Plain Language Awards

Celebrate the stories of our clearest business communicators

Finalist: Best Plain English Document — Private Sector 2018

Litmus Limited

Document name

Young people’s perception of the firefighter role


Judges’ comments

The language is plain and explains technical terms well. It is, overall, easy to read from a language perspective.

Sentences are clear and straightforward with logical relationships among them. Additionally, the report uses active voice throughout. Words seem to be precise, familiar, and representative of ‘plain English’.


Media statement

We’re excited to be finalists for the plain English award. Litmus is a social research and evaluation company, and we know clear communication is essential. We always write concise reports for our readers. We want to provide information our clients can use.

Our report for Fire and Emergency New Zealand meets the research-to-action sweet spot. We provided strong evidence, a compelling story and an easy to read report. Our readers are busy, action-focused people so we kept the report short and simple. Fire and Emergency New Zealand value research that helps them make evidence-informed decisions. They are using this research to inform their recruitment strategies and planning for 2019. We are delighted to have this fantastic opportunity to showcase how we use plain English to take research into action.

Anna Thompson

R&E Practitioner