don't Tell Me: Visualizing Communication Strategy. Cincinnati: HOW Books.

Step Three: Brainstorm Solutions

Brainstorm solutions to improve communications with key stakeholders. The top priority of brainstorming is quantity over quality.  Brainstorming is the first step in the exploration phase of a new project, so it's important to be open to all ideas and possibilities.  Encourage all ideas from everyone, even ideas that might be considered “not that good.”

Brainstorming Techniques:

• Brain Writing – Each team member writes their ideas prior to discussion.  This encourages all to participate without intimidation in a public discussion. It also gives more time to think and be creative. 
  
  
• Figuring Storming – Gives a different perspective.  Ask, “What would this famous figure do?” i.e. Steve Jobs
  
  
• Online Brainstorming (Brain-netting) – Toss ideas around remotely by collaborating with an online tool.
  
  
• Rapid Ideation – Use a time limit to generate ideas quickly. Participants can write on paper or use a white board with people calling out.
  
  
• Round Robin Brainstorming – Form a seated circle and go around to each person asking for an idea.
  
  
• Mind Mapping - Start with one idea that may not be that great.  Then draw lines connecting sub-ideas to the first one. This is helpful for those who think visually. 
  
  
• Starbursting – Come up with as many questions as possible about the topic. Start by listing questions that address who, what, where, when, and why to ensure all aspects of the project are addressed.  Some of the questions can later be used if a FAQ is needed.
  
  
• Stepladder Technique – Avoid “group-think”.  Everyone leaves the room except two members of the team.  These two members will then discuss the topic and their ideas.  Then, one additional member is added to the group.  This new member will contribute his or her ideas BEFORE the other two discuss theirs.  Repeat this cycle until everyone from the original group is in the room.

Step Four: Develop Message Strategy

Tie goals to the needs of the audience in concise and effective messaging. Develop a strategy in which messages are received, understood, believed, retained, and acted upon by each audience. Of all the emails in your inbox or the hundreds of television commercials and radio advertisements you hear, what sticks out? What makes you pay attention to some and not others? It’s the “sticky” factor.

A sticky idea is an idea more likely to make a difference. We are bombarded with information on a daily basis, and the majority of it becomes white noise after a while. Cutting through the clutter is vital if your messaging is going to succeed.

In their book Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Chip and Dan Heath developed a framework for understanding the criteria for developing sticky ideas. They believe that if you want to spread your ideas to other people, you should work within the confines of the rules that have allowed other ideas to succeed over time. You want to invent new ideas – not create new rules.

They credit the following six key principles to compelling, or “sticky” ideas:

To summarize, here’s Chip and Dan Heath’s checklist for creating a successful idea: a Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Story. Just remember the acronym SUCCESs.

Step Five: Determine Message Channels

Once your messaging strategy is defined, turn your attention to the channels you will use to share those messages. A channel is the method of communication or interaction with which a message is sent to its intended receiver.  You need to determine which messaging channel will work best at what time and for which audience.

Oral:

Messages are often rich and easy to understand, especially because body language and voice intonation also provide meaning. They also allow for immediate feedback. 

• Face-to-face, in-person presentations
• Mobile phone conferences
• Group presentations
• Telephone
• Video meetings
• Conferences
• Speeches
• Lectures
  
  

Written:

Effective in transmitting large messages. Humans are limited in the amount of data they can absorb all at once and written information can be studied over time. Reports can include supporting data and detailed explanations. Formal business communications, such as job offer letters, contracts and budgets, proposals and quotes, should always be written.

• Emails  (considered digital versions of written memos)
• Texts
• Memos
• Letters
• Documents
• Reports
• Newsletters
• Spreadsheets 
  
  

Electronic/Multi-media:

• Television broadcasts
• Web-based social media like Facebook and Twitter
• Interactive blogs
• Public and intranet company web pages

Step Six: Develop Message Design

The look and feel of communications matters. The overall style and design elements have a large impact on audiences’ perceptions of what is being communicated. Once business context and audience information is aligned, smart design decisions can be made.

A visual identity is made up of several important graphic components that are designed to work together to represent the brand. Typically, the visual identity consists of logos and other supporting marks, colors, typography, layout, illustration, and photography.

Branding: 

Color, shape, typography, and image are the building blocks of visual design. Through these elements, and in relation to other brands within the environment, you can create a strategic position in the minds of your audiences, thereby creating a brand identity.

• Alignment: Visual identity development must be aligned with the strategic goals of the organization as a whole and the service/product in which you are communicating.
  
  
• Audience: Through a good understanding of your audience, a visual brand identity can create a level of “connectedness between target audience and your brand/service.
  
  
• Differentiation: Your brand needs to express a unique audience value. It needs to be distinct and easily recognizable.
  
  
• Senses: Think of all the ways people encounter your brand/service. These touchpoints need to set the right tone and visual consistency.

Step Seven: Select Message Concept 

With your messaging strategy underway, a sense of which communications channels you want to leverage, and initial design ideas developed, you want to get feedback from project stakeholders to give yourself a “reality check” and make sure your team is headed in the right direction. Selecting ideas, whether it is related to overall branding, who to target emails to, or at which meetings to present, can be the most challenging phase in the communications process. A poor decision can cause wasted time and effort, so you need to ensure you are making the proper selection for the right reasons.

Consensus Building (Finding Common Ground):

The nominal group technique (NGT) helps teams build consensus when they are making selections from several options. One of the primary benefits of NGT is that it creates an environment of equal participation among all participants. This inclusive approach helps build consensus and support for the selected direction and provides everyone a chance to voice their opinion. The process also helps reduce the level of group-think and gives everyone and equal voice.

How to Consensus Build:

1. Define: define the problem bring solved. For example, the team might be trying to determine which communication strategy will work best.
   
   
2. Brainstorm: using the classic brainstorming approach, the team will create a list of options related to the problem to solve. Individuals should work alone when creating their list. It is best if there is no talking during the brainstorm process so that participants don’t’ influence each other.
   
   
3. Collect: Each option is written down so that it can be clearly seen by the group, either on a large piece of paper or on a whiteboard. The options should be assigned a letter (A, B, C, etc.), a name and a description. There should be no discussion about the options during this phase.
   
   
4. Clarify: The team can now discuss the options so that they are clarified. The team should strive to be as neutral as possible at this stage, limiting strongly negative or positive comments.
   
   
5. Rank: Once all the ideas have been recorded and the team has had time to clarify, they are then asked to rank the options. On a sheet of paper, individual team members ran the options from one to ten in order of importance with ten being the most important.
   
   
6. Results: Once the facilitator has calculated the rankings, the team discusses the outcomes and picks a direction or solution to move forward with.
   
   

Concept Testing:

• Benchmarking: Benchmarking is designed to give fundamental direction to communicators and designers at the outset of a project, by allowing him/her to focus on the defined issues. Benchmarking is done by testing how the current strategy or design stacks up against the competition. Benchmarking provides and up-front means of testing before investing a lot of time and effort into a direction.
  
