HR Professional - April/May 2008 - (Page 33)

ON ME S SAGE nowledge is power and communicating that knowledge to the right people in the right way at the right time is critical. But many organizations do not meet that potential. While they understand what must be said, how they say it can leave their users overwhelmed. Nowhere is clear, plain-language communication more important than in a company’s employee manual, which provides details, procedures and forms needed in the company’s day-to-day administration. Often, these can be extremely complex and technical. Consider the example from the Ontario Pension Board. BY JIM PURDY PLAIN LANGUAGE COMMUNICATION K 1 VERSION Common-Law Relationship Letters of Declaration Two declaration letters from either two “third party” professionals (lawyer, doctor, bank manager or similar) or from a “third party” professional and an immediate relative of the member (parent, child, sibling). Each letter must state the specific period of time the person has known the member and spouse, and the length of time they were living in a spousal relationship. Although the text is accurate, it’s hard to understand. From the user’s perspective, it’s easier to pick up the phone and have an expert explain the same information in a direct way. That’s what plain language is all about: simplifying the message, not the information. Complex information does not require complex messaging. Reconfiguring the text will give the reader what they’d get over the phone. VERSION Common-Law Relationship Letters of Declaration Members must submit two letters of declaration. These letters can be from two third-party professionals or from one third-party professional and one close relative of the member. A “third party” professional is a lawyer, doctor, bank manger or similar; an immediate relative is a parent, child or sibling of the member. Each letter must state how long the person has known the member and spouse and how long the member and spouse were living as a couple. The readability of the information has improved without compromising the message’s complexity. Readability is crucial to communicating the information, but usability is another essential component. This takes us beyond the principles of grammar and vocabulary and into the realm of cognitive psychology—how the brain actually processes information; as well as information typing—categorizing all information based on its purpose for the user. When cognitive principles and information typing principles are applied, the information becomes easy to reference and simple to understand. 2 VERSION Letters of Declaration: Commom-law Relationships Members must submit two letters of declaration validating their common-law relationship from either of the following: • two letters from third-party professionals Note: “Third party” professional refers to a lawyer, doctor, bank manager or similar OR • one letter from a third-party professional AND • one letter from close relative Note: Close relative refers to a parent, child or sibling of the member. Each letter must contain the following: • how long the person has known the member and spouse AND • how long the member and spouse were living as a couple The format above reflects what the information means: bullets to list items otherwise buried in serial sentences and sub-labels to isolate definitions such as “third party.” Jim Purdy is vice-president of training information at Mapping Canada (www.infomap.ca). 3 w w w. HRT houghtLeader. c om A p r i l / M a y 2 0 0 8 33 http://www.infomap.ca http://www.HRThoughtLeader.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - April/May 2008

HR Professional - April/May 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters By the Numbers On the Web Careers World Watch Accounting Health & Safety Foreign Professionals Management Office Life Legal Compensation Web 2.0 @ Work Talent Management Systems On Message Strategy HR 101 Interview With Colin Mackay Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - April/May 2008

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