People at heart: A guide to communicating with people affected by crime

Principle 2: Easy

People affected by crime may need help to understand information they are given.

Using clear words and a clear format makes communications easy to understand and access. It recognises that people who’ve experienced trauma may find it more difficult to process information.

How to do it

Organise your message with clear headings

The person reading should be able to get the main points from the headings alone.

• Have a look at how headings are used in the ‘Communication examples’ section.
• Think about what language the person will understand. Use straightforward words not complex ones. Spell out acronyms the first time you use them.

Keep your writing concise

Only include what the person needs to know and avoid unnecessary words.

• Our mentoring service is delivered by individuals with lived experience who have overcome similar challenges, and provides one-on-one support to help individuals set and achieve personal goals, and to build their self-esteem and develop important life skills.
• Our mentors have overcome similar challenges in their own lives. Their one-to-one support will help you reach your goals, build your self-esteem and develop important life skills.

Use short sentences and paragraphs

Stick to one message per sentence. Keep paragraphs to 3–4 lines.

• If you have any queries, or if you have any special needs that we may be unaware of (e.g. if you have any particular cultural or religious needs, if you require an interpreter or if you wish to ensure there is appropriate disabled access), please telephone me.
• If you will need any extra support, please call me on 01234 567890. For example, if you need an interpreter, you have any cultural or religious needs, or you need extra support to get access, we can help.

Make what’s happening as clear and predictable as possible

Use bullet points for lists of three or more. Use numbered lists to explain steps.

• When you make a claim, you need to provide the date and location of the crime, the name of the police force you reported the crime to, your crime reference number, your GP’s name and address, your dentist’s name and address (if you had dental treatment because of your injuries), and details of any previous applications you’ve made, and details of any unspent criminal convictions.
• What you need to apply

When you make a claim, you need to provide:

• The date and location of the crime
• The name of the police force you reported the crime to
• Your crime reference number
• Your GP’s name and address
• Your dentist’s name and address (if you had dental treatment because of your injuries)
• Details of any previous applications you’ve made
• Details of any unspent criminal convictions (convictions that are still on your criminal record).

Put your writing through a readability checker like the Flesch-Kincaid test

Aim for a score of 65 or above. This is for the average UK reader. You may need to aim for a higher score for people who have difficulty reading.

Try Word’s readability statistics

Go to Word > Preferences > Spelling and Grammar > Show readability statistics.

Once you’ve turned Readability Statistics on, every time you run a spelling and grammar check you’ll get a box displaying information about the readability of your message. These instructions may be different for other versions of Word.

Or use the First Word’s readability test

Try it at: thefirstword.co.uk/readabilitytest/