  
• Monadic Testing: The monadic method of testing ideas is considered the most reliable. First, a single design idea is shown to one audience. Audiences are then asked to rate the design based on a set of criteria. By testing the design on its own, not only does the testing take on a real-life scenario, but communicators are able to get an unbiased opinion from audiences about likes and dislikes. Seeing the design by itself helps an audience focus on the best individual solution. Concurrently, other designs my be tested with other groups. After all designs have been evaluated on their own, conduct a relative test in which participants rate each design solution in relationship to the other designs. After all tests are complete, a determination can be made about which design bet met the requirements/criteria.
  
  
• A/B Testing: A/B testing, at its most basic, is a way to compare two versions of something to figure out which performs better. For example, if you have two designs that you like, you can perform A/B testing to determine which will perform better. By running two versions on a website and testing them concurrently, you can see which one works better. By determining a success factor or metric, pages can be tested to see which is more effective. Traffic is evenly split between the sites and the results of the success factors are measured. 
  
  

Presenting Concepts to Clients:

A poor presentation can kill a good idea. To avoid this pitfall, communicators must consider the psychology behind their client’s decision-making. When presenting ideas, communicators usually have a solution they favor. Most communicators can also tell you that their favorite idea usually does not get chosen. This often has to do with how the idea was presented. Was there a core idea that provided a shorthand that allowed the client to quickly grasp the concept presented? Did the concept surprise the client? Was it credible? Was it emotive? Was there a story behind the idea?

1. Face Time: Presenting your ideas face-to-face provides the greatest probability for success, allowing you the opportunity to explain your work, guide the direction of the discussion, and respond to client questions and concerns before they become and issue.
   
   
2. Rule of Three: Best practice dictates showing three ideas that cover a range of approaches: what the client asked for, what the designer/communicator thinks is best, and a happy medium. An important rule of thumb is to never present an idea that you can’t live with long-term.
   
   
3. Storytelling: Each of your concepts should have a story behind it. What were you thinking when you created it? What business problem does it solve? What is the experience you are hoping the audience will have when they are engaged with the concept?
   
   

Presenting in Context:

Communication, design, and messaging do not exist in a vacuum, but rather they exist in the context in which the design and messaging is experienced. By reviewing the options in the context of the way other projects or initiatives are communicated, reviewers can get a more realistic sense of how well the strategy or design distinguishes itself. Presenting concepts is not about comparing options but rather about simulating the introduction of new design systems. To create this effect, communicators introduce audiences to one approach and collect their feedback, then introduce another approach to a separate audience, then compare the responses of the two groups to see which resonates more strongly.

Step Eight: Implement Strategy

Ensure the plan can be carried out in the time frame needed and within the constraints of the team responsible for implementation.

Scheduling:

Once the strategy and tactics have been defined, the next step is to determine the delivery schedule for the various pieces of the communication strategy. Communicators need to make sure they consider two factors when defining a schedule:

1. The number of people who will be exposed to the message (reach)
2. The number of times the message will be presented to them (frequency)

From a scheduling standpoint, these two factors will tell you the type and quantity of the communication pieces you are creating, what skill sets will need to involved (e.g. editors, designers, web developers, videographers), when you’ll need to start developing them, and when you’ll need to develop them.

Once you have a sense of when and how often you need to deliver your messages, you can then start to develop a production schedule. Schedules play two key project roles:

1. They provide structure to the project, setting expectations for timing and deliverables between the communications team and the client.
2. Project schedules are an important communication tool between the client and the communicator. A well-developed project schedule not only shows when parts of the project will be delivered but also tells who is responsible for each step.
   
   

Considerations:

• Deliverables: Most communication strategies will be comprised of multiple deliverables, such as a website, brochure, social media, email campaigns, etc. List out all if the main deliverables that need to be created during the project.
  
  
• Responsibilities: Identify which team members will be responsible for completing the task for each activity related to the deliverable.
  
  
• Sequencing: Consider the order in which the deliverables need to be completed. A traditional method is to work backward starting from the delivery date.
  
  
• Time: Estimate how much time it will take to complete each activity/outcome. Consider adding in extra time between activities to allow for delays in feedback loops, printing, web development, etc.
  
  
• Changes: Be prepared to manage changes in the project scope or schedule. Being prepared to communicate changes in a clear and timely way is critical to setting expectations for stakeholders and keeping the project from getting off track. 

Step Nine: Evaluate

Once the communications approach has been developed and implemented, make sure goals are being accomplished.

Measure Awareness:

How familiar is the audience with what you are communicating? Do they understand the purpose and any calls to action? Exposure is usually the first goal of a communications campaign along with understandability. Not only do you want people to recognize your product or offering, but it is important that they understand what the product/service does and stands for. Online surveys, both aided and unaided, provide an easy way of understanding how your service is recognized by your target audience.

1. Aided Survey: This type of survey gives you an indication of how many people are familiar with your “brand.” List your service along with others to see how many people recognize it. Example: “Which of the following collaboration tools are you familiar with? A) Confluence, B) Slack, C) FileCloud”
2. Unaided Survey: This type of survey gives you an indication of how strong your “brand” is. Use an open-ended question to see if respondents can answer a question about your service without any prompting. Example: “What tools are used within the Communications Community for collaboration?
   
   

Measure Acceptance:

Have attitudes or understandings changed for the better? Acceptance can be measured in several ways, but the most common approach is through a benchmark survey that compares actual outcomes against a predetermined standard.

1. Objective: Have a clear sense of what you are trying to achieve. It is important to know what areas you are hoping to influence. Data can be collected to track increases in meeting attendance or application logins, changes in attitudes, acceptance of messages, or other forms of audience engagement.
2. Benchmark: Most of your acceptance measures will be based on improvements that have been made over a time period. Conducting “pretests” will provide you with a benchmark to compare your progress against. Data can be collected through surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc.
3. Comparison: Over a predetermined time period, look back at benchmark data to see where changes have occurred.
   
   

Measure Engagement:

How involved are people? Are they sharing experiences, attitudes, and opinions? Four key areas of engagement include:

1. Involvement: Involvement data answers questions such as, “Are people able to find your site? Do people value the content on it?” This data goes beyond basic metrics.
2. Interaction: By tracking the number and frequency of indicators such as comments, downloads, posts/uploads, etc. you can determine how interested someone is and get insight into the specific areas they are interested in, allowing for customization of future communications efforts.
3. Intimacy: By tracking attitudes and opinions about your product on third-party sites or forums or online surveys, you can get a sense of how well you are meeting the needs of key stakeholders.
4. Influence: The highest level of engagement is advocacy, or the likelihood that your audience will be ambassadors for your product. One approach for measuring influence is to use a Net Promoter Score, which uses a single survey question: “How likely is it that you would recommend <insert product/brand> to a friend or colleague?” Responses are based on a scale of 1-10.

