<\/p>\n
People\u2019s Choice awards for the best and worst of business writing were announced at a gala dinner in Wellington, New Zealand on Saturday, 5 November.<\/p>\n
The award for the Best Plain English Communication was taken out by well-known economic consultancy firm, the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research (NZIER) ahead of a number of strong contenders. NZIER\u2019s report on international trade and agreements and sovereignty, ISDS and Sovereignty, was judged to be an outstanding example of clarity and reader focus.<\/p>\n
The judges, Sue Chetwin of Consumer NZ and plain language experts Simon Hertnon and Ralph Brown, had high praise for the writers: \u2018The NZIER report is a breath of fresh air to readers used to struggling through lengthy, jargon-filled advisory documents.<\/p>\n
\u2018We wish this style of advisory writing were the norm rather than the exception. Decision makers across New\u00a0Zealand would not only be better informed, they would have more time and energy available to think about what to do with the advice they receive.\u2019<\/p>\n
Judges also praised the communications nominated for the two other finalists, calling Business.govt.nz\u2019s Employment Agreement Builder \u2018an impressive online tool\u2019 and Z Energy\u2019s annual report \u2018zesty\u2019 and \u2018refreshingly engaging\u2019.<\/p>\n
As always, the winner of the dreaded \u2018Brainstrain\u2019 Communication award was announced at the ceremony. This award reveals, in good humour, the document most notable for dumbfounding readers with gobbledygook.<\/p>\n
A job description produced by the Parliamentary Service was the dubious winner. The judges said the job description was \u2018\u2026a classic example of the myth that a verbose and impersonal document is somehow more professional than a concise and engaging one.\u2019<\/p>\n
To their credit, the Parliamentary Service took the award on the chin. They issued a response by way of a tongue-in-cheek video, shown to guests at the ceremony, in which they welcomed winning such a \u2018prestigious\u2019 award.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not all bad news. Along with the traditional bin filled with sour worms, the winner of the Brainstrain award gets two hours free consultancy with Write\u00a0Limited to start transforming the offending document, or another like it, into plain English.<\/p>\n
The People\u2019s Choice awards, one segment of the usual yearly Plain English Awards, were held this year as part of the Clarity2016 conference, an international gathering of plain language and communications specialists, legal writers, and business people.<\/p>\n
Awards founder Lynda Harris says, \u2018We\u2019ve seen the Awards shift attitudes and expectations about communication in the business, professional, and public sectors. Organisations recognise that plain language is no longer a nice-to-have; it\u2019s crucial to their success.\u2019<\/p>\n
The full Plain English Awards programme will resume in 2017.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
END<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Get more information:<\/p>\n
www.plainenglishawards.org.nz<\/a><\/p>\n
Lynda Harris, founder of the WriteMark Plain English Awards, [email protected]<\/a> and 021 404990<\/p>\n
Gregory Fortuin, Chair of the WriteMark Plain English Awards Trust, 021 465 254<\/p>\n
www.clarity2016.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"