How to write internal documentation that works

If the process is complicated, the documentation will be too. If you can't explain something in straightforward terms, you should correct the process until you can.

Your processes—and the documents explaining them—should aim for what helps the most people, not what helps a few people the most. 

Whether it's training materials, employee handbooks, or standard operating procedures, laying out everything in a non-daunting way can bring new team members up to speed faster.

Steven Pinker describes this phenomenon as "the curse of knowledge." He coined the term to describe what happens when experts overestimate the knowledge level of non-experts. We tend to assume too much knowledge, don't provide enough context, and fail to define abbreviations or jargon we take for granted. 

Having a strong company culture isn't something you can just declare. It takes deliberate action to bring people together and to make every department accessible. 

So: how do clear communications better company culture? For one thing, internal documents are a great way to establish the company in terms of character and style for employees. If employees feel like they're a part of something that they know and understand, they'll perform better.