2010 WriteMark |
Friday 3 September 2010 |
New Zealand Plain English Awards |
|
Keynote addresses
Dr Annetta Cheek
Chair, Center for Plain Language (Washington DC, USA)
Working with the government — engaging bureaucrats and playing the political game
So you really want your government to write in plain language. How do you go about getting agencies to make a commitment to plain language? What tools do you use to engage them in the plain language effort? How do you get your government to consider a statutory commitment to plain language?
Annetta will discuss the efforts she and other plain language advocates have made in the past 10 years to get the federal government in the United States involved in plain language. She’ll emphasise work in the past several years with several different executive branch agencies, and with the County of Los Angeles. She will also discuss work with the United States Congress to try to introduce and pass plain language legislation. Her address will cover the successes, the failures, and the stumbling blocks that the Center for Plain Language experienced when dealing with bureaucracy, especially the unique subculture of the Congress.
Dr Susan Kleimann
President, Kleimann Communication Group (USA)
Untangling complexity — using plain English to make policy meaningful to people
It sounds so easy, right? Convert complex documents into simpler and plainer language so people can understand them. Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done because of the complexity of our organisations, their policies and wide customer-bases, and the legal framework in which we operate.
Susan will explore a systematic information design and research approach to simplifying complex documents. Used with many government and industry clients, this approach untangles complex content while also clarifying related policy, procedural, and financial issues.
Her talk will highlight how rigorous document design and the use of plain English influence understanding at far deeper levels than just the written word. Plain English creates meaning and understanding that positively affects customers, organisations, and the bottom line.
Nathan McDonald
Executive Director, Mustor Institute (Australia)
A picture is worth a thousand words — the ultimate plain English transformation that eliminates risk and encourages compliance
In this presentation, Nathan will show how business, government, and defence documents, such as regulations, contracts, and specifications, can be broken down into their smallest compliance elements. These elements can then be presented graphically to improve reader understanding, reduce risk, and encourage compliance auditing.
The presentation will draw on two different examples. The first is from the new international anti-money laundering regulations that affect banks and insurance companies. The second example comes from an industry welding standard that is often referred to in regulations, contracts, specifications, and purchase orders.
Nathan will show how:
- complex text puts an organisation at risk because of subconscious interpretation by readers
- complex text can be transformed into a crystal-clear graphic that eliminates confusion and risk.
In particular, Nathan will show how your staff and suppliers can use the techniques Mustor Chunking (MIS 1200) and Mustor Mapping (MIS 1900).
At the 2005 Plain Language Association INternational conference in Washington DC, closing speaker Christopher Balmford described Mustor Management as ’the most exciting development in our field at the moment‘. He also said, 'We may look back and see its development as evolutionary'.
Sponsors
We would like to thank the following sponsors for their support in 2010.
