Clear Words

Clear Words Clear Words provides Easy English and Plain English writing services to businesses looking to communicate with the broadest possible audience.

In Australia today, 44% of adults have low literacy. This may be due to poor educational outcomes, English as a second language, disability, or ageing. Easy English (also known as Easy Read) is a style of writing that makes concepts and key messages easy to understand and read. It assists people with low literacy to access information that is important to them. Easy English focuses on presenting key messages, rather than all the detail. Images are used alongside concepts to assist the reader with comprehension. Plain English is a clear style of writing that uses only the number of words necessary to convey a message. Plain English avoids jargon, complex or technical language and complicated sentence structures. For a complete communications package, any business that has customers who have low literacy should consider providing communication materials in these formats. Not only will you be ensuring you are reaching the largest audience possible you will be acknowledging everyone's right to receive information in a meaningful way.

Melbourne based disability service provider OC Connections sets a great example with the Easy English versions of their ...
12/06/2018

Melbourne based disability service provider OC Connections sets a great example with the Easy English versions of their service brochures in a prominent, easy to access place on their website. Clear Words worked with the OC Connections to produce Easy English brochures for their employment, housing, holidays and recreation, day supports and support coordination services, using a consistent style, tone and branding. Each Easy English brochure sits alongside the standard version so it can be easily found and downloaded for users.

Enquire Now! General Information Car Wash Packing Administration Testimonials Feedback Form 1 2 3 4 5 OC Connections Enterprises 🔊 Listen to this OC Connections Enterprises (OCCE) is the supported employment arm of OC Connections. We are an Australian Disability Enterprise located in Oakleigh Sou...

Clear Words has been working with Plan Partners to provide their customers with important service information in Easy En...
29/05/2018

Clear Words has been working with Plan Partners to provide their customers with important service information in Easy English. Plan Partners CEO Sean Dempsey said, “After hearing repeatedly from our customers that there was a lack of Easy English materials out there, we decided to do something about it and enlisted some expert support to turn some of our most popular guides on plan management and support coordination into an easy to understand format."

You can find most of the information on this website in the following Easy English guides. The information is written in a style that is easy to read and some ideas are explained using pictures.

It’s Social Inclusion Week.    aims to help all Australians feel valued and included.  Providing people with information...
28/11/2017

It’s Social Inclusion Week. aims to help all Australians feel valued and included. Providing people with information in Easy English or Easy Read is an important step towards inclusion, ensuring more people have access to the information they need and want. To find out more you can visit our website www.clearwords.com.au

A Plain English version of Facebook's terms and conditions helps teens understand what they are really signing up for.
19/11/2017

A Plain English version of Facebook's terms and conditions helps teens understand what they are really signing up for.

Translating the small print into plain English reveals what you're really signing up to when you accept the terms and conditions.

A step towards greater transparency for small business banking customers.  Contracts in Plain English.  Hopefully there ...
15/10/2017

A step towards greater transparency for small business banking customers. Contracts in Plain English. Hopefully there will be more to follow.

The National Australia Bank is to simplify contracts for small business borrowers, cutting out more than a third of existing terms and contracts.

A great argument for the use of Plain and Easy English in the court system - not just in court proceedings but to help p...
24/08/2017

A great argument for the use of Plain and Easy English in the court system - not just in court proceedings but to help people navigate the system and understand the process.

A disability that affects an extraordinary percentage of prisoners in Victoria is poorly understood and treated.

Information is power and clear information is even more powerful.  The government is pushing power companies to be more ...
15/08/2017

Information is power and clear information is even more powerful. The government is pushing power companies to be more transparent by providing important information to customers about their bills in Plain English.

The Federal Government brokers a deal with energy retailers to tell customers more about what they pay for power.

Great to see another strong turn out at the VALID Our Choice Expo this week.  We spoke to lots of service providers who ...
09/06/2017

Great to see another strong turn out at the VALID Our Choice Expo this week. We spoke to lots of service providers who are already making Easy English a priority or will be doing so over the months ahead, as the NDIS gains momentum and many people are going through the planning process. Client service agreements, service information brochures and customer feedback sheets are just a few of the materials that organisations can be looking at providing in Easy English.

The expo will feature a wide range of services, equipment, training, early intervention, housing, technology and other supports avaialble to aprticipants of the National Disablity insurance Scheme (NDIS) and their families. It wil be of special interest to residents living in the Eastern Metro area...

Clear Words would like to announce our expanded service offering for 2017.  In addition to expertise in Easy and Plain E...
01/02/2017

Clear Words would like to announce our expanded service offering for 2017. In addition to expertise in Easy and Plain English writing, we now offer a full suite of communications support. This includes content writing for the web, marketing collateral, newsletters, annual reports and support for media campaigns. Drawing on decades of experience in the communications and public relations sector, our team can hone your existing materials or create new and exciting content designed to inform and engage your customers. Visit our website (www.clearwords.com.au) or call to find out more.

24/10/2016

Did you know 6 out of 10 Australians have low health literacy? This means they have difficulty reading important information regarding their personal health and navigating the health system.

Today, is Drop the Jargon Day (http://www.dropthejargon.org.au/). Organisations across Australia from the health, community services and local government sectors, are pledging to use Plain Language when communicating with the public. This includes providing written materials that are easier to read and understand – i.e. materials that use simple language, short sentences, avoid acronyms and explain complex terms.

Clear Words helps organisations Drop the Jargon, by working with them to review things like fact sheets, web-based materials and other resources used to inform customers and patients. We rewrite them in a way that is easier to read and understand using either Plain English or Easy English, depending on the target audience.

Drop the Jargon is a day for professionals in Australian health, community services and local government to use plain language. Pledge now Why should I pledge? 6 out of 10 of people in Australia have low health literacy. This means that the majority of people in Australia have difficulty accessing,…

An interesting program on SBS' Insight about the hidden costs of low literacy levels in Australia.  Research shows 1 in ...
23/08/2016

An interesting program on SBS' Insight about the hidden costs of low literacy levels in Australia. Research shows 1 in 3 Australians have literacy skills low enough to make them vulnerable to unemployment and social exclusion. Providing information, forms, surveys etc. in Easy English is one way organisations can support and empower people in their literacy journey.

The emotional, practical and financial toll of low literacy can be severe, particularly in a world that assumes almost everyone can read and write. But around 44 per cent of Australian adults lack the literacy skills required for everyday life, making daily tasks difficult.

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