Wellington conference to be a game-changer for clear writing

Media release: 07 September 2016

Wellington conference to be a game-changer for clear, accessible legal writing

Plain language experts and advocates from around the world will arrive in Wellington in November to attend Clarity2016, a plain language conference for law, business, and government.

The conference will focus on ‘the business of clarity’, promoting accessible writing across all business sectors and the consequent benefits for organisations that communicate with clarity. Speakers at the conference will investigate the link between clarity, reputation, and effectiveness.

Meeting consumer expectations around the world

Clarity2016 is co-hosted by Clarity International and Wellington plain language consultancy, Write.

Write CEO Lynda Harris says the conference will help writers meet growing international expectations for clear documents — especially clear legal documents.

‘Worldwide, consumers’ expectations for clear and easy-to-understand documents are increasing.

People want to be able to understand what they’re expected to do or to agree to, and they want to be able to do that quickly,’ says Harris.

‘Clarity2016 is about helping businesses win and keep clients and customers. And it’s also about making it easy for citizens to navigate public services and systems.’

‘Something for everyone’

Clarity International as an organisation promotes plain legal language. But conference organisers are quick to point out that this year’s event will have ‘something for everyone’. It will address legal, digital, and social science themes relevant to lawyers, legislators, government, and business writers.

The conference will feature interactive workshops, case study presentations, panel discussions, mentoring appointments, and ‘speed learning’ events.

An impressive international line-up of keynote speakers is set to impress at the conference. Speakers include: former Australian High Court judge Hon Michael Kirby, New Zealand’s Solicitor-General Una Jagose, Canadian lawyer and educator Sarah McCoubrey, and New Zealand psychologist and motivational speaker Dr Paul Wood.

Plenary and other speakers, coming from as far away as Norway and Ireland, will also address conference delegates on a broad and pertinent range of topics. They’ll speak about: the case for plain language in the professions; approaches to plain language training; accessibility in the digital world; the philosophy and ethics of reader-focused communication; and much more.

Wellington is proving a drawcard

Clarity conferences are held every 2 years, at locations around the world. Lynda Harris and Clarity president Joh Kirby, who is based in Australia, are excited that the conference is coming to New Zealand for the first time.

Lynda says holding the conference in New Zealand, and particularly Wellington, has been a drawcard for overseas delegates and New Zealanders alike.

‘It’s so exciting to have an international conference like this on our doorstep. To attend a conference of this calibre, we usually have to travel to the other side of the world, but here it is now in our beautiful country. And our overseas delegates are thrilled to be coming to the ‘coolest little capital in the world’!’ Lynda says Clarity2016 perfectly coincides with New Zealand’s annual Plain English Awards. The People’s Choice categories for the awards will be presented at a gala event on the closing night of the conference.

Register for Clarity2016

Visit the conference website for more information and to register: www.clarity2016.org

More about Lynda Harris

Lynda Harris is founder of Write Limited, a New Zealand plain English communications company.

Write’s main focus is helping government, commercial, and professional organisations improve their bottom line through clear, effective writing. Lynda established the WriteMark, New Zealand’s document quality mark, and is the author of Rewrite – how to overcome daily sabotage of your brand and profit. She is the founder of New Zealand’s annual Plain English Awards and has been a guest judge for the US ClearMark Awards since 2011. In 2015 Lynda was awarded the Mowat Plain Language Achievement Award – an international award recognising an outstanding contribution to advancing the cause of plain language. She is also the New Zealand representative for Clarity International.

Visit Write’s company website for more information: www.write.co.nz Visit the WriteMark website: www.writemark.co.nz

More about Joh Kirby

Joh Kirby is President of Clarity International, a role she has held since 2013. She is also Executive Director of the Victoria Law Foundation in Australia, an organisation with a focus on helping Victorians understand the law and their legal system. Joh has a strong commitment to making the law more understandable and to improving legal literacy. In 2010, she was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to investigate best practice in community legal education. She often speaks on the subject of plain language and the law, sharing the experiences of the foundation with other organisations in Victoria and at international conferences.

Most recently, Joh has worked with the Supreme Court of Victoria and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to improve their online communication.

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