Getting the message across Helen Bolton, Publications & Communications Manager, South West KIT – 26 June 2014

What we’ll cover  Writing tips – Plain English  Exercise 1  Identifying key messages  Exercise 2  Working with colleagues to get the message across  Exercise 3  Resources 2Getting the message across

Writing tips – Plain English Plain English can be described as information that gets its meaning across CLEARLY and CONCISELY to its INTENDED AUDIENCE. It must do this with the necessary impact and the most suitable tone. 3Getting the message across

Writing tips – Plain English Clear and concise Keep it short – short words, short sentences, short paragraphs Use headings and sub-headings to break text up Use a clear and logical structure Use bullets for lists Use active not passive verbs Use everyday language – avoid Latin words, abbreviations and jargon 4Getting the message across

Writing tips – Plain English Active not passive verbs Active verbs keep sentences short, personal, lively and direct Passive verbs makes writing cold, bureaucratic, and confusing Passive: The safety rules were written by the engineers Active: The engineers wrote the safety rules Some good uses of passive: When the agent (the doer) has already been stated, is obvious, unimportant or unknown When you want to spread responsibility or avoid blame When an active verb might sound too hostile 5Getting the message across

Writing tips – Plain English Intended audience Picture your readers, if you can Write as if you are talking to a panel of typical readers Try reading the document out loud If possible, test it out on some intended readers Tone 6Getting the message across

Writing tips – and don’t forget... Be accurate 7Getting the message across

8 Exercise 1 The report is aimed at commissioners and providers of end of life care, clinicians caring for patients with liver disease, and others concerned with providing quality end of life care for this patient group, including patients themselves and their carers. The report is aimed at:  commissioners and providers of end of life care  clinicians caring for patients with liver disease, and  others concerned with providing quality end of life care for this patient group, including patients themselves and their carers. Bullets for lists

9Getting the message across Data were extracted from the ONS mortality database by the SWKIT. The South West Knowledge and Intelligence Team took the data from the Office for National Statistics mortality database. Active voice and everyday language

10Getting the message across Clear and concise - using headings and short paragraphs to break up text

11Getting the message across These figures show a drastic increase in deaths from liver disease over a 10-year period. They are a wake-up call to health professionals all over the country. These figures show a steady increase in deaths from liver disease over a 10-year period. They will be of concern to health professionals across England, especially in areas with the highest numbers of deaths. Tone and accuracy

Identifying key messages 12Getting the message across

13Getting the message across Exercise 2

14Getting the message across In England, 2% of deaths (an average of 10,544 deaths each year for the period 2001–09) were recorded as having an underlying cause of liver disease. The number of liver disease deaths has been steadily increasing. Figure 1 shows the rise from 9,231 deaths in 2001 to 11,575 in 2009.

15Getting the message across The most common cause of liver disease death is alcoholic liver disease (0.8% of all deaths in England; 3,880 deaths annually). Viral liver disease is the least common and accounts for less than 0.1% of all deaths in England (191 deaths annually).

16Getting the message across Deaths from liver disease vary by former Government Office Region, ranging from 800 to 1,900 liver disease deaths each year. Figure 3 shows that the regions with the highest number of liver disease deaths are the North West (1,899), South East (1,503) and London (1,424). The regions with the highest average annual number of alcoholic liver disease deaths are North West (809), South East (504), and West Midlands (501).

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18Getting the message across Info-4 TORLEY

19Getting the message across Info-3 TORLEY

20Getting the message across Working with colleagues to get the message across Exercise 3 Who can use your information? For what public health purpose? How can a communications plan help? What help will colleagues need from you?

Working with colleagues to get the message across  Message  Audience  Channel  Source 21Getting the message across  Purpose  Timing  Context  Risk WHO-WHAT-WHERE-WHY-WHEN? Planning communication - key things to consider

Resources Plain English Campaign – CIPR MRS Royal Statistical Society – Best practice guide for using statistics in communications (handout) Communications plan – PHE example Making Data Talk: Communicating Public Health Data to the Public, Policy Makers, and the Press [Hardback]Making Data Talk: Communicating Public Health Data to the Public, Policy Makers, and the Press [Hardback Communicating Health: Strategies for Health Promotion [Paperback] Infographics and data visualisation resources (to be forwarded by Helen Bolton) 22Getting the message across