The Health Literacy Style Manual - Covering Kids & Families

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You can link messages by repeating key words, phrases, or concepts from the previous paragraph or section, or by rephrasing so as to remind readers of what they’ve just read. You can also prepare the reader for the coming paragraph by using advance organizers (headings). In the notice below, the headings introduce new information, and the paragraphs explain it using familiar language and concepts. W R I T I N G | 35
OF F E R H E L P TO R E A D E R S Make sure each document includes a readily available re s o u rc e message for readers who have questions or need help. Create a special “help” message, and repeat it several times throughout the document. If possible, put it on each page in the same place. It should include: • An offer of help. • Information about whom to call. • Phone numbers. • Days and hours of operation. • T T Y i n f o r m a t i o n . • A note, in the case of toll-free numbers, that “the call is fre e . ” An incomplete help message: Toll free 1-(888) 318-8890 or (907) 269-6529 (in Anchorage) A complete help message: Questions? Call us at 1-888-318-8890 (the call is free), or 907-269-6529 in Anchorage. You can call Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. TTY: 1-888-123-4567. PO L I S H T H E T E X T When you have a good draft, look at it critically and get rid of redundancies (except those that serve to re i n f o rce key messages) and w o rdiness. Streamline the text, taking out unnecessary words and phrases without making it sound choppy or stilted. It helps to print it out and read it in hard copy—perhaps out loud—to yourself. Yo u may get a fresh perspective on it and be able to “hear” whether or not the tone is conversational and the messages clearly organized and easily understandable. 36 | THE HEALTH LITERAC Y STYLE MA NUAL
Page 1 and 2: The Health Literacy Style Manual Pr
Page 3 and 4: WR I T I N G 1 7 Write in plain lan
Page 5 and 6: C overing the cost Small-scale test
Page 7 and 8: and improving problem materials, an
Page 9 and 10: WHO ARE YOUR READERS? Nearly half o
Page 11 and 12: HOW CLIENTS “READ” HEALTH INFOR
Page 13 and 14: This is a “before and after” of
Page 15 and 16: help the rest of the team understan
Page 17 and 18: This example of a poster, like that
Page 19 and 20: CR E AT E A LO O K A N D F E E L Al
Page 21 and 22: u n f o r t u n a t e l y, explaini
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Page 25 and 26: vocabularies. Using common, everyda
Page 27 and 28: The left column shows words that ar
Page 29 and 30: B u r e a u c ratic language and le
Page 31 and 32: USE THE ACTIVE VOICE Write in the a
Page 33 and 34: Longer sentences are not necessaril
Page 35 and 36: Here is the revised notice. US E A
Page 37 and 38: You can improve the readability of
Page 39 and 40: This notice contains important info
Page 41: LINK NEW INFORMATION TO OLD Readers
Page 45 and 46: CHOOSE A CLEAN DESIGN The first pag
Page 47 and 48: CHOOSING FONTS For readers with lim
Page 49 and 50: PRINT SIZE The point size of type (
Page 51 and 52: LAYOUT To lay out a page is to arra
Page 53 and 54: When the alignment is right-justifi
Page 55 and 56: CONTRAST Text is easiest to read wh
Page 57 and 58: • I t a l i c s . The contrast be
Page 59 and 60: The blue on this brochure (written
Page 61 and 62: H e a d i n g s Headings and subhea
Page 63 and 64: Be careful to write an introductory
Page 65 and 66: • Make them illustrative. Visual
Page 67 and 68: • D o n ’t print over a graphic
Page 69 and 70: This form (still in draft when we r
Page 71 and 72: The small print and difficult vocab
Page 73 and 74: Folding and mailing When you’re p
Page 75 and 76: application itself. Don’t begin t
Page 77 and 78: • Avoid using the word “optiona
Page 79 and 80: • Many readers have no context fo
Page 81 and 82: PROBLEM CHARTS AND TABLES Forms and
Page 83 and 84: This application doesn’t avoid cr
Page 85 and 86: Income charts Income charts are par
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Page 89 and 90: d i ff e rent point of view. But fo
Page 91 and 92: a little more, and the re s e a rch
Page 93 and 94:
Small-scale testing is a significan
Page 95 and 96:
p rompt the participant if she’s
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90 | THE HEALTH LITERAC Y STYLE MA
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TRA N S L AT I N G I S A S P E C I
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When your quality assurance person,
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96 | THE HEALTH LITERAC Y STYLE MA
Page 105:
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