Are you the Champion we’re looking for?

Are you the Champion we're looking for? Photo by Clark Tibbs on Unsplash

Are you one of our award-winning plain language Champions? After a break of almost 3 years, our premier Champion categories are back: Best Organisation and Best Individual or Team. The Award for Best Organisation is highly sought-after and you’ll join an elite band of past winners.

We know for sure that the judging team is looking forward to hearing about your plain language project. But how do you know whether the time is right to enter the Best Organisation category?

Here are five clues to help you decide if it’s your organisation’s time to shine. If any one of them is true, we recommend you enter!

1. Your organisation champions and celebrates clear communication

Clear communication is something your organisation values and rewards. Your leadership team walks the talk, promoting the benefits of clear communication throughout your organisation. You may even have gone the extra mile by working towards an external mark of quality like the WriteMark or WriteMark Plus.

Your internal documents, such as brand guidelines, policies, and newsletters, are written in plain language. Role descriptions emphasise the need to write clearly. Perhaps you even have formal KPIs for using plain language.

Let your industry peers know you’re a leader by entering the Champion category.

2. You’ve noticed better business results from clearer communication

You’ve got case studies or numbers that show improvement. Achieving a measurable return on your investment in business writing is evidence of Champion performance.

You recognise writing is more than an everyday activity in business — it can be a way to improve business success.

If you’ve cracked it, you deserve a medal!

3. You’ve had great feedback from customers about your communication style

Your customers value the way you communicate. Getting praise from customers for using plain language is praise indeed! People don’t offer praise lightly. They’re much more likely to complain about poor communication — or to say nothing at all.

Great feedback for your communication style shows you’re getting your message across in a way your customers appreciate.

We’d like to hear what brought about that success — and to tell the world about it!

4. You train your people in better business writing

Organisations that commit to a plain language culture offer their people resources and training. Writing in plain language takes skill and effort.

You train your staff to write clearly, which gives them a step up. They enjoy their writing more, and they write more efficiently.

Good on you for giving your people the tools they need to write well. That’s worth celebrating too!

5. Your organisation encourages peer review of print and online content

Peer review at key stages of a writing project is expected. People in your organisation seek out peer review as they can see the value in another person’s critique. Your peer review process uses a checklist or standard and is part of a defined process to achieve quality.

Reviewing and feedback can take place through user-testing too. Do you regularly seek feedback from real readers on your communications?

Good systems and processes are key to a Champion mindset. Enter the Awards and get some well-deserved external recognition for your work.