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Messaging & Comms
MC–01
The Jargon Cleanse
Explain an issue without political jargon
3 steps · practice + test
The problem
You know exactly what you're talking about. Unfortunately, your voters may not. When campaign language sounds like a government memo, the point gets lost.
The technique
Say it. Simplify it. Check it.
Step 3 · Check it
Compare the rewrite with the original:
1
Did you preserve who's responsible?
2
Did you preserve what's being proposed?
3
Did you keep the important conditions or limits?
4
Did you accidentally turn a goal into a guarantee?
See it work
One sentence, three versions.
Tap After to clean it up
The campaign draft
I support establishing a streamlined review process for residential building permit applications, subject to existing zoning requirements and applicable safety regulations.
Why it works
The clearer version
Replaces bureaucratic language with ordinary words while preserving the proposal's zoning and safety conditions.
The trap
Promises faster approvals, which the original doesn't guarantee. A streamlined review process isn't necessarily an approval shortcut.
One final check
Does "simpler" accurately describe the proposed change? If the campaign can't establish that, it needs different wording.
Watch the small words
Notice what the clearer version doesn't say. The draft never names who reviews permits, so the rewrite doesn't either. Writing "the town" would assume who's responsible. "Residential" stays as written, because swapping in "homeowners" would narrow who the proposal covers.
Your turn
Explain it to a neighbor
1
The town is proposing a plan, not guaranteeing immediate replacement.
2
Equipment would be replaced in stages.
3
Each year's work depends on budget approval.
4
Required safety assessments still apply.
Practice space · Two ways to try it
Nothing you type here is saved or sent anywhere.
Option A
Quick practice
Rewrite this sentence
I support establishing a streamlined review process for residential building permit applications, subject to existing zoning requirements and applicable safety regulations.
Option B
Bring your own material
Then run it through the three Check it questions above before you use it.