How can you communicate with community members of different literacy levels?

1 Know your audience

Before you design or deliver any communication, you need to understand who you are trying to reach and what their literacy levels are. Literacy is not just about reading and writing, but also about numeracy, digital, health, financial, and civic skills. You can use various tools and methods to assess the literacy levels of your audience, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or observations. You can also consult with existing data sources, such as census, reports, or studies, to get a general picture of the literacy profile of your community.

2 Use plain language

One of the most important principles of effective communication with different literacy levels is to use plain language. Plain language is clear, concise, and easy to understand for most people. It avoids unnecessary words, complex sentences, technical terms, acronyms, and idioms. To use plain language, you need to keep your message simple, direct, and relevant. You also need to use active voice, short words, and common vocabulary. You can check the readability of your text using tools such as Hemingway Editor or Readable.

3 Choose appropriate formats

Another key aspect of communicating with different literacy levels is to choose the right formats and channels for your message. Depending on your goals, audience, and resources, you can use various formats, such as brochures, flyers, posters, newsletters, videos, podcasts, or webinars. However, you need to make sure that your formats are accessible, attractive, and engaging for your audience. You can use visuals, such as images, icons, graphs, or charts, to support your text and make it more appealing. You can also use audio or video to convey your message in a more personal and interactive way.

4 Provide multiple options

When you communicate with different literacy levels, you need to be flexible and responsive to the needs and preferences of your audience. You cannot assume that one size fits all, or that everyone will access or understand your message the same way. Therefore, you need to provide multiple options and alternatives for your communication, such as different languages, formats, channels, or levels of detail. You can also offer opportunities for feedback, questions, or clarification, such as phone numbers, email addresses, or online forums.

6 Evaluate your communication

Finally, you need to evaluate your communication with different literacy levels to measure its effectiveness and impact. You need to set clear objectives and indicators for your communication, such as reach, engagement, satisfaction, or behavior change. You also need to collect and analyze data from various sources, such as surveys, feedback forms, analytics, or observations. You need to use the data to assess the strengths and weaknesses of your communication, and to identify areas for improvement or innovation.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?