Writing Clear Policies and Procedures

Here's social media policy 101 from the Third Sector Lab x Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) social media guide for charities we developed a while back. Social media can be a powerful tool for charities but it's changed enormously. A clear social media policy ensures your team feels confident, not constrained. Here are eight practical steps from our guide to help you create a policy that works: 🎯 1. Define Who Uses Social Media (and How) - Decide who manages official accounts (e.g., your comms team). - Encourage staff, volunteers, board, members and potentially service users to engage online within set guidelines. Example: Let volunteers share event photos using official hashtags but reserve account access for trained staff. 👂 2. Emphasise Listening, Not Just Broadcasting - Social media is about conversations. Encourage your team to follow relevant accounts, monitor discussions, and learn from the community. Tip: Listening online can uncover valuable insights, partnerships, or feedback. A good social media dashboard helps make this simple. 🗣️ 3. Set the Tone of Voice Your tone represents your charity. It should be professional, friendly, and relatable. Imagine each post as if your team is at a public event: approachable yet on-brand. But your teams aren't robots - everyone talking the same is a bit silly right? 🚫 4. Clarify Topics to Avoid Be upfront about no-go areas. Create specific examples relevant to your charity’s work for clarity. This may be related to controversial areas that you don't feel comfortable tackling online. That doesn't mean never take risks. 💡 5. Plan for Dealing with Controversy Outline steps for handling negative comments or disagreements online. Tip: Acknowledge constructive criticism publicly, but resolve complex issues privately through DMs, email or calls. 🤝 6. Define Relationships with Beneficiaries Set boundaries on whether staff and volunteers can “friend” or “follow” beneficiaries on social media. Clear guidelines help avoid misunderstandings and protect both parties. 📱 7. Offer Guidance for Personal/Professional Accounts Even personal posts can impact your charity’s image. Pro tip: Remind your team to ask themselves, “Would I say this to my mum or on the BBC?” 🛠️ 8. Include a Complaints Procedure Be transparent about how your charity handles online complaints. Example: Outline whether complaints will be addressed publicly or through official offline channels. Keep it Simple: Your social media policy doesn’t need to be long or complicated. Aim for a document under two pages that focuses on empowering your team while safeguarding your charity. ❓ What’s worked for you in a social media policy? ❓ Are there other principles you’d include? Let’s share ideas in the comments!

Creating a Neuroinclusive Workplace: The Importance of Providing Clear Information When fostering neuroinclusion, one of the most effective strategies is providing clear, detailed information about the workplace environment. This can significantly reduce anxiety and help neurodivergent employees feel more comfortable and prepared. Here’s how you can improve inclusivity especially for neurodivergent hires who may be more anxious not having clarity over expectations. Physical space: Share details about desk arrangements, hot-desking systems, and how to book spaces. Offer a map or virtual walkthrough to familiarise employees with the layout. Highlight quiet areas for those needing focus or a calm environment. Hybrid working: If hybrid work is an option, explain how to arrange it and the policies around flexible work. Logistics and wayfinding: Provide travel options, including public transport and parking details. Add key landmarks near the office to aid pathfinding. Office rules: Be clear about dress codes, food policies, and guidelines for using perfumes. Make sure there's transparency around language, hierarchy, and how to take breaks. Support systems: Assign a “work buddy” to help new employees learn the unspoken rules and norms. HR policies: Offer clear explanations of policies and expectations, including job roles. Provide a glossary if acronyms are frequently used. By being explicit and organised in sharing this information, you help build an inclusive and supportive workplace for everyone.

No one is waking up at 7am, sipping coffee, thinking, “Wow, I really hope someone explains holistic wealth architecture today.” People want clarity. They want content that feels like a conversation, not a lecture. They want to understand what you’re saying the first time they read it. Write like you're talking to a real person. Not trying to win a Pulitzer. - Use short sentences. - Cut the jargon. - Sound like someone they’d trust with their money, not someone who spends weekends writing whitepapers for fun. Confused clients don’t ask for clarification. They move on. Here’s how to make your content clearer: 1. Ask yourself: Would my mom understand this? If the answer is “probably not,” simplify it until she would. No shade to your mom, she’s just a great clarity filter. 2. Use the “friend test.” Read it out loud. If it sounds weird or overly stiff, imagine explaining it to a friend at lunch. Rewrite it like that. 3. Replace jargon with real words. Say “retirement income you won’t outlive” instead of “longevity risk mitigation strategy.” Your clients are not Googling your vocabulary. 4. Stick to one idea per sentence. If your sentence is doing cartwheels and dragging a comma parade behind it, break it up. 5. Format like you actually want them to read it. Use line breaks. Add white space. Make it skimmable. No one wants to read a block of text the size of a mortgage document. Writing clearly isn’t dumbing it down. It’s respecting your audience enough to make content easy to understand. What’s the worst jargon-filled phrase you’ve seen in the wild? Let’s roast it.

