Clear Language Work in the Public Sector

- The Norwegian Model

Sanja K. Skaar

Senior adviser

Co-ordinator ofClear Language Work in Norway’s Civil Service

• Introduce the Norwegian

context and model

• Present how we work

• Show two cases from

Norway

• Give you some advice –

lessons learnt from the

Norwegian work

Journey to Norway –

the next 30 minutes

The Norwegian Model

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• The story began in 2007 with a

question at the Parliament to the

Minister responsible for The

Norwegian Public Pension Fund

• 2008-2012 Project period

• 2011 Clear Legislative language project

• 2013- Continued work – Difi and Språkrådet

• 2014 Programme for municipalities

• 2018-2021 Difi – new strategy

How did we get started?

The timeline

Engelsk mal: Tekst uten kulepunkter

Why is plain language important?

Democracy

Respect and trust

Efficiency

User-orientation

Engelsk mal: Tekst uten kulepunkter

Dedicated politicians

Plain language in municipalities

Efficiency

Plain legal language in education and research

Democracy,

openess and

participation

Plain Language in laws and

regulations

The organisation in the project period

In charge of the project

Responsible for the project management,

administration and communication – 2 FTE

Lingustic reponsibility – 1-2 FTE

• Language policy (2005) –

white paper

• Communication policy (2009)

• eGovernment policy (2012)

• Accessibility strategy (2015)

• Digital agenda (2016) – white

paper

Clear language in policy

documents

• Use of carrots

• Use of humor

• Sharing is careing

• Giving roles to the

politicians

Methods

• Build awareness

• Stimulate to adopting goodand user-friendly language

• Develop knowledge

• Build capacities

• Develop tools

• Share experiences

• Get the managers on board

• Involve the politicians

The Norwegian strategy

• Project funding and grants to the government agencies

• Purchase of clear languagecourses

• Clear language prize

• Conferences, seminars

• Development of klarspråk.no

• Scholarships to students

• Surveyes etc.

1,6 million EUR in the

project period

Activities 2009-2012• Assisting agencies that want to start clear language

projects in their own organisation

• Giving advice in clear language project management and guide for planning and executing plain language projectsin governmental agencies

• Developing tools: guidelines, checklists, case studies, language games and quizzes

• Gathering examples (before and after) and sharingexperiences

• Custumised courses from the Language Council ofNorway held in the agencies

• The Norwegian government’s Plain Language Prize

• Purchase of consulting services for development of language profiles or guidelines

• Work on texts

• Lectures

• Clear language cources from the private market

• E-learning cources in the agencies

• Document analysis and surveys

• Evaluations

• User testing and development of templates

• Clear language courses

Funding and grants

Achievements and the evaluation

• Great effort

• Increased awareness

• More knowledge

• Concrete work with rewriting texts

• Good results when project were well rooted

• The right mix of activites

• Important inspiration and driving force for activities in theagencies

• A considerable number of activities and agencies involved in the project

After the project period

• Continued with seminars, national clear language

conference, the prize, klarspråk.no, diverent tools,

some grants

• The most successful product: e-learning course in

plaing language

• New project: Plain Legal Language

The project Plain legal language

Launched in 2011 by Minister

Rigmor Aasrud from the Labour party

The language in laws contaminates all

types of texts in the public sector

People find it hard to read and

understand laws and regulations

Surveys, research, reports, seminars,

conference and courses. Grants.

The Plain legal language project has four goals:

1) Building knowledge and

awareness

2) Developing new model laws

4) Changing the educational

system

3) Changing the law making

process

Four ministries got language and

legal assistance, learned new

working methods, laws were user

tested.

New requirements for lawmakers are

on the way.

Involving the Oslo University in our

work, seminars,

conferences, grants to students.

Results so far – the four model laws

Defence Act. Reduced from 130 paragraphs to 70. The law has come into force. Also the regulations have been revised.

Adoption Act. Has passed through Parliament.

Education Act. Totally rewritten. A new Government Committee will build on the revised version.

Inheritance Act. Will merge with another law, is still being worked on.

A historical treaty signed in August 2016

The Ministry supports the University of Oslo, Law Faculty, with 333 000 EUR each

year for the next 10 years

• More emphasis on the documentation ofthe results

• More emphasis on measuring effects

• Be more clear on what is the role of theleaders and the clear languagecoordinators and languageambassadors in the agencies

• More efforts on connecting clearlanguage to other modernising efforts

• More support to the leaders in how to build culture for clear language work

• More emphasis on the workingprocesses and not only the products(text)

Lessons learnt

• Where are we now?

