Anatomy of a Great Nutrition Handout
What makes an engaging, informative, and creative nutrition handout? We're glad you asked! (You did ask, right?). At Food and Health Communications Inc, we are always striving to bring you the best nutrition handouts, and we've learned quite a few strategies on the way. Today, we decided to compile our favorites into a list just for you -- check it out! If you have questions, feel free to contact us anytime.Strategy One: Create a Great TitleIf you have the most amazing handout in the world but don't give it a good title, your odds of a client failing to download it or read it will go through the roof. Make sure that your title communicates the key to the subject in a clear and engaging way. Confusing and overly complex titles should be clarified, and overly wordy titles should be shortened. For example, if you're giving an overview of diabetes, the title "Diabetes: An analysis of blood sugar levels, effective lifestyle strategies, dangers to avoid, and resources to access" is too long and can be confusing, even though it does clearly state everything the handout will discuss. Instead, try "Diabetes 101," or "The Keys to Diabetes." These titles are short, clear, and to the point. Plus, they imply that the handout is going to cover the basics of the subject -- which is the goal.Strategy Two: Pick the Best TextEvery great handout needs to include information about the subject. (Otherwise... well... what exactly would your goal even be?). Make an outline and organize all your information before you start putting it together in the handout. Review your draft several times to make sure that you are communicating your information clearly and that your ideas flow logically from one point to the next. Where should a reader start? What's the most important aspect of your handout? Answer these questions and you'll be well on your way.Strategy Three: Use a Tip BoxA wall of text engages no one. Break things up and still communicate your main points by inserting a colorful text box. This is a great place for demonstrations of examples, details that are pertinent to a key point, or a story that is linked to the article.Strategy Four: Use Pictures and Visual AidsIf a picture is worth a thousand words, think how many words you'll save by adding a bit of art to your handout! Like the last tip, this one is about breaking up the text and making the handout interesting for your clients. Plus, people use different stimuli to learn, so including a variety of approaches to the same topic (i.e. text, images, graphs, charts, etc) makes your handout more appealing for a wider audience. Not sure where to start? Check out our selection of free clip art, or bring your own artistic abilities to the table. Your handout will be better for it.Strategy Five: Offer a Guide to Further ResourcesIt's practically impossible to fit all the pertinent information on a subject into a single handout, so stop trying. Instead, offer a "For More Information" section that lists resources that your clients can use to investigate the aspects of your subject that interest them the most.Questions, comments, concerns, or contributions? Contact us today! We'd love to hear from you.
