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Principle 1: Simple
Simple: adj. 1. Easily understood or done. 2. Plain and uncomplicated in form, nature or design. 3. Humble or unpretentious. - Compact Oxford Dictionary.
If you want people to listen to what you say, understand it, and act on it, it has to be said simply.
This means:
- choosing the plainest words that will do the job (saying, for example, 'You don't know how lucky you are' instead of 'How propitious were the circumstances'), and
- sticking to the essential facts instead of burying them in extraneous detail
- breaking down complex ideas into smaller, simpler chunks so your audience can grasp them one step at a time.
Is simplifying the same as dumbing down?
No. Complex ideas and facts can be conveyed in simple language, using simple document structure.
Simplifying might mean leaving out detail that really doesn't matter to your audience. But it's worth remembering that many powerful ideas are, in essence, quite simple (for example, the wheel, agriculture, one person: one vote, natural selection, the golden rule...).
Find out more
The Oxford Dictionary's website also has an online guide to better writing with a section on plain English.
George Orwell's essay 'Politics and the English Language' has several examples of overcomplicated language - some silly, some dangerous. The essay is available free at several websites. Google it!