In 1962, a team of structural engineers at an American airport’s newly constructed international terminal faced a serious problem. Signs guiding passengers through baggage claim, exit and customs were filled with complex official language. Tourists got lost, children became separated from their parents, and elderly travelers struggled to understand technical terms. The solution came when a graphic designer removed unnecessary complexity, replacing long written instructions with simple universal symbols and clear language. Almost immediately, the illusion disappeared.When information is stripped of its complex layers, it becomes available to all. This is the basic idea behind an important rule of public communication: “Write in such a way that you can be easily understood by young and old, men and women, even children.”This message challenges the notion that intelligence is demonstrated through complex language. Instead, it offers complete clarity as to both Practical responsibility and moral duty. When communication is simple and straightforward, it connects different generations and removes barriers created by education level or social background. This idea remains powerful because it speaks to a basic human need: the ability to understand the rules, stories, and ideas that influence our lives, without needing advanced education to decode them.
Chacha Ho’s revolutionary style
The author of this directive was revolutionary leader and President Ho Chi Minh, who had guided Vietnam during decades of anti-colonial struggle. During the 1940s and 1950s, he faced a major challenge when leading the resistance against French rule and later establishing the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. More than 90 percent of Vietnam’s population could not read or write, leaving them cut off from proclamations, education, and political slogans.Ho Chi Minh gave this advice to journalists, officials and speechwriters during media conferences in Hanoi, notably the second conference of the Vietnam Journalists Association in 1962.He understood that if the government communicated using the complex, classical Chinese-style penmanship traditionally used by the educated elite, the movement would fail. His audience included farmers working in rice fields, tired soldiers, grandmothers caring for families in rural villages, and children carrying messages through secret routes. To unify these different groups, he wanted government publications to avoid complex political doctrines and instead use simple language. Following this principle, he himself wrote small articles in the newspaper under different names. Quo Quoc (National Liberation)Using everyday examples from farming and daily life to explain complex topics such as economics and military strategy.
power of clarity
The philosophy behind this approach connects to ideas from classical communication and political thought. It rejects the use of complex words to disguise weak arguments, which the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates criticized during debates with the Sophists. Socrates believed that true knowledge should be so clear and understandable that common people could question it.Centuries later, British writers George Orwell developed a similar argument in his famous 1946 essay, Politics and the English Language. Orwell explained that political illusion depends on exaggerated language that can make false ideas appear true and make empty promises seem like serious plans.When leaders and institutions communicate with simplicity, they exercise a form of public responsibility. Complex writing may hide mistakes, corruption, or poor preparation. Clear communication bridges those cracks. This forces the writer to truly understand the topic because to explain a complex idea in a way that the child can understand, complete knowledge of the topic is necessary. This shifts the responsibility of understanding from the reader to the person creating the message.
communication in big 2026
This principle of making information accessible has become extremely important for modern organizations. In a world full of short videos, instant notifications, and endless online content, people’s attention spans are limited. Whether it’s business, public health, or technology, organizations that communicate clearly are the ones that build trust.A clear example occurred during the rapid release of public safety information about regional power upgrades during the winter. Cities that published technical announcements full of details about electrical systems and power distribution faced frustration and little cooperation from residents. In contrast, communities that shared simple messages explaining which areas would be without power, how long power would be out, and how to protect food supplies faced fewer problems.The same idea is visible in global business also. When technology companies create user interfaces and instruction manuals, the goal is simple and easy-to-use design, similar to the approach used by companies like Nintendo and Ikea. Their instructions rely on pictures, clear steps, and simple words, helping an eight-year-old child or an eighty-year-old grandparent understand how to use the products without the need for customer support.In education, the most successful teaching methods often reject memorizing complex textbook language and instead use methods such as the Feynman technique, named after Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman. He argued that if you can’t explain something to a first-year university student, you probably don’t fully understand it. Teachers use this idea to explain scientific topics to students using simple language, forcing them to move beyond memorized terms and show real understanding.In 1947, reviewing an early draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the French philosopher Jacques Maritain said that the document would only have real power if it could be read aloud in the village square and understood by a worker returning from the fields. The strength of a message is not measured by how complex it sounds, but by how deeply it reaches common people.