12 Essentials for Effective Sustainability Communication 🌍 Strong sustainability strategies can lose impact if they are not communicated well. The way progress is shared influences how it is understood, trusted, and acted upon. This framework brings together 12 essentials that make communication clearer, more consistent, and easier to connect with. Each addresses a common gap in how organizations present their efforts and results. Use language that is accessible and precise. Avoid unnecessary technical terms and ensure messages are understood by a wide range of audiences. Maintain a consistent tone, style, and visual approach across all channels to reinforce recognition and credibility. Base messages on concrete actions, measurable results, and verifiable data before building narratives. Be open about both progress and challenges to build trust and avoid perceptions of inaccuracy. Adapt content to the priorities of different audiences, from investors to employees, customers, and regulators. Show the link between sustainability priorities and business objectives, including how they address risks and create value. Highlight measurable outcomes and explain their environmental, social, or economic relevance. Use visual formats such as charts, infographics, and dashboards to make information easier to absorb. Refer to established standards such as GRI, ISSB, or the SDGs to provide structure and comparability. Avoid vague claims and terms that cannot be backed with evidence. Ensure employees understand sustainability priorities so internal and external messages align. Create opportunities for dialogue with stakeholders and use their input to shape future actions. Clear, evidence based communication helps initiatives gain support, strengthens credibility, and increases the reach and impact of sustainability efforts. #sustainability #business #sustainable #esg

📢 𝐆𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 Are you working on a policy brief and wondering how to make it impactful? The Guide to Communicating Policy Briefs in Public Health offers a practical, step-by-step approach to help technical teams and public health professionals craft and present policy briefs that are clear, persuasive, and action-oriented. 🔑 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬: 1. Know your audience and tailor your message 2. Choose the right moment to present your brief 3. Use evidence effectively to support your recommendations 4. Communicate with clarity—avoid jargon, use visuals 5. Prepare for questions and engage stakeholders 6. Monitor impact and adjust your strategy Whether you're influencing decision-makers or engaging communities, this guide is a must-read for turning data into action. 📘 Developed with support from Vital Strategies and Bloomberg Philanthropies. #PublicHealth #PolicyBriefs #HealthPolicy #EvidenceBasedPolicy #HealthCommunication #GlobalHealth

One of the first things I learned during my internship with a management consulting firm is the importance of clear top-down communication. Barbara Minto's Pyramid Principle is a book that delves further into this and below are the key takeaways: 1️⃣ Always start with the answer first, then provide the supporting evidence. This is the most efficient and effective way to communicate with busy executives who want to know the bottom line. 2️⃣ Use the Pyramid Principle to structure your communication, where each level contains a single thought that summarizes and groups the lower levels. This ensures clear, logical, and coherent communication. 3️⃣ Use deductive reasoning when you want to prove something, and use inductive reasoning when you want to discover something. Deductive reasoning starts with a general premise and derives specific conclusions, while inductive reasoning starts with specific observations and infers general patterns. 4️⃣ Use MECE (mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive) frameworks to break down complex problems into manageable parts, and use SCQA (situation, complication, question, answer) frameworks to introduce and frame your problem statement and recommendation. 5️⃣ Use diagrams and charts to visualize your thinking and communicate your ideas more effectively. Use simple and clear visuals that illustrate your main message, and avoid clutter and confusion. For example, if someone asks "How is your project progressing?" ❌️ Don't give a process-oriented answer: "I spoke to the client." "I conducted market research." ✅️ Do focus on the results even when they are tentative: Progressing well. Preliminary data suggests positive client feedback and market demand. Reasons include: - Positive response from client meetings (Reason A). - Market research indicating a growing need for our product (Reason B). - Emerging trends aligning with our project goals (Reason C).

