# 020- "The Right Words" with Kathy Walsh

- Show: [Let's Combinate](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate)
- Published: 2022-02-16
- Length: 1h 42m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-02-16-020-the-right-words-with-kathy-walsh
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/letscombinate/episodes/020--The-Right-Words-with-Kathy-Walsh-e1eadlj

## Summary

Dr. Kathy Walsh, Director and Principal at Quality Systems Now, explains how to write plain language procedures for regulated industries, drawing on her book 'Eliminating the Gobbledygook'. She details techniques such as process mapping, inference building, sentence parsing, and active voice to reduce FDA 483 observations related to documentation. Walsh emphasizes that document design, including font choice and structure, is critical for comprehension and compliance, arguing that clear writing is a civil right and a core component of effective quality management systems.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-02-16-020-the-right-words-with-kathy-walsh#t=0) Introduction: Kathy Walsh and Quality Systems Now
- [4:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-02-16-020-the-right-words-with-kathy-walsh#t=259) Kathy Walsh's Career Journey from Biochemist to QMS Expert
- [16:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-02-16-020-the-right-words-with-kathy-walsh#t=964) Writing Work Instructions vs. SOPs and the 'Doc Dag' Culture
- [20:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-02-16-020-the-right-words-with-kathy-walsh#t=1207) Motivation for 'Eliminating the Gobbledygook' and FDA 483 Analysis
- [26:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-02-16-020-the-right-words-with-kathy-walsh#t=1607) Plain Language as a Civil Right and Audience Analysis
- [37:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-02-16-020-the-right-words-with-kathy-walsh#t=2249) Neuroscience of Reading: Inference, Schemas, and Sentence Parsing
- [52:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-02-16-020-the-right-words-with-kathy-walsh#t=3156) Active vs. Passive Voice and Nominalizations
- [1:05:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-02-16-020-the-right-words-with-kathy-walsh#t=3934) Process Mapping and Document Design (Fonts, White Space)
- [1:30:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-02-16-020-the-right-words-with-kathy-walsh#t=5403) Efficient Document Review and Approval Processes

## Topics

- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Quality Systems Now (company)
- Eliminating the Gobbledygook: secrets to writing plain language procedures (other)
- FDA (other)
- QSN Academy (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [How Communication Affects the Outcomes of Quality Activities](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2023-02-23-how-communication-affects-the-outcomes-of-quality-activities) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [Leaning into Lean Documentation](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2023-06-07-leaning-into-lean-documentation) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [#396: Mastering Device Descriptions: The Cornerstone of Medical Device Submissions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2024-12-19-396-mastering-device-descriptions-the-cornerstone-of-medical-device-submissions) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [Meet a Guru: Tom Rish](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2020-08-05-meet-a-guru-tom-rish) (Global Medical Device Podcast)
- [Guerilla Tactics for Quality Leadership](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/global-medical-device-podcast/2022-07-20-guerilla-tactics-for-quality-leadership) (Global Medical Device Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/lets-combinate/2022-02-16-020-the-right-words-with-kathy-walsh. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Let's Combinate.