Ensuring communication materials are accessible and impactful
When producing communication materials you should ensure that they emphasise key messages and have a layout that supports clarity and impact. Clear and concise writing has a much higher chance of reaching as many people as possible and ensures the recipient will understand what they need to do.
Communications that provide information in the way the reader wants to receive it are more likely to have greater impact.
You should identify whether there is someone in your local authority who has expertise in writing for the public, plain English or website accessibility, or if possible staff could undertake relevant training.
Not everyone will understand the communications and may need further help or reassurance, so contact details of where the reader can get help should be included.
Producing accessible documents and communication
People have very different communication needs so there is no single approach to creating documents that are accessible to all. However, there are some general principles that will help ensure documents are accessible to as many people as possible.
use plain English
use short words
avoid jargon and legalistic words
make web content and word documents accessible to screen readers, by making use of formatting styles, adding alt text to images and avoiding non-standard bullet points and tables
More details on technical approaches can be found at www.w3.org.
The Commission has developed a wide range of communication templates, informed by user testing, and good practice in advertising, writing and design.
Translations and alternative formats
The Commission provides registration forms and letters in a variety of languages. In developing and reviewing your public engagement strategy, you will need to ensure you have an understanding of the most commonly spoken languages in your area. Understanding the level of demand for particular languages may involve actively contacting community groups to assess their interest, although you should also take into consideration the extent to which translated materials will be actively used.
The Commission also provides registration forms and letters in alternative formats such as large print and easy read. When you consider your target audiences you should also consider the extent to which you will produce information in alternative formats. Due to people’s different communication needs, one-size will not fit all. EROs should have a mechanism in place to identify the communication needs of the electors to ensure they are able to identify and fulfil those needs.