Step Ten: Improve The Process

Communication strategy is built around a process. From research and planning to strategy and implementation, communicators can rely on time-proven steps to help them reach their objectives. It is imperative that you regularly review how they are working to ensure they are efficient and effective, bringing the most value to the organization. By identifying actions that don’t add value and making small incremental changes, organizations are able to slowly transform processes for the better.

Continuous Process Improvement:

Did you reach your goals?  Could you do something better?  No plan is ever flawless. There are always areas that can be improved upon, and chances are there’s a new area of attention that popped up during the process.  Gather the entire team together and have a brainstorming review session. Analyze whether you clearly communicated your message.  Do you need to create multiple messages for different audiences?  Was your message too heavy with details and difficult to absorb?  Review your language for clarity.  Look at your design and determine if there is whole new approach you should take or just a few tweaks needed Sometimes you learn of whole new areas that have much greater importance to your audience than you realized. Now is the time to reassess how those areas should be woven into your communications in order to reach your goal.   

Go Back to the Beginning:

Now is the time to review what you originally defined as your goals. Did you achieve each of the questions you asked? Your answers will show where improvement is needed.

Q: Why are we doing this?

Q: Who do we need to reach?

Q: How does each stakeholder’s goal differ?

Q: What do we need them to know?

Q: What do we want them to do?

Q: How will we measure success?

Q: What is the delivery date?

Q: Does the delivery coincide with an event?

Q: What are the key milestones?

The Middle:

Next, review the Who, What, Where, When, How of your strategy implementation.  Determine if there are any areas that need change or improvement. 

• WHO – Who will perform the activities?
• WHAT – What activities will be performed?
• WHERE – Where will the activities take place?
• WHEN – When and how often will activities happen?  Create milestones!
• HOW – How will you carry the activities out?

The End. Or, only the Beginning?:

Last, evaluate if your Key Performance Indicators need any revision.  Maybe you surpassed some of your goals and want to reach even further.   Perhaps there were some goals that fell short.  Was your target realistic?  Do you need to make changes to the associated activities? 

Sometimes your data tells you a new story.  Great!  Now you have a whole new goal to work towards that will lead to even greater success for the organization.

What is a Communications Plan?

These high-level goals and strategies are intended to provide guidance in planning and measuring results of current and future communications efforts. The communications plan defines the structure and methods of information collection, screening, formatting, and distribution. It also outlines understanding among teams regarding actions and processes necessary to facilitate critical links among people, ideas, and information necessary for a project's or initiative’s success.

The intended audience of the Communications Plan is the project team, sponsor, senior leaders, and any other stakeholders whose support is needed to carry out the project. 

Why do we need a Communications Plan?

• To articulate and document your team’s goals and objectives
• To clarify the relationships between audiences, messages, communications channels, activities, and artifacts
• To identify and implement specific communications activities
• To solidify team members’ and stakeholders’ roles in the communications process
• To help team members get on the “same page” regarding messaging and strategy
• To ensure you’re reaching out to your stakeholders efficiently
• To highlight major communications advantages, needs, and areas in need of strengthening

The risk of insufficient planning could result in failure to accomplish key objectives, duplication of effort, and reduced stakeholder confidence.

When should a Communications Plan be developed?

As soon as your team begins to plan the project's or initiative's objectives and activities, you should begin planning ways to communicate them. It is recommended that the Communications Plan be developed early on within a project's life cycle. Note, successful communication is an ongoing process, so prepare to revisit this plan and update it on a recurring basis. 

Confluence Communications Plan Template

When you add a new page on Confluence, you don’t have to start from scratch. You can use a page template. Not only do they save time, but they help maintain consistency across teams by organizing work and certain information in a uniform way, making things easy to find.

The PM3 Communications Team recently developed a Communications Plan template on Confluence. Its creation stems from working with teams across HCQIS to develop helpful, informative and streamlined communications plans leveraging Confluence. Regardless of whether you have never developed a communications plan and you aren’t sure where to start or you are a communications guru who just needs a quick and easy template to use, we’ve got you covered. Our hope is that you can use this template to get organized in focusing your message and reaching your target audience.

Below are the sections included in the template.

(from the HCD Confluence page)

What is a Persona?

Making it Personal. The bare facts and numbers are useful when it comes to creating reports and measuring financial success. However, when interacting with humans, it is vital to be able to relate to the individual on a personal level. A Persona is a fictitious character embodying a segment of real-world users of your product, website or service. It is based on information gathered via research, both qualitative and quantitative. A persona relays an individual’s driving influences and disappointments, defining the crux of who they are.

Why Create a Persona? 

Empathy can change the world. Personas are based on real people, helping you better understand the thoughts, feelings and actions of those who will be using your service. Without a persona, the data you gather presents as cold, uncompelling facts with no real world effect. Embedding these facts in a persona allows you and other stakeholders to empathize with your users. Thus, supplying empathy and a deeper understanding, enabling you to better modify the design and functionality of your product or service to fit the needs of your users.

(from the HCD Confluence page)

How to Create a Persona:

Personas can look and feel different based on who creates them. However there are certain things that they should all have in common: The persona should be compiled during the initial discovery phase of the project. It is important to keep it to a single page and to ensure that the information is presented in a way to quickly and clearly communicate the information. The steps involved in the creation of a persona are as follows:

• Gather the Data: Speak to your users, conduct surveys, review web analytics and take note of things you’ve personally observed.
• Segment the Information:  There can only be one: Your persona should not represent only one person. Neither can it represent your entire user base. Divide your data into multiple personas using affinity diagramming or card-sorting. Place all of the ideas on a large surface such as a whiteboard, wall or table. Choose one to focus on.
• Define the Demographics:  Who are they? Include basic information such as name, photo, age, marital status, job, income, residence and family members.
• Describe the Background:  Write a short bio about your persona. Include history, preferences, habits, likes/dislikes, etc.  
• List Their Goals:  Why does the user hope to achieve with your product/service/site? Or even overall?
• Motivations and Pain points:  Why are they using your product/service/site specifically? What frustrates them about your product/service/site?
• Additional Information:  You can include a quote that summarizes their feelings about your product/service/site. You can also include other brands, services or sites that the user likes.

(from the HCD Confluence page)

Enterprise Personas:

Visit the Human-Centered Design Enterprise Personas resource to access a library of personas created to help your team make informed decisions about your target customers.   

Documents

Documents seem as old as time itself. Whether it is a formal or informal written document, there are several factors you may want to consider when leveraging this method of communication.

Pros:

Pro #1:  Documents are great for thorough instructions and in-depth information. You still have the responsibility of crafting your message effectively, but no need to worry about a character restriction (like with most social media platforms) or file size (a common problem with videos and some digital graphics). 

Pro #2: Documents are easier for archive than many other communications channels. How many times have you lost track of an important email or Tweet that you wanted to reference? Documents can be saved to your personal computer, published online, shared in a web forum, etc.

