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Rewrite in plain English for one named reader, not 'a general audience'

By Michael Shreeves · 5 July 2026 · AI & Copilot · 2 min read

"Make this simpler" mostly gets you shorter sentences with the same jargon still in them.

What works better is telling it who's reading, what they already know and what you want them to do afterwards. That changes what gets cut, not just how it's phrased.

Rewrite the text below for [WHO, e.g. a clinic manager with no IT
background].
They already know: [WHAT THEY KNOW].
They don't know: [WHAT THEY DON'T, e.g. what MFA stands for].
After reading, they need to: [ONE ACTION].
Rules:
- Put the action first and the reason second.
- Swap jargon for plain words. If a technical term has to stay, explain
  it once in brackets.
- Keep every date, number and name exactly as written.
- UK English. Short paragraphs. Bullets only for a list of steps.
Text: [PASTE]

The action goes first because most technical writing buries it in paragraph four. The detail they don't need drops out, which "make it shorter" never manages. And the "They don't know" line is where the jargon gets dealt with: MFA is obvious to you and noise to them.

Check the facts afterwards, not just the tone. Simplifying is where accuracy leaks out. A caveat disappears, "must" turns into "should", a deadline goes soft. I'd compare the dates and obligations line by line against the original.

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