The Real Cost of Bad Communication in Public Work

Every public initiative has a goal — maybe it is securing grant funding, or maybe it is informing the community. But no matter the mission, there is one truth you cannot deny:

The best ideas will fail if folks cannot understand them.

Confusion Is Expensive

Poor communication is more than just messy. It makes your message harder, slower, and more expensive. On a campaign I was working on for a gubernatorial candidate: if the communication is bad, the voters will tune out. Your partners will second-guess you. New supporters might pass because they do not understand your message.

I recently saw a grant application with four acronyms in the first paragraph. Do not do that. After 20 pages, I still had to ask the project manager the one question that never got answered.

Plain Language Builds Trust

Just make people feel included. You want them to be able to say:

• "I get what they are doing."
• "This feels like it was written for someone like me."
• "I trust this team."

Use plain language. It will not dumb things down — but it can open things up.

A Real Example (and a Rewrite)

Here is a sentence from a real government site, lightly anonymized:

"Eligible entities may submit a formalized expression of interest contingent upon available capacity and consistent with previously established prioritization criteria."

How about this instead:

"If there is room, you can let us know you are interested — just follow the priority list we shared earlier."

Same meaning. Way more human.

It Is Not Just About Grants

• A public health announcement
• A local bond campaign
• A nonprofit year-end letter
• A coalition joint statement

Keep it inclusive. You cannot afford to push people away.