Writing to 10th Graders

Over the weekend I had a conversation about marketing and writing with my mother.  A client of mine had written a scholarly paper and wanted to use it as the basis for an ebook.  The intent with the ebook was to get people to sign up for a mailing list (they would receive a free copy) and to establish credibility with the content contained within the ebook.  Although I am an avid reader, it took me a full day to read the paper.  It was very scholarly and a bit heavy in terms of leisure reading material.

I was telling my mother about the paper and how it would need to be reworked and written to speak to the layman and more specifically the intended audience.  I thought there was great information contained within the paper, but it was a difficult read just for fun.  My mother mentioned that “back when she was in school,” she had learned in a communications class, to write as if you were writing to a 10^th grader.  The thought behind this was that at that level it was simple enough for everyone to grasp the meaning of the content without being too simple and insulting.

I don’t know if this specific concept is still being taught, but I must have been absent the day that was discussed when I was in college.  It was new to me, but a very good way to think about it and one of the tips I will be giving my client for rewriting the paper.  Another tip I plan to give is to write to the audience instead of at them.  I saw a marked difference in my own blog engagement when I stopped writing as if I were being graded.  For me, writing the way I speak and as if I am holding a conversation (albeit one sided) has worked wonders.

The client’s intended audience is not looking for a scholarly read.  They are just regular every day people with busy lives.  The information may be helpful to them, but they will not be interested in reading a research paper.

Do you have any tips for presenting a scholarly/research or scientific document to the layman?