Unlocking potential: The key to building confidence and embracing neurodiversity in the workplace

When you write for every brain type, you unlock every reader’s potential to fully understand your message, writes Tom Wadsworth.

Traditional writing practices can create barriers for people who process information in different ways. Plain language is the key to effective and inclusive workplace communication. And when more people can read and understand your writing, your message goes further and has more impact.

Make neurodiversity a strategic advantage

Inclusive workplace practices are more than nice-to-have or checkbox compliance embedded in legislation. Organisations that embrace the value of diversity, unique perspectives, and different ways of thinking unlock a strategic advantage and help their teams thrive.

Neurodiversity is the idea that there are natural differences in how people think, learn, process information, and interact with the world. Neurodivergent describes people whose brain processes information differently from the majority population, or the neuromajority.

Neurodivergence varies, but common profiles include ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyscalculia. One in eight Australians (about 12.5 per cent of the population) are neurodivergent. The chances are some of these people are your colleagues or clients.

Remove barriers to understanding with plain language

Not all neurodivergent people face reading difficulties, but many do. When you write at work without considering how different brains process information, you risk excluding some people, including your clients and colleagues.

Plain language policies and procedures, onboarding programs, and internal communications ensure employees are informed, engaged, and aligned to your organisational goals.

Organisations can better support the needs of employees by adopting an organisation-wide plain language approach in all workplace communications. This makes information easier to access and understand for everyone. When writing is unclear or overly complex, it requires more cognitive load to process, and your reader may quickly lose interest and give up on reading. As a result, your message can get lost.

Using simple and clear language is a powerful tool that removes barriers to understanding. Short words, active verbs, pronouns, and short sentences don’t oversimplify your message or dumb it down – they increase the impact of your message for a wider audience.

Lessen the cognitive load with plain language

Neurodivergent readers often need to use more mental resources than the neuromajority to understand workplace communication. All human brains have a limited capacity to process and store information – our ‘cognitive load’. And all readers benefit when you write with accessible design, clear and consistent structure, and simple language.

Information overload affects productivity and decision making. It puts unnecessary strain on your readers’ executive function and can be particularly overwhelming for neurodivergent people. Plain language and clear writing structures reduce cognitive load, so readers grasp your meaning on the first reading.

Boost clarity and understanding with plain language

By embracing a simpler, clearer communication style, you make your writing more accessible and inclusive. When workplace documents are designed with readability in mind, you streamline the flow of business-critical information and give your employees and your clients the clarity they need to thrive.

When you break up complex ideas into well-structured, digestible chunks – with summaries, clear and informative headings, and short sentences – you make it easier for every brain to retain those ideas.

These core principles create a neuroinclusive workplace and promote inclusivity and trust. Inclusive communication helps people feel seen, supported, and respected.

By implementing a neuroinclusive, plain language approach to your workplace writing, you empower your employees to learn, grow, and perform to the best of their ability – whatever their neurotype may be.

Tom Wadsworth is a plain language expert and trainer at Plain English Foundation.

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