Ten Things to Remember When Writing for Laypersons

chillibreeze writer — Nivedita

Writing is a very challenging and creative job. A well-written article is one that manages to hold the reader’s attention until the last sentence. The main writing tip for any writer would be to understand the audience for which he/she is writing. In this article, I shall briefly outline the basic things to be kept in mind while writing for laypersons.

The term "layperson" simply means anyone who is not an expert in the specific subject matter you are writing about. A layperson is someone who has little or no technical background. However, one thing should never be forgotten - a layperson may not have specific knowledge of the particular topic, it does not mean that they have no intelligence. It is just that they have little knowledge in this particular area.

1) Keep the language simple. Avoid the use of unnecessary jargon and extensive technical terms. Always illustrate and explain all the technical terms, if they are used. The technical terms or concepts have to be explained in a very simple manner - use examples and analogies with which the reader might be familiar.

2) Make sure your introduction has an extensive background. However, extensive again does not mean presenting excess of details and boring the reader. The introduction has to give a clear idea about the subject to the reader. The first few words are very important to grab the reader’s attention.

3) Start by explaining the easy stuff first. Develop the theme gradually and then explain the harder stuff. This ensures that the reader is eased gently into it, rather than being caught up with a lot of confusing information. I, myself, can simplify this point as; organize information from the familiar to the unfamiliar.

4) Provide appropriate references. When writing for a layperson, you can assume a minimal level of knowledge, but will need to explain everything else. If extensive explanation will take up too much space, then the appropriate reference can be provided from where the reader can get further information.

5) Don’t bore the reader with excessive details. Understand the main purpose of the article being written; simplify the information to just the right level required by the reader.

6) Keep the tone, style and the vocabulary simple. Avoid ornamental and long-winded writing styles.

7) The article should have a good logical flow of ideas and thoughts. Organization and structure help readers keep track of your writing.

8) Ask yourself some key questions. Some of the main ones include: “why should someone read this article?”, “what is this article about?”, and “how will this article help readers?”

9) Motivate your reader. A layperson might have no particular motivation to read what you write. Therefore, to be effective, you must motivate or attract your reader, starting with a benefit helps.

10) Always have good conclusion/summary for your article. The summary should be strong enough to leave a strong impression on the reader.
When writing about a topic that the average layperson would not know much about, care needs to be taken to help them grasp the topic. Remember, your article should serve the purpose for which it is being written.

 

 

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Chillibreeze's disclaimer: This is a contributed article and was published on Chillibreeze in July, 2011. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article. The relevance of the facts and figures cited (if any) could change after a period of time.

 

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—About our writer: Nivedita writes for chillibreeze.

 

 

 

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