Fifth International PLAIN Conference - 2005 | |||||||
L'Enfant Plaza, Washington, DCThe Plain Language Association International's fifth international conference on plain language was a great success. Check back soon to download some of the PowerPoint presentations from the conference.
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Season's Greetings | |||||||
Enjoy plain English translations of some seasonal favorites! -From our friends down under at the Plain English Foundation.
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Radio Broadcast | |||||||
www.mytechnologylawyer.comOn Thursday, February 2nd at 2:00 p.m., Annetta Cheek, Susan Kleimann, Joe Kimble, Ginny Redish, and Melodee Mercer were interviewed on a radio show about plain language. If you'd like to hear what they had to say, go to www.mytechnologylawyer.com (use "more information" link below). Even though the program was broadcast on the 2nd, the link to the media file is located under 1/29/06.
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PLAIN Meeting: February 2006 | |||||||
Coaching Experts to Transform their Knowledge
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PLAIN Meeting: March 2006 | |||||||
STORY TELLING: A POWERFUL PLAIN LANGUAGE TOOL | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: April 2006 | |||||||
No meeting for April - it's the annual NIH Plain Language awards! | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: May, 2006 | |||||||
NOTE ROOM CHANGE: Ignore the usual directions above. For the May meeting only, we will be in Conference Room 2, Level A (1 level down from the ground floor) in FAA's other building, 700 Independence Ave, SW. It's just across the street from the usual building. Enter from the Metro side of the building, there's no door on the Independence Ave. side. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: June 2006 | |||||||
We heard from from M. Douglass Bellis. He has served as an Assistant Counsel in the United States House of Representatives, Office of Legislative Counsel for over 25 years. His responsibilities have included redrafting the federal rules of evidence for the House Judiciary Committee and drafting the articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon. Mr. Bellis has worked with nearly every standing committee of the House, but he has worked most closely with the Judiciary Committee. He is particularly interested in developing independent, professional drafting capabilities for parliamentary bodies. Mr. Bellis received his Juris Doctor Degree from Duke Law School. He will talk to us about drafting legislation in the House.
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PLAIN Meeting: July 2006 | |||||||
There is no presentation at the July meeting. We are having a special meeting to plan for next year. Please come if you are willing to play a role in ensuring that the group continues and that it provides the help you need in your agencies. We are also having the meeting in a special place. Remember we don't have a meeting in August. The September meeting will be in the "usual " place at FAA. In July, Avi is hosting us at Voice of America. It's just a couple blocks from FAA, but the Federal Center SW metro is a bit closer, and is also less complex that the station you use for FAA (L'Enfant Plaza). From the metro, go up the escalator, turn left and walk one block along 3rd Street. When you cross at the light at C Street you are in the parking lot of the Cohen Building, 330 Independence Avenue SW. Enter the Cohen building at the doors at the middle of the C Street side, not the 3rd Street side.
The room is called the VNC conference room. Avi will have to escort people as they go through security, unlike at FAA, where anyone with a Federal ID can wander around without an escort. Please be a bit early to accommodate this. Just in case you have a problem, Avi's cell is 703-300-2650. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: August 2006 | |||||||
Remember — we don't have a meeting in August. The September meeting will be in the "usual" place at FAA. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: September 2006 | |||||||
Dr. Diana Zuckerman, President, National Research Center for Women & Families Health and Safety Information for Families: Dr. Zuckerman will discuss the kinds of health and safety information that families would benefit from, coming from a range of agencies, and the extent to which they are aware of how to find it, or can understand it when they do. Examples will be from various HHS agencies, including CMS, FDA, NIH, IOSH, CDC, etc, as well as EPA, DHS, and other agencies.
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PLAIN Meeting: October 2006 | |||||||
Our speaker will be Robert Agnello, who works for the Military Health System at the Department of Defense. He will share his experience in starting a Plain Language program - its successes and challenges. Annetta Cheek and Joanne Locke spoke to Rob's organization, TRICARE, last summer about plain language and health literacy. The TRICARE communicators and customer service reps were very enthused about be able to use plain language and eager to learn how. Join us to find out how it's going, to get ideas from Rob, and to offer him some ideas that have worked for us. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: January 2007 | |||||||
Our speaker will be Thom Haller, Executive Director, Center for Plain Language. We expect this will be the first annual update on the status and activities of the Center. Since the Center is our private sector sister group, I hope you will all come to support this non-profit effort. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: February 2007 | |||||||
Special Time: 3:30-4:45 Join us to celebrate Annetta's 12 years of service as chair of PLAIN and welcome Joanne Locke as our new chair. John Strylowski will also give a brief presentation on new plain language training procedures. | |||||||