I just reviewed a grant application (pre-submission, fortunately) that was packed with nonprofit jargon. One example:  “We advance equitable access to culturally relevant artistic experiences.”  What they meant was “We bring live orchestra performances into schools that don’t have music programs.” We tend to think this writing is what funders and supporters want, but nobody wants this. Jargony, sector language buries great work under abstraction and makes genuinely strong programs sound generic and forgettable. When I’m rewriting proposals or coaching nonprofits, I push hard toward clarity over nonprofit-speak. A few things to avoid: - Stacking abstract nouns or using vague modifiers (“access to vibrant programmatic engagements”) - Stories that are so generic they could apply to anyone (can’t tell a specific story because you work with sensitive groups? No problem, tell a representative as proxy story, your audience gets it) - Writing for “funders” instead of actual human beings We’re all inundated with AI-generated slop and meaningless content (every feed of mine, including LinkedIn,  is now apparently about cottage cheese). An update or ask from a nonprofit you support should be interesting. It should be specific. It should make you feel something other than boredom, and maybe it’s even enjoyable. The fundraising and stewardship advantage goes to organizations that prioritize clarity, transparency, and consistent communication. 👉 Link in comments for more on how we think about this at Daffodil.

Effective communication hinges on the mastery of the seven Cs: clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and courteous. Clarity ensures that the message is easily understood, preventing confusion and ambiguity. Being concise involves conveying information in a straightforward manner without unnecessary elaboration, making it easier for the audience to grasp key points. Concrete communication relies on specific details and facts, supporting the message with ample evidence. Correct communication means providing accurate information, as errors can undermine credibility. Coherence ensures that ideas flow logically and are connected, allowing the audience to follow the narrative effortlessly. Completeness entails sharing all necessary information, giving a comprehensive picture to the recipient. Lastly, courtesy emphasizes respect and politeness, fostering a positive atmosphere that encourages open dialogue and understanding. By incorporating these principles, we can enhance our communication skills and build more meaningful connections.

Your writing still screams “I let a robot do this while I made coffee.” Here’s how I fix that in workshops with lawyers, architects and finance types who bill by the hour but write like a toaster: How to make your writing sound like you (not ChatGPT on a compliance course) 1/ Stop trying to sound meaningful. You’re not writing a judgment. Relax. 2/ The word “is” still exists. If you write “serves as,” I assume you invoice in Latin. 3/ Banned words: underscore, foster, enhance. Instant giveaway. Straight to jail. 4/ Kill the dangling -ing phrases. “Leveraging … driving … enabling …” 5/ No one talks like this at lunch. Why are you doing it online? “Not just X, but also Y” = saying nothing twice. Pick one. Preferably the useful one. 6/ Watch the fake tension loop. “Despite success …” Oh no, how tragic. Things went well. 7/ Cite something real. Not “studies show.” Which study? By whom? When? 8/ Use actual names. Twice if needed. Not “the individual” like you’re redacting a crime report. 9/ Put the em dash down. You’re not writing a thriller. Commas will survive. 10/ Clean up the Markdown crime scene. If I see “## Thought Leadership” I’m logging off. 11/ Read it out loud. If you sound like a TED Talk audition, start again. 12/ Details must earn their keep. If it doesn’t add weight, cut it. I teach this stuff live because frankly, most “AI training” is just people learning how to sound like slightly different robots. If you want your writing to actually win work and clients (not just look busy): 👉 Follow me (Fin Wycherley) for no-nonsense personal branding for lawyers, architects, and finance professionals who are done sounding like policy documents. 👉 Share this with someone still writing “this serves as a strategic framework”

This message ruined 7 hours of someone’s workday. “I need to talk to you.” It came in at 10:12am. The conversation didn’t happen until 4:57 pm. In those 7 hours, she: - Replayed every recent mistake - Checked her calendar for clues - Mentally rehearsed conversations that never happened The actual topic? A small, non-urgent question. This happens every day at work. Because vague messaging has been normalized. We send things like: “Can we talk?” “Quick chat?” “Got a sec?” And forget what it feels like on the other side. For some people, uncertainty spirals fast. The brain fills the gap with worst-case scenarios. One message can derail an entire day. Clear communication isn’t just professional. It’s accessible. Here’s the framework I use: CLEAR Context Before you send a message: 1. C - Context What is this about? -  “About the Q3 deck” 2. L - Level Is it urgent? - “Nothing urgent” 3. E - Expectation What do you need? - Input, decision, quick reply 4. A - Affect What’s the tone? - “All good on my end.” 5. R - Request What happens next? - “Can we chat tomorrow?” Example - Before: “Hey, can we talk?” - After: “Hey, quick question about onboarding (nothing urgent). Just need your input. All good on my end. Can we chat tomorrow?” Same message. Completely different experience. Clear communication is inclusive design. It takes 10 seconds. It can save someone hours of stress. Most people underestimate how much this matters. 👇🏽What would you add to this list? 🔖 Save this for reference ♻️ Share it with your team ---- ✉️ Subscribe for more accessibility and design insights: https://lnkd.in/gZpAzWSu ---- Accessibility note: This infographic, titled Unclear context framework, has the same content as the post. It also includes alt text.