Cons:

Con #1: It can be difficult to keep documents updated with the most current information. Even when you do update the original file, there could be multiple other versions (online, on a peer's computer, etc.) which will no longer be accurate.

Con #2: While documents are good at conveying information, they do not excel at disseminating it. Typically documents require the assistance of another communications channel to reach the intended audience.

Recommendations:

There are endless uses for and types of documents, and even more preferences for how each document should be set up. Here are just a few recommendations to help you create effective documents within the HCQIS Community:

Key Purposes

Documents are best used as codified, official records or publications. They are an important aspect of 508 Compliance, allowing you to provide properly prepared and accessible information, as the primary publication or as a 508 substitute for non-compliant communications. 

Use Templates

Types of documents used within the HCQIS Community include briefings, press releases, memos, training guides, contracts, and newsletters. To ensure consistent and thorough documents, the best practice is to create a standard template for each document. This allows new documents to mirror past versions in content, as well as format (headers, margins, font, etc.).

If you are creating a new type of document, check out the templates of related existing documents to help gather community preferences. You can also take a look at the HCQIS Writer's Toolkit, which includes Microsoft Word Style Templates and Style Guides.

Emails

We all send and receive tons of emails on a daily basis.  As a result, whether it is a direct person-to-person communication or a mass electronic distribution to a large group of individuals, it is inevitable that some emails will be ignored. So you may wonder why should we send them?

Reason #1: EVERYONE uses email. In 2019, statistics showed that there were 3.9 BILLION email users worldwide. It remains a huge source of communication especially within businesses.

Reason #2: Emails are a resource that can be revisited for information at a later date. It is convenient as a source of reference for your recipients

Reason #3: Emails can be read on the phone. We live in an age where the phone is practically a third hand on our bodies. Because emails are readily accessible via phone, your message can reach it's intended audience wherever they are, whenever you want.

Email Types

Which type of email is best for your message all depends on your audience, your desired result and the scope of your message. Below we list three different types of emails that you can send and in which situations they are best suited for use.

Direct Email: This is an email sent from you to one other person or a small group of individuals. This is most effective when you are soliciting a response from the recipients.

Mass Email: This is an email sent from you or a [group mailbox] to a large group of individuals. This is most effective when you are advertising an event, survey, or other item of interest to the community at large.

Events & Meetings 

Meetings.  How often have you attended a meeting in which you end up doing more daydreaming than anything else?  Before you schedule a meeting be sure it’s worth the time away from other valuable work.  

To schedule or not to schedule? That is the question. 

Don’t schedule if the information can simply be conveyed in:

• a short conversation
• email
• newsletter
• written report
• website

Need information or feedback from your stakeholders? Consider using a survey that takes no more than 5-10 minutes to fill out rather than a lengthy meeting.

10 Tips for a Successful Meeting:

1. Have a clear meeting topic and purpose.
2. Schedule shorter meetings, preferably no more than 30 minutes. 
3. Have all materials prepared and distributed.
4. Invite only people relevant to the meeting agenda.
5. Have your meeting outline and all necessary notes prepared and ready for you to follow.
6. Be sure all audiovisual equipment is set up and working.  Do a test drive!
7. Take notes during the meeting.  If appropriate, have someone take minutes that will be distributed later. 
8. Get your attendees involved.  Have each give an update.  Be sure to ask them about their successes. 
9. Stick to your agenda and steer the meeting so that a clear outcome is achieved with new goals set and assigned as a conclusion. 
10. Don’t linger and talk about other unproductive topics just because you have time blocked on your calendar.
    
    

5 Types of Meetings:

1. Problem solving meeting
2. Decision-making meeting
3. Planning meeting
4. Status reporting/information sharing meeting
5. Feedback meeting

 (Source: Michael Fritsch, GM of Consulting for Confoe, https://execed.economist.com/blog/industry-trends/how-stop-wasting-your-time-and-everyone-elses-meetings)

Larger Events – Make an impact! Be memorable.

Nothing worse than sitting in an event thinking you could be using the time for something far more useful.  Don’t be guilty of holding the same type of event.  All you have is another basic PowerPoint?  Then perhaps reconsider scheduling and just send it out by email or post on a website. 

Otherwise, plan an experience that engages.  Be sure to plan way in advance for your event.  Be aware of your budget and stick to it.  Create a planning committee to help pull it off.  Look for ways to make your event interactive and entertaining.  Be bold – make a joke, include a cartoon, try something different!

Advertise your event with posters, flyers, and email broadcasts well in advance.  If you need attendees to register, give a final registration date to create a sense of urgency.  Don’t forget to follow up after the event with a thank you and a recap.

Graphics

There is more truth to this saying than many know. While words impart your ideas to individuals, graphics convey your message and still allows the viewer to develop their own. This promotes buy-in because your presentation intertwines and forms their own ideas. Here are several reasons why graphics are very useful.

Reason #1: They make information more appealing

Reason #2: They make information easily understandable 

Reason #3: They are attention-grabbing

Reason #4: They are memorable

Reason #5: They awaken interest

Types Of Graphics:

Not all images and graphics are free and/or allowed to be used without purchase or prior approval. Ensure all images are of the highest quality and acquired and used properly. Remove all watermarks before use. Here are several types of graphics that you can insert into your document or use on their own.

• Photograph  - A picture made using a camera. More specifically, a photograph is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface (film) or an electronic image sensor (e.g., CCD). Photographs can be manipulated or edited using tools such as Adobe Photoshop.
  
  

• Vector Illustration - A computer image made with two-dimensional points that are connected by lines and curves to form various polygons or other shapes. Vector graphics can be created using tools such as Adobe Illustrator, or images can be downloaded from the internet. Care must be taken when downloading images from the internet to ensure there are no copyright restrictions or requirements to appropriately attribute the source.
  
  

• ICON - A graphic symbol (pictogram or ideaogram) representative of an application, an object (such as a document), or a function (such as the command to save a file). Computer icons help users to quickly identify a program or type of file, making for a successful human-computer interaction.
  
  

• Infographic - A visual representation of information or data. An infographic consists of a collection of imagery, charts, and minimal text that gives an easy-to-understand overview of a complex topic. Examples of infographics include posters, timelines, and tip sheets.
  
  

• Logo – A simple visual mark or symbol used to identify an organization or service. A concept or meaning is usually behind an effective logo, and it communicates the intended message.
  
  

• Callout – An arrow, box, or circle superimposed on a graphic, usually in a contrasting color, to emphasize the importance of some part of a document, web page, or announcement. In a document, a pull quote is considered a callout that pulls an excerpt from the text and uses it as a graphic element.
  
  

• Motion (Animation) – Motion graphics are pieces of animation or digital footage that are used to create the illusion of motion or rotation and are usually combined with audio for use in multimedia projects.
  
  

• 3D – The process of manipulating two-dimensional (2D) data into a three-dimensional format to create an illusion of depth.

Publications

There are so many ways to effectively get your information across to groups of people.  Publications are one way. 

