Tips on working with scientists from plain language pro Shawnee Eidt

Many many thanks to?Shawnee Eidt?who was our honored guest for last Friday's?#PlainLanguage?Weekly on?Clubhouse. Shawnee described her professional journey from?#scientist?to plain language communicator and gave us solid gold tips on working with subject matter experts. Here's a summary of our discussion with Shawnee.

1. Conversations with real users of her content shaped her transition from scientist to communicator. Shawnee’s done lots of impressive work in her varied career, but in her job as a cancer information specialist at the Canadian Cancer Society, she spoke on the phone with people who had been diagnosed with cancer. This contact with real readers of her organization’s content stirred her interest in writing for her audience.
2. “When you hear you have cancer, your literacy level goes down.” Shawnee came to understand how their emotions affected readers’ ability to comprehend. She used this understanding when subject matter experts complained that communicators were “dumbing down” their science content.?
3. Shawnee’s eureka moment came at a health literacy conference in the US, listening to speaker after speaker discuss writing strategies. The scientist in Shawnee especially responded to a session led by CommunicateHealth that shared hard data about how people read online.
4. When we asked Shawnee, “What should we in the plain language community be doing to help scientists collaborate with us?” she suggested

• using social media to share more resources
• sharing more data about plain language, which would help create a connection with scientific audiences who respond to facts and evidence.

1. Shawnee provided real-world advice about overcoming resistance to plain language.

• It takes time, perseverance, and compromise.
• One easy compromise is making complex terminology clear. In Shawnee’s experience, experts lower their resistance when it comes to plain language explanations of complex terms.
• Develop a short presentation, with data, about why plain language matters. Be prepared to deliver this presentation to resistant people or teams.
• Show confidence when advocating for plain language. Experts can be intimidating, but be tenacious. Sometimes they’ll give in…on the fourth iteration!?

1. When asked about the “precise vs readable” challenge, Shawnee recommended drawing out the subject matter expert. Ask the expert to expand on the topic. After the health communicator has had the chance to listen to the expert expand, they will usually be able to find a plain language option that is both accurate and readable.?
2. When asked about a project that taught her a lot about helping scientists communicate in plain language, Shawnee described a print-to-web rewrite. The SMEs thought the print version was great as-is, but it was loaded with high-level explanations, technical terms swapped interchangeably, and other difficulties. Shawnee’s team did a plain-language-print-to-web makeover and presented it to the SMEs. They rejected it, but she could tell they hadn’t even read it very closely. What was going on? After further probing, Shawnee discovered the source of their resistance. If they accepted the readable plain language version on the web, they’d have to update the print version themselves. That prospect was so daunting they rejected the web rewrite. Her takeaway? Don’t assume you know the reason SMEs are resisting your rewrite. Continue questioning until you find the source, so you’ll know what your next steps should be.?
3. Shawnee’s words of encouragement: “We will all continue to encounter resistance, but we should also continue reflecting on our wins.”
4. A short list of some of Shawnee’s favorite plain language resources: CommunicateHealth, PlainLanguage.gov, International Plain Language Federation, PLAIN Canada, CDC's plain language resources, and WHO's plain language resources.