Frequently Answered Questions (FAQs)
In communicating complex information, we can learn from the pioneers of the Internet.

They invented, probably out of desperation, a concept called Frequently Answered Questions. No doubt wearying of answering the same few questions over and over again for newbies (newcomers to the Net), someone came up with a separate web page dedicated to those common questions. They called it the Frequently Asked Questions page, and its acronym, FAQ, has become commonplace online.

You still see FAQs on many websites. I visit and use them myself. In most cases, FAQs provide information that’s useful to site visitors, but not directly relevant to the site’s purposes.

So, why don’t we use them more often in other communication contexts?

Consider benefits, for example, which we discussed in the previous post. A company might still publish a pocket-sized booklet with the main information, as it has in the past. But, it could also add a few pages (online or offline) that answer the questions that benefits staff field most often.

Similarly, sales brochures might include a FAQ that answers questions prospective buyers ask most often. In a sales context, a FAQ can be doubly useful. It provides essential information that buyers might need, but does not interrupt the flow of the sales message.

We could also use them for associations. I’ve written a couple of brochures for non-profit organizations in which I volunteer. Perhaps I should now add FAQs to them as well.