An introduction

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» about Christopher's services and experience by clicking on the links in the left-hand column

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You can contact Christopher on:

Phone: 1300 307 343 or email him at christopher.balmford@cleardocs.com

Christopher is an internationally recognised expert in making legal and related documents clear, accurate, and easy to use.

His clients include 8 major national law firms, 12 public listed companies, 5 government bodies, the United Nations and the European Central Bank (which is responsible for the euro).

Christopher provides plain-language training, advises on communication cultural-change programs, provides style guides, and rewrites documents.

You can attend his one-day plain-language course:

in Melbourne at the Sir Zelman Cowen Centre in the law school at Victoria University, see here
in Sydney at The CLE Centre, see here
at Chartered Secretaries Australia (in various cities), see here.

Plain-language and Cleardocs

Cleardocs is part of Christopher's work in support of the world-wide plain-language movement. That movement has been so successful that people everywhere - consumers and businesses - are demanding plain language. In turn, professional service providers and businesses are starting to supply clear communication. That brings benefits to all.

Christopher aims to contribute by enabling and encouraging people both to write clearly and to use documents that readers can understand. He regularly speaks at conferences and publishes articles. He was guest editor of an issue of Clarity -- a legal plain language journal published by the association Clarity.

He also delivers plain-language training courses, almost weekly.

Approach to clear communication

Christopher believes that clear communication depends:

on the careful consideration of the document's audience and purpose;
on the integration of the document's language, structure, and design;
on (when possible) testing drafts with readers to find out both how well the readers are receiving the intended message, and how to improve the document; and
on ensuring that the relevant organisation's culture supports and values clear communication.

Clear communication is worth the effort involved. An organisation's documents help form the "voice" of its brand. If that "voice" is easy to read, to understand, and to use, then the organisation's documents enhance its brand every time they are read. This is true for law firms, for corporations, and for governments.

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