I get really annoyed when I hear people use the expression ‘dumbing down’ when they talk about writing documents – especially documents intended for the public. It’s as though they think their readers are idiots. It betrays a level of arrogance that is never helpful when we are communicating with anyone.

Most of the time we are not writing to idiots, but to people of average, maybe even above average, intelligence. They just may not have had all the experiences we have. Writing plainly is about crafting text that is clear and easy to read to help people understand. As Einstein said ‘Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler’. And always write with great respect for your readers.