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Symposium October 12, 2007 - Plain Language: Public Policy and Good Business

WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 15, 2006 – “Enough talk; let’s do something about it!” Such was the action-oriented atmosphere at the 2006 Center for Plain Language Symposium—an afternoon of discussion, exploration, and networking at the District of Columbia’s historic Charles Sumner School Museum.

Open to Center members and anyone interested in championing usable and understandable content, the Symposium filled the facility with approximately 50 attendees, from government communicators and university professors to corporate professionals and nonprofit association leaders. Participants enjoyed the Sumner School’s soaring ceilings and Victorian charm while feasting on snacks and conversing with friends and associates.

Throughout the afternoon, a variety of panelists, discussions, and workgroups focused on research and evidence supporting plain language, with the end goal of identifying tools for action. By enhancing awareness of plain language-related research, the Center hoped to enable attendees to:

• Reach out to a broader, more diverse audience of individuals and organizations;
• Convey information about plain language more powerfully and persuasively; and
• Design creative, outside-the-lines strategies for ongoing plain language advocacy.

Continue reading highlights from the CPL Symposium…

News

On February 26, 2008, the House Small Business Committee held a hearing on the Plain Language in Government Communications Act of 2007 (HR 3548). Sponsored by Rep. Bruce Braley of Iowa, the act would require federal agencies to write in plain language any material needed by the public to get a government service or benefit. On March 13, the bill was reported out by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The bill now goes to the full House for a vote.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Securities and Exchange Commission plans to propose new mutual fund disclosure rules at a November 15 meeting, the agency said on Wednesday.

The investor protection agency said it plans to propose that mutual funds provide investors with a summary prospectus "containing key information in plain English in a clear and concise format."

The SEC also said it will likely propose mutual funds provide more detailed information to investors on the Internet.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has completed its initial review of how 350 public companies have complied with the compensation disclosure requirements that went into effect in November 2006. The S.E.C. wanted companies to disclose more detailed information on how and what it pays its officers, and it wanted it in plain English.

And the verdict? Companies evidently don't speak plain English. Continue reading…

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The average person may find it tough to understand state government, but Washington state officials want to deploy changes to facilitate state personnel ceasing to employ acronyms, jargon and legalese that routinely pervade interfaces with constituents. Continue reading story…