So Many to Choose From:

They include press releases, newsletters, flyers, fact sheets, pamphlets, and posters.  The hard part?  Deciding which type of publication is right for your specific information.  Each has its advantages for different situations.  In some circumstances, it makes sense to use more than one format in order to get the full complement of information across. 

Which? When? How?

• Press Release – Choose when you want to attract big public attention.  Its main purpose is to get outside media to broadcast your information or event.  A press release should be short and to the point. It should always demonstrate how it impacts others.
  Biggest challenge:
  Getting the media’s attention and to respond.  Be creative.  Come up with a catchy way to pitch your information, preferably keeping it visual for interviews and video.  Always include your contact information, especially a phone number where you can be reached at all hours. 
  
  
• Newsletter – Choose when you want to keep in regular contact with an audience and maintain an intimate sharing relationship with them.  Newsletters are especially effective for sharing details of projects, staff profiles, and promotion of events and meetings.  The idea is to keep up communications with your audience helping them feel connected.
  Biggest challenge:
  Making the articles interesting and easy to read.  If you get too long or too detailed, chances are you’ll lose your reader.  Photos and graphics can be great ways to illustrate an article or even take the place of a written article.  Try and set a regular schedule for publication. 
  
  
• Flyers & Fact Sheets – Choose when you have specific information that needs to quickly be disseminated. Events are typically advertised through flyers.  Precise information about a specific topic is typically a fact sheet. Both flyers and fact sheets are one page printed on one side. There are exceptions for fact sheets that sometimes run two-sided.  They are perfect for handing out at meetings, conferences, trade shows, or leaving out for distribution at strategic locations. 
  Biggest challenge:
  Making your flyer attractive and interesting enough for someone to want to read and hold onto it.  Use graphics to draw attention or to actually demonstrate information.  Photos can be extremely effective when your flyer is advertising an event, giving the reader a feel for what to expect. Colorful graphics help generate excitement when your flyer is conveying numbers, instructions, and other text-oriented material. 
  
  
• Pamphlets (Brochures) – Choose a pamphlet when you have more in-depth information about a subject that will run longer than one page.  A pamphlet is divided into sections with headings and can be as short as several pages or as long as 40 pages.
  Biggest challenge:
  Keeping it interesting.  Be sure to organize your information in a logical flowing format and try to incorporate photos and graphics.
  
  
• Posters – Choose a poster when you want to attract attention with a memorable topic. Information should be demonstrated visually. Poster sizes run 11” x 17”, 18” x 24”, 24” x 36”, or 27” x 39”.
  Biggest challenge:
  Designing an eye-catching, easy-to-read poster that does not take a lot of time to read.  Being able to see and read it from a longer distance is also a plus. 

Social Media

Social media quickly outgrew its "social" roots and is revolutionizing networking and access to information. Users are now available anywhere, anytime, and as a result, have become more engaged customers and consumers. CMS uses a variety of technologies and social media platforms, including Twitter and YouTube, to communicate and interact with the public. Leveraging social media as a communications channel provides CMS with an effective way to reach audiences and provide current, timely educational information.

The user-friendliness and accessibility of social media may make it seem like an easy means of communication. However, sending out your message on these platforms without the right tools and knowledge would be like sticking flyers under car windshield wipers in a completely random parking lot. According to Leverage - Creative Agency, in 2019 Facebook was the leading social media platform with 2.23 billion monthly active users, followed by Instagram (1 billion monthly active users) and Twitter (326 million monthly active users). Although it was not in the top 3 platforms for 2019, LinkedIn holds a strong foothold in the social media scene with 260 million monthly active users. With those staggering active user numbers, it is essential to know your social media platform(s) and how to use it effectively.

Social Media Types:

Tailoring your social media profiles and content to your intended audience is key. Below we list several different platforms and a few tips on how to effectively utilize each one for your desired result and the scope of your message.

• Facebook
  This is a social networking site where users can post text, pictures, and/or videos. Facebook groups are a popular venue for users with similar interests to share information, articles and events.

• Twitter
  This is a micro blogging social site that limits each post to 280 characters. Twitter is ideal for quick, real-time messages to keep your audience up-to-date without overloading them with information.

• LinkedIn
  This is a business-oriented social networking site. Users connect with peers and companies to develop professional relationships. LinkedIn is also a popular platform for posting and finding jobs.

• YouTube
  This is a video-based site where users can post, share and view content. YouTube is a great place to publish videos, since they can then be shared via link to a plethora of other social media platforms and communications channels.

Please see the CMS Social Media Overview presentation for a high level overview of CMS's social media platforms, platform specific checklists, and guidance on more ways to partner with the Office of Communications to contribute content.

Tips & Tricks:

On any social media site, you can create "posts" to share with your audience and other users on that platform. Effective posts include relevant, compelling content to help you gain the interest of users and increase your number of followers (aka: audience). It is important to post content regularly to keep your audience engaged, as well as to increase the likelihood of your message being viewed and shared with others. While some organizations are hesitant to invest so much effort into maintaining an active social media presence, the fact is that customers are having conversations relevant to your industry and operations - with or without you. Get involved in the conversation, educate users, and be a leading voice in your industry!

Below are 10 useful tips for leveraging social media platforms within the government sector as an effective communications channel:

1. Decide which social media platform(s) to use.
2. Optimize your social media profiles.
3. Connect your website or blog with your social media pages.
4. Add social media buttons on your website.
5. Find and follow the influencers in your niche.
6. Keep a balance between following and followers.
7. Share interesting content (text, images, videos).
8. Post many times per day but don’t overdo it.
9. Don’t forget to follow back.
10. Follow the rules and be patient.
    
    

The More You Know!

Learn how to best leverage each platform with this social media comparison info-graphic from Leverage - Creative Agency.

Videos

Videos are a very popular way to deliver information to an audience in a highly consumable way. There are several formats which you can leverage to get your message across:

Tutorial videos: These videos provide step-by-step instructions. They are also known as “how-to” videos.

Micro-Learning videos: These are short instructional videos that focus on a single, narrow topic. The shorter the better when it comes to these videos and should be less than 2-3 minutes long.

Presentation videos: These are recordings of presentations made available to an audience after the fact. We often use WebEx for this.

Screencast videos: These videos are digital video recordings of your computer screen and typically include audio narration. This is ideal for training on a new software or computer system. SnagIt can do this.

Animated Explainer Videos: These are short, animated videos that explain a concept or thing in an engaging and visual way. They are ideal for simplifying complex ideas. Animaker can do this.

The Process:

However, for the videos to actually be effective there are a few best practices that everyone should keep in mind before getting started.

STEP 1: Define Your Audience

Don’t stop there. You need to actually get to know them. This goes back to the HCD approach of knowing your audience. What does the audience care about? What is the learning objective? How will this benefit them? What do they like? Dislike? What are their expectations with an instructional video?

STEP 2: Choose Your Topic

Select a useful and relevant topic for your audience. You may think this should be #1, but you should know your audience first and tailor your topic and messaging to them. One size does not fit all!

