Center for Plain Language - 2009 Symposium

Achieving transparency through plain language

Date:	October 30, 2009
Time:	Workshop: 9:00 – 11:00 AM Registration: 12:00 - 12:30 Symposium: 12:30 – 5:00 PM Reception: 5:00 – 7:00 PM
Place:	National Press Club 529 14th Street NW Washington, DC Directions to the National Press Club

Sponsored by

To be transparent, you must speak and write clearly. That's plain language.

Come hear how plain language promotes transparency, saves time and money for everyone, and supports agency and business goals.

This year, our speakers will share results from plain language projects in finance, health, tax notices, voting, and more.

If you are not yet writing in plain language, learn how.

Welcome:

Dr. Annetta Cheek, Chair, Center for Plain Language
Lee Rafkin, Siegel+Gale, LLC

Keynote:

Congressman Bruce Braley (D. Iowa), sponsor of the bill he will talk about
The Plain Language Act of 2009.

Panel 1: The State of the Art in Information Design
Moderator:	Alan Siegel, Chairman and CEO, Siegel+Gale
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 main points in her 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)

Closing:

Don Byrne, Executive Director, Center for Plain Language