• The language of money
• Retirement savings affected by human factors
• Pardon?
• Health Information Lab — deliver or write health information that’s easy to take in and use
• Drawn Together — a new way to enrich meetings, workshops and much more
• Have you heard of fixmysentence.co.nz?

The language of money

When we launched our free ebook, Unravelling Financial Jargon, a couple of years ago, we'd seen very few financial documents that we'd call plain. But, happily, times are changing both here and around the world.  

New laws govern the financial sector and regulatory bodies such as the FMA insist on clear disclosure. So responsible companies are making a conscious effort to do better. But it's not time for complacency yet!

In a recent New Yorker article, John Lanchester talks about the language used in the world of finance.

He gives the bad and the good reasons for having a language for experts. Sometimes, he acknowledges, such terminology is used to exclude and baffle. More often, experts need terminology when talking to each other, but forget that the meanings they understand so well are obscure to others.

Read 'The language of money'

Retirement savings affected by human factors

Recently, our Professional Services Manager, Anne-Marie Chisnall, presented at the Workplace Savings NZ conference 'Shifting the Story Line'.

Anne-Marie was impressed by the keynote speaker, UK behavioural economist Dr Nick Southgate. He spoke about how people's behaviour and attitudes to saving affect their decision-making about retirement savings. Investing for retirement is something we know we need to do, but it can be a difficult thing to commit to because of the way our brains work. Plain language featured prominently in this talk.

Read 'Retirement savings affected by human factors'

Pardon?

The language of financial markets continues to mystify. The Washington Examiner has collected some statements by Federal Reserve bankers (the equivalent to our Reserve Bank), and suggests readers try to work out what they mean.

Read 'Pardon?'

Health Information Lab — deliver or write health information that’s easy to take in and use

We all use health information. Taking it in and using it well depends on a provider’s skill in writing or saying it, and our own ‘health literacy’ — the communication component of healthcare. If health information is easy to understand and use, the health outcomes of New Zealanders improve.

You can’t tell by looking who has good health literacy. Research shows that it costs four times as much to care for people with low health literacy.

In our Health Information Lab you'll work with your own material so everything you do is completely relevant to you.

The Lab is based on international best practice in health writing and considers the impact of people’s health literacy on their health outcomes.

You’ll learn techniques for writing and delivering information to a range of people so that they can understand it, take it in, and use it to manage their own and their families' health. When people do this well, New Zealand has better health and the government saves money.

The Lab is delivered by Rosie Knight, one of our plain English specialists. Rosie has extensive practitioner experience in the health sector and will help you connect your information with the people who need it.

Can we help you write more reader-focused health information?

After-hours training customised for your team
We know it’s difficult to find time for professional development. To suit your timetable, we can work after hours or in the weekend, or hold a Health Information Lab in half days or a series of modules.

Drawn Together — a new way to enrich meetings, workshops and much more

We are all communicators — we aim for an effective exchange of ideas and information. Common communication methods include meetings, workshops, and events, which many of us organise. So we'd like to let you know about a new way you can enrich and easily recall any group discussion. It’s called graphic recording.

Read Drawn Together — a new way to enrich meetings, workshops, and much more

Have you heard of fixmysentence.co.nz?

Fixmysentence.co.nz is our free sentence-fixing service. You submit a 'curly' sentence to us and we'll 'straighten' it for you.