A piece where I try to explain my work, using only top 1000 most used words in my language

I want to do something a bit different. This piece was written using only the 1000 most used words in our language. To do this, I used something on my computer called Simple Writer – it will not let you use other words in your writing. It is interesting to try to make your writing as simple as possible. It is harder than you think!

In this piece, I first explain my work. Then, I explain why I am interested in doing things like this. Then, I talk about where I got this idea and how you can try it.

What is my work?

People want to fix problems by doing things. But did what they do work? This is where I come in. I help people work out if what they did worked or not. We work out if they helped the problem go away, and how they did it.

How do I do my work?

I talk to people. I work out how they understand the problem. I work out how they think they can fix the problem. When I understand what the people who tried to fix the problem think, I then plan to talk to other people.

I want to know if the problem was the right problem to fix and if the people fixed the problem the right way. To do this, I ask people what they think. I make sure that I speak to enough people, and the right people, to be sure that I understand what happened and that I am using facts in my work.

I then share information with the people who tried to fix the problem. I tell them what others said. Together, we decide if what was done was good or not good. We then think about how we can get better at fixing the problem.

Why am I using the Simple Writer for this piece?

Sometimes, in my line of work, I notice that people find it hard to explain what they do in simple ways. Not long ago, I had to write a reply to a company to say how we would do a job. When I read their call, it took me about two hours to work out what they wanted - because they could not clearly and simply write how they did their work and why they wrote the call. Their work was hard to read and hard to understand.

Being able to explain simply helps more people understand what you do, and then we can share the learning and the work.

It took me a long time to be able to explain my ways simply. Writing and explaining simply is harder than not writing and explaining simply. My work often starts not simple. Once I understand what I am saying, I can make what I say simpler. It takes time to do this.

You should not always be simple. You might lose important things when you do that. But, it can be good for us to train to talk and write simply because then more people can understand. When I have young workers who find it hard to explain their work, I get them to use the Simple Writer to explain our ways. This can really help them break things down so they can talk to others. It can help them understand what they do better.

Where did I get this idea?

A man in another country made the Simple Writer. He wrote a book using the Simple Writer called 'The Thing Explainer'. In this book, he explains many things about our world. He explains how things work, such as food-heating radio boxes, sky boats, and machines that burn cities. It is a fun read.

You can use the Simple Writer too! https://xkcd.com/simplewriter/

The Thing Explainer https://xkcd.com/thing-explainer/