Symposium 2009: Achieving transparency through plain language

Panel 1: The State of the Art in Information Design

Moderator:

Presenters:

Dona Wong, Strategy Director, Information Design, Siegel+Gale, (formerly Senior Information Designer, Wall Street Journal)
The grammar of graphics (PDF 5.6 MB)
You can also read Dona’s blog

Karl Gude, Michigan State University School of Journalism
Understanding through visualization (PDF 4.6 MB)

Karen Schriver, PhD, Principal, KSA Communication Design & Research
Clear and conspicuous: Designing content visually

Panel 2: Plain English Initiatives in the Federal Government

Moderator:

Irene Etzkorn, Simplification Advisor, Siegel + Gale

Presenters:

Sandra Hilfiker, Health Communication Advisor, Department of Health and Human Services
It’s hard to be simple: Tips for designing easy-to-use health web sites (PPT 3.6 MB)

Jodi L. Patterson, Director, Office of Taxpayer Burden Reduction (IRS)
Take notice: The IRS changes taxpayer correspondence (PDF 1.4 MB)

Janice (Ginny) Redish, PhD, President, Redish & Associates
Plain language makes a difference when people vote (PDF 710 KB)

Panel 3: Clarity and Transparency in Financial Communications.

Moderator:

Josiah Fisk, President and Creative Director, Firehouse Financial

Presenters:

Dennis Campbell, PhD, Associate Professor, Harvard Business School
Plastic payment plans: Designing credit card statements to positively influence consumer behavior (PDF 361 KB)

Josiah Fisk, President and Creative Director, Firehouse Financial
Learning to expect the Spanish Inquisition: The ideals and the realities of the summary prospectus rule (PDF 1.25 MB)

Deborah Bosely, PhD, President, The Plain Language Group
How much do they make and how will we know? Executive compensation and SEC plain language regulations (PDF 5.7 MB)