> [!tldr] A good level to "aim" for when communicating with general audiences Reddit popularized the notion of "ELI5" (Explain like I'm 5). I think that's great, conceptually, but having a child who's currently 5 years old - I think explaining something like someone was actually 5 would probably be patronizing. Instead I'm adopting a recommended principle from a colleague: **aim for an 8th grade reading level**. From the first source: > Write to the literacy level of your intended population, with a maximum reading level at 8th grade. Assent materials for minors should be written to the child’s grade level but no higher than a 6th grade level. > > - Use the Flesch–Kincaid and/or Fry scoring methods (embedded in Microsoft Word) to estimate reading level. > - If your population includes a range of ages or literacy levels, write to the lowest level. This still achieves the ends of "[[If you can't explain it simply, then you don't understand it well enough]]", but does it probably a better level. **** # More ## Source - https://research.lehigh.edu/policies-guidance-forms/guidance-readability-and-comprehension-standards - Alyssa R - making me think to write this at all - https://digital.gov/guides/plain-language#:~:text=Not%20only%20is%20plain%20language,your%20specific%20audience%20understands%20it.