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Speaking Plain Language: Not Talking Over Heads or Dumbing It Down
This past Christmas, I took a high-velocity wooden block to the shin, because nothing says “Merry Christmas” like extremely competitive yard games. My leg was still bruised and swollen a week later, so eventually I dragged myself to urgent care to make sure I hadn’t fractured it. After spending two hours in the waiting room,…
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The Science of Stories (Using Stories for Science Communication)
I ask the question “So what’s the story?” enough at work that it might be my catch phrase. But there’s a reason for this. Stories are powerful. Notice how many TED Talks start with, not statistics or facts, but a story—often a personal narrative from the speaker’s own life. Marketers have certainly noticed the power…
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Making Statistics Make Sense
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” – Unknown (but often misattributed to Mark Twain) Statistics often gets a bad rap for being difficult to understand or even downright manipulative. However, plain language principles can help you better convey your statistics to lay readers in a way that strengthens your message…
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