STEP 3: Choose Your Format

Determine the best way to engage your audience based on the topic and their preferences. Consider resources, timelines, and audience expectations.

STEP 4: Outline, Script & Storyline

Organize your thoughts by mapping out what you want to say and the visuals for each scene.

STEP 5: Record Your Video

STEP 6: Review

Building time into your schedule for peer reviews is essential. An animated video with a typo in the text or a tutorial video missing an important step will not only look bad but may cause confusion.

STEP 7: Share

Confluence has a 500 MB size limit, so there shouldn’t be a problem uploading the file there. If you post to SharePoint, consider who does not have access.

Web-Based Communications

We can all agree that the internet has forever changed communications. Information is accessible in the blink of an eye, and one message can easily reach millions of viewers. This does come with a lot of perks, but also a number of concerns.

Pros:

Pro #1: Information can be more easily shared and received, even with audience numbers far exceeding past capabilities. And now, with the used of virtual desktops, VPNs, etc., users can access closed networks from remote locations.

Pro #2: The possibilities are endless. Web-Based Communications include both internet- and intranet-facing spaces, and it can act as a conduit for all other communications channels. You can post a training video on YouTube or embed the video in a Confluence space. You could publish a newsletter to your company's SharePoint site for all employees to read now or down the road. Odds are, if you have information to share, there is a way to share it via web-based communications.

Cons:

Con #1: While accessibility is certainly increase by web-based communications, it also introduces some new barriers, such as making information available to visually impaired viewers. Luckily, guidelines have been set in place, such as 508 Compliance, to address many of these new accessibility issues. You can find more information on 508 Compliance in the Tip Sheets and Writer Checklists sections of the HCQIS Writer's Toolkit.

Con #2: Security is one of the top concerns for web-based communications. Depending on the sensitivity of your message, it can be extremely important to ensure the information does not fall into the wrong hands. Always triple check what you are sending, to whom, and whether it meets CMS security requirements.

Web-Based Communication Types:

Which type of web-based communications is best for your message all depends on your audience, your desired result and the scope of your message. Below we list several different types of web-based communications that you can utilize and in which situations they are best suited for use.

• Atlassian Suite:
  Atlassian Suite is a collaboration platform which includes Jira and Confluence. Jira is a project management tool that allows teams to plan and collaborate on projects, run reports, and pull project data. Confluence is primarily used to communicate and archive information. Both tools are compatible and can pull information from one another.
  More Information > 
  
  
• SharePoint:
  SharePoint is an intranet used to communicate and archive information so that it is accessible to all internal users. This platform allows users to upload presentations, images and documents, organize archived information into pages and folders, and post events on a live calendar embedded in the site.
  
  
• Slack:
  Slack allows team members to chat one-on-one, as a team, or with an entire community of users by creating channels. Team members can also use the application to call one another, share attachments (including graphics, documents, and links), and reference archived conversations.
  More Information >
  
  
• QualityNet Portal:
  The QualityNet site is a public site and does not require a user login or password, so it is accessible to anyone. The site can be used to locate information regarding quality reporting programs, stay up-to-date on CMS and QualityNet news, and request access to the QualityNet Secure Portal. Registered users can also leverage the accompanying QualityNet Secure Portal for data submission, secure file transfer, etc.
  More Information >
  
  
• ServiceNow:
  ServiceNow is a cloud-based software platform which supports IT Service Management. Users can track and address incident tickets escalated from the Help Desk, manage workflows, and more.
  
  Managed File Transfer:
  Managed file transfer (MFT) refers to a software or a service that manages the secure transfer of data from one computer to another through a network. MFT is a comprehensive solution that allows users to manage file transfer, file sharing, secure FTP, and automation needs through a single interface. Users must me registered in HARP and have an MFT Web User role approved to send and receive files.
  More Information >
  
  

For More Information:

For more information on Atlassian Suite tools, please visit the QualityNet Atlassian Support Knowledgebase (QNASK) space on Confluence. This space provides Atlassian training resources and additional reference materials, as well as tips sheets and how-to articles. In addition, you can find a feed to the Atlassian Team's blog, with posts highlighting updates, best practices, and specific features for Confluence and Jira.

Other Channels 

It all depends on what you are trying to convey. The three main means of communication in the workplace are digital, face-to-face, and written. While most team members tend to use the digital or face-to-face means of communication, written communication is still necessary, whether formal or informal. Other channels of communications describe a mix of these means from voice and video calls to word of mouth. Each channel serves a purpose in relaying information.

Communication Channels:

• Voice and Video Calls - As more team members work remotely, voice and video calls have become a regular means of daily communications. The Cisco Voice over Internet Phone (VoIP) converts your voice into digital data, sends it over an internet connection, and allows you to leave an e-mail-based voice mail, if you are unable to speak directly to the person you are calling. Your intended recipient can listen to your message and reply via email, avoiding the game of phone tag.
  
  Team collaboration tools such as Zoom, Slack, WebEx, and Microsoft Teams allow screen sharing, video conferencing, and conference calls.  You can also easily hand-off presentation control to other attendees to view presentations, mockups, reports, as well as share files. In addition, each meeting can be recorded and shared with those who could not attend. The tools include interactive chat boxes and meeting reminders on your calendar. With one click of a button, you can easily join a meeting.
  
  
• Surveys & Questionnaires – Online survey tools include Survey Monkey, Survey Planet, and Google Forms. While many of these tools are free, paid versions are available if more advanced features are desired such as creating more in-depth surveys or collecting more responses. Slido is a Q&A and polling tool making your meetings, events, and webinars more interactive. Zoom and Microsoft Teams all offer a survey or polling feature built-in to the tool to survey or question participants. WebEx does not include a built-in survey feature, but the URL to a third-party solution, such as Survey Monkey, can be added to the WebEx meeting.
  
  
• Digital Displays – Digital signage, such as a flat panel screen, a video wall, or a kiosk, relies on different technologies to present multimedia content to an audience.  Content management is key to keep information fresh and current. ViewSonic and Omnivex offer software solutions for managing digital signage.
  
  
• Postal Mail - Ah, snail mail. It's not fancy, but it gets the job done. One of the pros to postal mail is broad accessibility, since it does not require an email account or internet access. You can also send hard copies of information and packages. That said, if you can effectively communicate the same message via email or another virtual channel, the trees and our planet will thank you!
  
  
• Fax – or facsimile is the telephonic transmission of printed material to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device. Virtual fax systems provide the same service provided by a traditional fax machine, but with added features and lower costs. These systems can transmit faxes over telephone lines or the internet, depending on the recipient, easily handling both paper and electronic documents. 
  
  
• Word of Mouth - It may not be a codified communications channel, but we use Word of Mouth to share information every day. It could be small talk, a brief verbal reminder about that upcoming meeting, or an intentional conversation. Word of Mouth is especially effective because it employs person-to-person contact, which is extremely effective. In-person conversations not only make the message more personal, but they also add depth through tone of voice and body language that is lost in many other communications channels.

