Simplified » plain language

Plain language and design – five tips

Admin — Sat, 14 May 2016 09:45:10 +0000

The words in your email, brochure or report may be brilliant, but if your document is not supported by good design you’ll lose your readers from the start. Here are some tips for design that’s appealing to look at and easy to read. Plain language and design: how a document looks is as important as what it says […]

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Business speak in business writing: four reasons not to use it

Admin — Sun, 01 May 2016 20:47:39 +0000

Corporate lingo, management jargon, business speak … whatever you choose to call it, just don’t use it. It’s confusing, alienating, unproductive and embarrassing. (Guest post by Simplified business writing trainer, Melissa Davidson) I knew I’d truly arrived on the corporate scene when a manager asked me to bake a new product name into our marketing collateral by engaging […]

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What is plain English?

Admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 15:48:10 +0000

Plain English is when a reader can find, understand and use the information they need from a piece of communication. Plain English includes a range of elements such as the use of everyday words instead of jargon and legalese, and short, active sentences instead of long-winded passive sentences. But plain language isn’t only about words […]

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Clear communication in business

Admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 03:50:14 +0000

Simplified has helped remarkable companies to put in place programmes that simplify communications and transform complexity into clarity ‒ all with the overall purpose of improving customer experience and treating customers fairly. Here are seven factors that predict success in clear communication in business – these apply equally well to a small plain English rewrite and an enterprise-wide clear communications […]

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Marketing and Legal must collaborate to create clear customer-friendly documents

Admin — Sat, 07 Nov 2015 21:28:04 +0000

Marketing and Legal departments in financial services firms need to work closely together to produce documents that meet the clear communications demands of UK laws and regulations, such as the Consumer Rights Act and Treating Customers Fairly. The risks of silos between Legal and Compliance, and Marketing Traditionally, Legal and Compliance departments within financial services companies […]

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To reap the rewards of clear communication, you must test your documents with customers

Admin — Sat, 07 Nov 2015 17:54:07 +0000

Many UK companies are investing in improving their customer communications so that they are written clearly, in a way that´s aligned with Treating Customers Fairly and the Consumer Rights Act. But how do you measure if you are achieving this goal when there are no objective criteria for clear communication or plain language? UK laws […]

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The Consumer Rights Act and training in clear communication

Admin — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 11:52:52 +0000

The Consumer Rights Act – most of which came into force on 1 October 2015 – is the latest development in the rapid and ongoing transformation of the consumer landscape. Social media activism, regulatory intervention, and an increasingly informed consumer all mean that fairness, transparency, and simplicity in corporate communication are under the spotlight. The Consumer […]

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Insurance jargon simplified

Admin — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 21:34:08 +0000

No longer do consumers tolerate ‘small print’ and unnecessary jargon in insurance. Increasingly, these are viewed as wilful barriers to the truth – as WMDs (Words of Mass Deception). Organisations that continue to use them risk losing the trust of their stakeholders. The problem: small print that consumers distrust The long-term insurance industry has so much jargon […]

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Building reputation as a transparent investment company

Admin — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 21:31:08 +0000

A leading investment firm uses plain English and transparency to differentiate itself from its competitors and build its reputation. The problem How does an investment company stand out in the crowd, where products are complex and increasingly similar to each other? For an international investment firm based in Cape Town, the answer is to position itself […]

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Plain English and Treating Customers Fairly audits

Admin — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 21:26:48 +0000

Large companies produce thousands of documents, from adverts to customer-service letters, from annual reports to supplier agreements. A company-wide plain English and Treating Customers Fairly audit allows you to identify strengths and weaknesses, and understand where to focus your efforts. The problem: no benchmarks or action plans for improvement A global financial services company committed itself to communicating […]

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