Onboarding
Part of Community participation and accessibility
Writing community notices in clear language
Put the change, affected members, action, timing and help route first in community notices, then check the wording and delivery.
A community notice should tell affected members what changed, what they need to do, by when and where to get help. Put those details first. Members may see it out of context, through a notification or after the original discussion has moved on.
Write for one decision
Before drafting, complete this sentence: “After reading this, the member should be able to …” A notice might ask people to use a new event time, change a setting or find a moved discussion. If it asks for several unrelated actions, separate them or give each a clear heading.
Name the audience. “Members registered for the roundtable” is more useful than “everyone” when only registrants are affected. State whether the notice replaces an earlier instruction so members do not have to compare posts to work out which is current.
For a planned change, answer the applicable questions:
- What is different?
- Who is affected?
- What action, if any, is needed?
- What are the date, time and named time zone if timing matters?
- Where can someone get help if the change creates a problem?
“No action is needed” may help when an earlier notice asked members to act.
Use words that carry the action
Prefer “We moved the session” to “An adjustment to scheduling has been implemented”. Use the term members recognise for a space, event or setting. Explain a necessary specialist term where it first appears. Keep a condition beside the instruction it changes: if only registered members need to respond, say so before giving the action.
In a rescheduling notice, state the actual new time, including the date and time zone when recipients may be in different locations. Do not say joining details still work unless that has been checked. A notice cannot help members act on a change described only as “soon” or “later”.
Make the notice easy to find and read
Use a title that names the change, such as “Roundtable start time changed”. Add headings only if the notice needs sections. Do not put the only copy of an action in an image, and do not use colour as the only signal. Where the notice appears in several channels, keep the action, date and contact details consistent.
Check the ordinary member view: can someone reach the full notice from a notification, read it on a small screen and find the help route? If the chosen platform truncates messages, put the main change at the beginning. Test the actual setup, not assumed product behaviour.
Review and correct
Ask someone unfamiliar with the change to explain what they would do after reading the notice. Have the owner verify names, dates, time zones, permissions and any claim that an earlier arrangement still works. For a sensitive notice, check that it explains the community-wide action without exposing a person’s private case.
After sending, correct an error where members are likely to revisit the instruction, and make clear which version is current. If repeated questions show members misread it, revise the wording or delivery.
