• An introduction
• Cleardocs and the plain language mission
• Benefits of plain language
• Plain language training
• Rewriting documents
  • Major legal documents
  • Insurance documents
  • Legislative & regulatory documents
  • Government manuals & guides
• Christopher's clients
• Cleardocs in the media
• Articles and presentations
• Guest editor
• Winning the plain-language debate
• Useful references
• Contact Christopher Balmford
• Links

Plain language training

Christopher has delivered plain-language training courses for law firms, financial services organisations, government regulatory bodies, graphic design studios, law students, and in universities.

In 2003, Christopher's colleague Bob Milstein (who is also a lawyer) began presenting the plain-language training course.

To find out about organising a course for your organisation, or about dates for public courses, contact Christopher on 1300 307 343.

The company's training experience includes:

• Law firms such as Mallesons Stephen Jacques, Minter Ellison, and Cutler Hughes and Harris
• AMP Limited and Colonial First State
• University of Cape Town and the University of Technology, Sydney

The highlights are his work for the UN in Southern Africa, and the long-term cultural-change projects he ran:

• a session for the European Central Bank in Frankfurt in 2003. Plain language is gathering momentum in the European Union;
• the long-term cultural-change projects he ran at his previous employer, the law firm Phillips Fox and;
• for his client AMP Limited (one of Australia's largest financial services organisations), to whom he was seconded for 2.5 years.

Southern Africa for the UN's International Labour Organization

In October 1998, Christopher conducted a three-week training and cultural-change program in Southern Africa. The program was funded by the United Nation's International Labour Organization. During the program, Christopher delivered training for:

• various government bodies in South Africa, including: the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration; the Department of Labour; and the National Association of Bargaining Councils; and
• the Ministry of Justice in Namibia.

University of Cape Town

Christopher conducted the program jointly with Phil Knight from Vancouver, Canada. In July 2001, Christopher was one of three key presenters of a one-week intensive Certificate in Legal Writing course at the Faculty of Law at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. The other presenters were Professor Halton Cheadle from the University, and Phil Knight from Vancouver, Canada. The course had two streams, a legislative drafting stream, and a commercial drafting stream.

At Phillips Fox

Christopher joined the Melbourne office of Phillips Fox in late 1992, a time when law firms had traditionally rejected plain language and the value it adds to business. Christopher helped the firm to become, and to be known as, a leader in clear legal communication. He did that:

• by advocating plain language in the firm, at conferences, and in the media;
• by training the firm's partners and staff in Australia and New Zealand;
• by helping to rewrite the firm's precedents in plain language; and
• by rewriting documents for clients.

Since leaving the firm in 1999, Christopher continues to deliver plain-language training courses for Phillips Fox.

In 2000, Phillips Fox conducted a brand audit that showed that the clarity of the firm's advice and documents, and its plain-language rewriting services, were highly recognised and valued by clients and potential clients.

At AMP Limited

After a tendering process, AMP seconded Christopher from Phillips Fox to provide plain-language services throughout 1996. Christopher moved to Sydney to provide those services. The contract was renewed for 1997 and again until 30 June 1998. For those 2.5 years, Christopher worked full-time for AMP and was based in the AMP Building in Sydney.

Christopher was a key part of AMP's ongoing plain-language project that aimed:

• to review, rethink, and rewrite every document used to communicate with customers;
• to transfer plain-language skills to AMP staff. Christopher ran 1.5 day plain-language training courses for groups of 10 AMP staff at a time. He trained approximately 1,500 AMP people throughout Australia and New Zealand; and
• to develop and implement AMP's Customer Communication Strategy. The Strategy aimed to commit all staff to plain language and to enable them to write documents that were so clear that they enhanced AMP's brand in the eyes of readers. The key to the strategy involved creating a group of specialist clear communicators and distributing a kit to all staff. The clear communicators act as change-agents and writing coaches for their colleagues. The kit provides techniques and solutions relevant to clear communication, including a user-friendly style guide that staff actually use.

AMP is still one of Christopher's clients.

University of Technology, Sydney

Since 1999, Christopher has regularly delivered a short plain-language training workshop as part of the Professional Program that the University of Technology, Sydney runs for law graduates seeking to qualify for admission to practice in New South Wales.