Dear list,

Megan Sety of Seattle brought  up a way to enhance the effectiveness of 
health care (and other) instructions -  make the instruction interactive by having 
a person help the reader  understand.  If at all possible, have a person help 
the reader by pointing  out the key information, and asking them to convert 
your (brochure) words into  their words. When a patient can do this, they 
understand.

A parallel idea  is to build interaction into the instruction itself.  Ask a 
question;   include boxes to check,  ask how the reader will change, or adopt  
behaviors, select from several pictures, make a list (include blank lines for 
 the reader to write in), etc. 

With interaction we are involved, we are  excited, we learn, we remember.  
Thanks for calling this to our  attention.

Len and Ceci