Toolkit for Making Written Material Clear and Effective 

The  Toolkit for Making Written Material Clear and Effective is a health literacy resource from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  As shown below, this 11-part Toolkit provides a detailed and comprehensive set of tools to help you make written material in printed formats easier for people to read, understand, and use.

• Toolkit Part 1:   About this Toolkit and how it can help you
• Toolkit Part 2:   Using a reader-centered approach to develop and test written material
• Toolkit Part 3:   Summary List of the "Toolkit Guidelines for Writing and Design"
• Toolkit Part 4:   Understanding and using the "Toolkit Guidelines for Writing"
• Toolkit Part 5:   Understanding and using the "Toolkit Guidelines for Graphic Design"
• Toolkit Part 6:   How to collect and use feedback from readers
• Toolkit Part 7:   Using readability formulas: A cautionary note
• Toolkit Part 8:   Will your written material be on a website?
• Toolkit Part 9:   Things to know if your written material is for older adults
• Toolkit Part 10: "Before and after" example: Using this Toolkit's guidelines to revise a brochure
• Toolkit Part 11: Understanding and using the "Toolkit Guidelines for Culturally Appropriate Translation"

What do we mean by "written material"? 

Written material comes in different shapes and sizes and is used for different purposes.  Examples include brochures and pamphlets, booklets, flyers, fact sheets, posters, bookmarks, application forms, comparison charts, postcards, instruction sheets, and questionnaires.  Since reading something that's on a computer is very different from reading something in a printed format, this Toolkit covers written material on a website only in a limited way (see Toolkit Part 8, Will your written material be on a website?).

What audiences are the Toolkit guidelines geared toward?

The focus of this Toolkit is on creating written material intended for use by people eligible for or enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children's Health Insurance Program -- and by people who serve or assist them, such as family members and friends, outreach workers, agency staff, community organizations, and care providers.  While the guidelines and advice we offer are geared to the needs of CMS audiences, most of them reflect general principles for effective communication of information that can be applied to any audience.

Are the Toolkit guidelines mandatory?

No.  CMS offers this Toolkit as practical assistance to help you make your written material clear and effective, not as requirements from CMS or as hard and fast rules that apply to every situation.

Can I save, print, reproduce, or share this Toolkit?

You may save or print all or parts of this Toolkit from your personal computer.  You are also allowed to make and distribute photocopies.  For your convenience, the complete set of files that make up the Toolkit is provided in the downloads below.

Many examples in this Toolkit are excerpts from published materials or have been adapted from published materials.  While some of the source materials are in the public domain, others are copyrighted.  If you wish to use any of the Toolkit's text excerpts, photos, or illustrations in your own work, be sure to contact the publisher of the original source material to get permission.

(Original content here)

Toolkit Part 1: About This Toolkit

This page links to the download for Toolkit Part 1, About this Toolkit and how it can help you.  This part covers the following topics:

• What is the Toolkit?
• The Toolkit focuses on written material for CMS audiences.
  • What are "CMS audiences"?
  • What do we mean by "written material"?
• What are "low literacy skills"?
  • How are literacy skills measured?
  • This Toolkit is oriented toward the needs of readers with only Basic level literacy skills.
  • If material works well for people with Basic level literacy skills, is it also suitable for those with skills above the Basic level?
• The Toolkit is a health literacy resource.
  • What is health literacy and why is it a concern?
  • What can be done to improve health literacy?
  • What about written material and health literacy?
  • The Toolkit is a health literacy resource for improving written material.
  • We take a reader-centered approach to developing and testing written material.
• How can the Toolkit help you?
  • What tools does it offer?
  • How can you use the Toolkit?

To view Toolkit Part 1, click the download listed below.  You are also allowed to save or print a copy of this download from your personal computer.

ToolkitPart01.pdf (PDF)

Toolkit Part 2: Using a Reader-Centric Approach

This page links to the download for Toolkit Part 2, Using a reader-centered approach to develop and test written material.  This part covers the following topics:

• Preface about the Toolkit
  • What is the Toolkit?
  • What topics are covered in the Toolkit?
• A reader-centered approach
• Remember that you are writing for your readers, not yourself.
  • How do you differ from your intended readers?
• Look at motivation from your readers' point of view.
• Learn by observing where and how the material will be used.
• Focus on removing common barriers.
  • How can you create low barrier material?
• Orient toward the subset of readers who are less knowledgeable, less attentive, and less skilled at reading.
• Get help from readers on what to say and how to say it.
  • What kinds of help can you get?
  • What methods can you use?
• Rely on feedback from readers as the ultimate test.

To view Toolkit Part 2, click the download listed below.  You are also allowed to save or print a copy of this download from your personal computer. 

ToolkitPart02.pdf (PDF)

Toolkit Part 3: Summary of the Toolkit Guidelines

To help you develop or revise your written material, the Toolkit includes detailed guidelines for writing and design.  Toolkit Part 3 gives you the full list.  Among the benefits of using Toolkit Part 3, you can use it as a checklist to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your materials and to help guide improvements.

This page links to the download for Toolkit Part 3, Summary List of the "Toolkit Guidelines for Writing and Design".  This part covers the following topics:

• Introduction
  • About the Toolkit
  • About the Toolkit Guidelines for Writing and Design
  • The Toolkit Guidelines apply broadly across literacy levels.
• Tips on how to use the Toolkit Guidelines
  • Keep the focus on improvement.
  • Use a team approach.
  • Use the guidelines for a formal assessment.
  • Look at the material from the reader's point of view.
  • Make notes on your reactions.
  • Remember that readers' reactions are the ultimate test.
• A list of the "Toolkit Guidelines for Writing"
• A list of the "Toolkit Guidelines for Design"
• How were the Toolkit guidelines developed?

To view Toolkit Part 3, click the download listed below.  You are also allowed to save or print a copy of this download from your personal computer.

ToolkitPart03.pdf (PDF)

Toolkit Part 4: Guidelines for Writing

This page links you to the downloads for Toolkit Part 4, Understanding and using the "Toolkit Guidelines for Writing".  These guidelines apply to writing various types of material intended for use in printed formats by culturally diverse audiences that include people with low literacy skills.

Part 4 of the Toolkit consists of four chapters:

1. Guidelines for content of your written material
   • Can readers tell at a glance what the material is for?
   • What do the readers want and need to know?
   • Is the content culturally appropriate?
   • Repeat new concepts and summarize the most important points.
   • Is the content accurate and up to date?
   • How much information should you include?
   • Does the material tell you who produced it and give a publication date?
     
     
2. Guidelines for organization (grouping, sequencing, and labeling the content)
   • Pace readers through the material by grouping it into meaningful chunks.
   • Put the information in an order that works well for readers.
   • Use plenty of headings and subheadings.
   • Make headings specific and informative.
   • Use reference devices to help readers navigate through the material.
     
