Judge: Best Plain Language Document — Private Sector

Principal Advisor, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Wellington, New Zealand

An advocate for clarity and clear communication

Jonathan has worked with government agencies and organisations in the private sector to help them clearly communicate with their readers. He was previously the practice manager for Write Limited, assessing documents for the WriteMark and WriteMark Plus. His keen eye for communication design helped many clients create reader-friendly documents. And his banking experience helped to cut through the gobbledegook of financial jargon.

Always thinking about the customer journey

Jonathan has always put customers at the heart of everything he does. His mantra has been: ‘Think about who your audience is and how you need to communicate with them.’

User-testing and design-thinking methodologies are his go-to tools for work. And a bit of common sense doesn’t hurt either!

Spreading the love of plain language

Jonathan is always talking to people about plain language. He uses his plain language skills to support his strategic thinking as an advisor in the public sector, translating technical jargon for audiences at all levels.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a PA, EA, or CE, you shouldn’t need a BOA (book of acronyms) to read what’s in front of you.

Meet the judges for the Plain Language Awards

How the judging process works