• Where are we heading?

• What caracterizes the

Norwegian state

government today?

• Where is the state

government heading?

• How can we work smarter?

New strategy 2018-21

Skedsmo municipality

What were the results?

• The process, from the application is recieved to a new resident

moves in is more efficient.

• Wait times reduced from 3-6 months to 5 weeks.

• Shared worldview and removed silos

• Changes in the work process

• Managers with authorities led the way

• User testing crucial to the result

The Norwegian Gaming and Foundation Authority

What did they measure and what were the results?

1. The users’ opinions on the language in the written communication.

• User surveys in 2011, 2012 and 2015.

• In 2015, about 80 per cent responded that they think the Authority uses a plain and clear language in its written communication.

• This is a notable increase over 2011 and 2012.

2. Attitudes to plain language among the employees

- Surveys in 2011, 2012 and 2015.

- Most staff members have found that legal and plain language can becombined- In 2015, 96 % of staff responded that plain language is a democratic right

3. The number of telephone inquiries and emails from users

- Registrations in some teams in 2011 and 2012. - The number of telephone inquiries and the duration of the conversation

with the users dropped by about 30 per cent in one year.

What did they measure and whatwere the results?

1. Telephone survey among recipients – old vs. newletter.

• Nearly 40 % previously used 3 minutes or more.

• Average reader spent 40 % less time to understand theinformation.

2. Registered the number of inquiries made to theinformation service and the traffic stations.

• 40 % fewer inquiries due to the new letter.

• Received fewer «easy» questions and more complexquestions by telephone

Other desirable effects that are not documented in numbers

• Better and valuable documentation of usage patterns in

the entire process.

• Documented the work method.

• Improved understanding within the organisation on how to

work on clear language, universal design and online

communication.

Why should we document and measure results?

• They save money and time.

• They understand their rights.

• They get more satisfied with the public services.

• They get more trust in public sector.

Impacts on the users

Why should we document and measure results?

• Give insight to improve performance.

• Show the effects of the invested effort.

• Help to integrate the clear language work in all service

development.

• Anchor clear language work in the performance

management documents.

• Build culture and sustainability.

Impacts on the organisation

http://www.sprakradet.no/Klarsprak/om-klarsprak/om-oss/Plain-language-in-Norways-Civil-Service/

The middle manager is under pressure

• They find it difficult to give priority to plain language in their daily work.

• Plain language work is seen as something extra, not established as a part of the daily work.

• They experience a lack of dedicated resources.

Resources Leaders

Systematicwork

Documentationand

measurement

Key factors for achieving clear results

CLEAR LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

PRODUCTS RESULTS

POSITIVE EFFECTS IN

THE SOCIETY

Redused public

expenditure

Increased public

efficiency and productivity

Improved quality of the

public services

More satisfied citizens

Building capacities

and developing skills

Developing tools

Documentation and

measurement

Exploring new ways of

working methods

Developing clear

regulations

User involvement

Engaging managers

User-friendly letters

and digital services

Language profile,

best practice

Cources, seminars,

campaigns

Clear language in

performance manage-

ment documentsEnsured equal oppor-

tunities for all citizens

Long-term routines

Increased the citizens’

confidence in the

authorities

Change in attitudes and

behaviour

Clear language

integrated in all services

More effective exchange

of information

Written communication

easier to understand

More effective use of

employees’ working hours

Reduction of

misunderstandings,

complaints and

unnecessary inquiries

Causal chain model – clear language work

• Use carrot and humor

• Find your supporting partners

• Build clear langugage competences in the ministiries and agencies

• Combine plain language with other reforms, modernation or digitisation

• Find good examples and show them

• Meet and cooperate

• Give role to the politicians

• Give role to the leaders and support them with tools they need

• Document results and measure effects

• Think working processes, routines, culture building and

• User involvement, user involvement, user involvment

Our recomendations

• Reduce public expenditure

• Increase public efficiency and productivity

• Improve the quality of the public services

• Make the citizens more satisfied with the public services

• Improve the citizens trust in the public authorities

The Norwegian experiences show

that clear language can

CLEAR COMMUNICATION – CLEAR RESULTS

September 25 – 27 2019Oslo, Norway

Plain Language Association International Conference 2019

Local hosts: Difi and Språkrådet