     
3. Guidelines for writing style
   • Write in a conversational style, using the active voice.
   • Make the sentences simple and relatively short.
   • Be direct, specific, and concrete.
   • Give the context first, and incorporate definitions into the text.
   • Create cohesion.
   • Use words that are familiar and culturally appropriate.
   • Use technical terms only when readers need to know.
   • Write as simply as you can.
     
     
4. Guidelines for engaging, motivating, and supporting your readers
   • Does the material have a positive and friendly tone?
   • Use devices to get readers actively involved with the material.
   • Are instructions specific and culturally appropriate?
   • Do readers trust the information sources?
   • Can readers relate to the health statistics you give?
   • Does the material say how to get help or more information?

To view some or all of the chapters for Toolkit Part 4, click on the downloads listed below.  You are also allowed to save or print a copy of these downloads from your personal computer.

ToolkitPart04.pdf (PDF)

Toolkit Part 5: Guidelines for Design

This page links you to the downloads for Toolkit Part 5, Understanding and using the "Toolkit Guidelines for Graphic Design".  These guidelines apply to designing various types of written material intended for use in printed formats.

Part 5 of the Toolkit consists of eight chapters:

1. Tips for learning about design and working with design professionals
   • Resources for learning about graphic design
   • Choosing a graphic designer
   • Working effectively with design professionals
     
     
2. Guidelines for overall design and page layout
   • Goals of document design
   • Things to know about the "Toolkit Guidelines for Design"
   • Consider how the material will be used.
   • Make it appealing at first glance.
   • Create a clear and obvious path for the eye to follow.
   • Maintain a consistent style and structure.
     
     
3. Guidelines for fonts (typefaces), size of print, and contrast
   • Background on terms we use to describe fonts
   • Guidelines for choosing fonts
   • Make the print large enough for easy reading by your intended readers.
   • Avoid using "all caps".
   • For text emphasis, use boldface or italics (with restraint).
   • Use very dark colored text on very light non-glossy background.
   • Do not print text sideways or on top of shaded backgrounds, photos, or patterns.
   • Adjust the spacing between lines.
   • Left justify the text and headings.
   • Make lines an appropriate length for easy reading.
   • Watch where lines of text break.
     
     
4. Guidelines for headings, bulleted lists, and emphasizing blocks of text
   • Create a clear and prominent hierarchy of headings and subheadings.
   • Use contrast and other devices to make headings and main points stand out on each page.
   • Format bulleted lists for ease of reading.
   • Use effective ways to emphasize important blocks of text.
     
     
5. Tips for use of color
   • Using color in printed materials
   • Choose colors that are appealing and culturally appropriate.
   • Use colors sparingly in a consistent and deliberate way.
   • Choose colors that work well for design purposes.
   • Take into account how your readers perceive colors.
     
     
6. Guidelines for use of photographs, illustrations, and clip art
   • Images are powerful.
   • Where can you get images for your materials?
   • Images should relate directly to the material and reinforce its meaning.
   • Images should be clear, uncluttered, and consistent in style.
   • Images need to be culturally appropriate.
   • Facial expressions and body language should match the situation.
   • Take special care in using symbols.
   • Avoid using images with visual humor and caricature.
   • Pay attention to the quality, size, placement, and labeling of images.
   • Check for accuracy and pretest with readers.
   • Additional tips for choosing and editing clip art
     
     
7. Guidelines for tables, charts, and diagrams
   • A reader-centered approach to using tables, charts, and diagrams
   • Provide clear and informative labeling.
   • Create a clear and uncluttered layout that includes strong visual and written cues.
   • Take extra care in explaining numbers and calculations.
   • Verify ease of understanding by getting feedback from readers.
     
     
8. Guidelines for forms and questionnaires
   • About forms and questionnaires
   • Why work on improving your forms and questionnaires?
   • Begin with a clear title and statement of purpose.
   • Ask only for information that's really necessary.
   • Make the layout clear, uncrowded, and appealing.
   • Keep instructions brief and place them right where they are needed.
   • Limit the number of formats for collecting answers.
   • Try to avoid using a grid format to collect information.
   • Create a straight and simple path through the form that minimizes cross-references and skip patterns.
   • Do usability testing to get reactions from readers.
   • Take into account how forms and questionnaires will be processed.

To view some or all of the chapters for Toolkit Part 5, click on the downloads listed below.  You are also allowed to save or print a copy of these downloads from your personal computer.

ToolkitPart05.pdf (PDF)

Toolkit Part 6: Feedback Sessions

This page contains the list of 19 chapters that make up Toolkit Part 6: How to collect and use feedback from readers. They give step-by-step instructions on how to collect and use reactions from readers to improve your written material. You may view, save, or print a copy of these chapters from your personal computer. Click on the title of the chapter you’d like to view. This will link you to the download for that chapter.

Toolkit Part 7: Using Readability Formulas

This page links to the download for Toolkit Part 7, Using readability formulas: A cautionary note.  This part covers the following topics:

• Introduction
  • Background on the Toolkit
  • What are "readability formulas"?
• Why be cautious about using readability formulas?
  • Reason for caution 1:  Readability formulas ignore most factors that contribute to ease of reading and comprehension.
  • Reason for caution 2:  Grade level scores tend to be unreliable.
  • Reason for caution 3:  Grade level scores are less precise than they sound and prone to misinterpretation.
  • Reason for caution 4:  Imposing a grade level requirement has the potential to do harm.
• Recommendations for using readability formulas
  • Recommendation 1:  Do not use readability formulas to assess overall suitability.
  • Recommendation 2:  Pick your formula and method carefully.
  • Recommendation 3:  Interpret reading grade level scores broadly as indicating a general range of difficulty.
  • Recommendation 4:  Report grade level scores in ways that acknowledge their narrow scope and limitations.
• Instructions for using readability formulas
  • Instructions for using the Fry method
  • Instructions for using the SMOG

To view Toolkit Part 7, click the download listed below.  You are also allowed to save or print a copy of this download from your personal computer.

ToolkitPart07.pdf (PDF)

Toolkit Part 8: Will Your Material be on the Web?

This page links to the download for Toolkit Part 8, Will your written material be on a website?  This part covers the following topics:

• Introduction
  • Background on the Toolkit
  • What is the Toolkit?
  • The Toolkit focuses on written material in printed formats.
  • What if your written material will be on a website?
• Printed material and websites -- how do they differ?
• Do the "Toolkit Guidelines for Writing and Design" apply to websites?
• Suggested resources for website writing and design
  • Resources for website writing and design
  • Studies of how older readers and people with low literacy skills use the Internet
• Are you using a website to distribute documents for users to download and print?
  • Using websites as a distribution method for material that will be printed on paper
  • Will people have the access and skills to retrieve and print the material?
  • Tips for formatting documents that are distributed on websites for use in printed material

To view Toolkit Part 8, click the download listed below.  You are also allowed to save or print a copy of this download from your personal computer.

ToolkitPart08.pdf (PDF)