Why Training Materials Readability Matters More Than You Think
- Deanna Jager
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Your employees are capable. But your training materials might be getting in their way.
Here is something that may surprise you. Many workplace training materials are written at a reading level that is too high for the employees expected to use them.
Research from the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies shows that about one in five adults in Canada has low literacy skills, roughly equivalent to a sixth grade reading level or below. Yet many workplace training materials are written at a high school reading level or higher.
In hospitality training, where English may be a second language for many staff, this gap becomes even more critical. If your team cannot read your training materials easily, they cannot follow your procedures. And when procedures break down, your guests feel the impact.
The surprising part is that many leaders create this problem without even realizing it.
The Hidden Problem with Workplace Training Materials
Let me share something that may change how you think about workplace training.
According to OECD literacy data, a significant portion of adults read below a high school level. However, many employee training materials are written at a grade ten reading level or higher.
Think about what this means.
Many employees begin training already cognitively overloaded. They spend mental energy trying to decode the words, which leaves less capacity for actually learning the job.
When employees struggle to read instructions, they cannot focus on understanding the procedures.
What Reading Level Should Training Materials Be?
Most workplace learning specialists recommend writing employee training materials at a grade six to eight reading level. This level allows employees to understand procedures quickly and reduces confusion during onboarding.
Clear writing helps employees understand instructions quickly and reduces mistakes during real operations. This is especially important in fast-paced environments like hospitality where staff often reference procedures during busy shifts.
Why I Pay Attention to Training Materials Readability
In my work, I regularly review employee training materials, job aids, and operational procedures.
One pattern appears again and again. Training documents are often written at a reading level far higher than the employees who need to use them during busy shifts.
When those materials are simplified and rewritten in plain language, training becomes faster, employees ask fewer clarification questions, and compliance with procedures improves.
We saw this firsthand when we worked with a food service company that was teaching employees about the laws that applied to their work.
Laws are naturally written at a very high reading level. They need to be precise and comprehensive. But when you are teaching someone how to follow those laws in daily work, you need to translate that complexity into plain language.
We helped the company reduce the reading level of their training from university level down to grade eight. The legal requirements stayed the same. The expectations stayed the same. What changed was the way the information was explained.
And that shift matters more than most leaders realize.
Why Reading Level Matters in Employee Training
Here is the key insight many managers miss. Reading level is not about intelligence. It is about cognitive load.
When employees struggle to decode words, their brains cannot focus on understanding procedures. You are asking them to do two mental tasks at once. They have to interpret the language while also learning the job. Even very capable employees will struggle under those conditions.
Many leaders worry simplifying training materials will make them sound childish or unprofessional.
This is one of the biggest myths in workplace learning. Simple language does not mean dumbed down content. It means clear communication.
Look at some of the most widely read travel and tourism content in Canada. Parks Canada visitor guides, airline travel instructions, and destination marketing materials are written in clear language so they can be understood quickly by millions of visitors. These publications are not simplistic. They are carefully designed to be accessible.
Clear writing is not about reducing intelligence. It is about reducing friction.
Clear Writing Helps Everyone
Simple language benefits everyone, not just employees with lower literacy levels.
People with advanced education also read faster and retain more when information is written clearly.
You do not lose sophistication when you simplify language. You gain effectiveness.
Managers and executives appreciate training materials they can quickly scan during a busy shift just as much as frontline staff.
How to Test the Reading Level of Your Training Materials
Testing your training materials is easier than most people think. Many word processors include readability tools such as the Flesch Kincaid readability test.
Run your training document through the tool and check the grade level score. For most workplace training materials, aim for grade six to eight readability. If your content is scoring grade ten or higher, it may be harder to read than necessary.
Five Steps to Improve the Readability of Training Materials
You can quickly improve the readability of workplace training materials by following five simple steps:
Replace long or technical words with simpler alternatives.
Break long sentences into shorter ones.
Use active voice to make instructions clearer.
Use bullet points and white space to organize information.
Test your training materials with real employees.
Here is what that looks like in practice.
Replace long words with simpler ones
Utilize becomes use
Demonstrate becomes show
Approximately becomes about
Keep a list of simple substitutions that work in your industry.
Break up long sentences
If a sentence contains more than 25 words, consider splitting it. Each sentence should communicate one main idea. Shorter sentences are easier for employees to process.
Use active voice
Active voice makes instructions clearer.
Instead of writing: Guests should be greeted by staff.
Write: Staff greet guests.
Employees immediately know who is responsible for the action.
Add white space and bullet points
Large blocks of text overwhelm readers before they even begin. Break information into short sections, bullet points, and clear headings. White space makes training materials easier to scan during busy shifts.
Test with real employees
This step is often skipped, but it is the most important.
Ask several staff members to read the material aloud. If they hesitate or ask questions, revise those sections. Your content is not finished until employees can use it successfully.
Why Readability Matters Even More in Hospitality
Hospitality workplaces are often linguistically diverse. According to the 2021 Census, about one in four Albertans has a first language other than English. In hospitality workplaces, the percentage may be even higher.
For employees who speak English as a second language, complex sentence structures create an additional barrier beyond vocabulary. Each employee may be translating your instructions mentally while also trying to learn the task.
Small Language Changes Can Improve Compliance
Consider common food safety instructions. Many manuals use phrases such as:
"in accordance with" and "prior to completion".
Replacing these phrases with simpler alternatives improves clarity.For example:
use follow instead of in accordance with
use before finishing instead of prior to completion
Employees usually understand the concept. They simply need clear language.
Tips for Training Multilingual Teams
If your workforce includes employees who speak English as a second language, keep these guidelines in mind.
Avoid idioms, slang, and cultural references.
Instead of writing: Touch base with your supervisor.
Write: Talk to your supervisor.
Be explicit about expectations and outcomes.
It also helps to include a glossary of industry terms with simple definitions in every training packet. This supports new employees and ensures everyone uses the same terminology when discussing procedures.
Strong Onboarding Depends on Clear Training Materials
Research by the Brandon Hall Group shows that strong onboarding processes can improve new hire retention by up to 82 percent and increase productivity by more than 70 percent.
However, onboarding only works if employees can actually understand the training materials.
If the language is too complex, employees spend their time trying to interpret instructions instead of learning the job.
Make Readability Part of Your Training System
Simplifying one document helps. Maintaining readability across all training materials requires a system.
Create a simple writing guide that includes approved terminology and preferred sentence structures. Require everyone who contributes to employee training materials to follow it.
Professional training materials are not the ones that sound impressive. They are the ones employees can follow during real work situations. Professional means effective.
Start Improving Your Training Materials Today
Choose one training document today and run it through a readability checker.
You may be surprised by the result.
Accessible training content does not lower standards. It removes barriers so employees can meet higher standards. When your team clearly understands what you are asking them to do, they can focus their mental energy on doing the job well instead of trying to decode complicated instructions.
Your employees want to succeed. Sometimes the only thing standing between them and success is language that is more complex than it needs to be.
Fix that, and everything else becomes easier.
Want Help Improving the Readability of Your Training Materials?
Our team has designed and delivered learning programs for multiple adult literacy initiatives. We bring that same expertise to workplace training, helping organizations turn complex policies and procedures into clear, practical instructions employees can actually use.
If you would like help reviewing or simplifying your training materials, we would be happy to talk about how clearer content can improve onboarding, compliance, and employee confidence.
