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The image of the conference session ‘Plain Language and Government’ illustrates some of the characteristics of graphic recording. The map is divided into three panels, one for each speaker. The presentations were about twenty minutes each. The images were drawn in real time during the sessions. They all include elements of the big picture as expressed by the speakers. The first presentation was about assessing and sorting out sets of laws and regulations, so I drew a trashcan for the laws that didn’t pass the test. The second presenter described the process of implementing plain language as a road with different obstacles, including some resistance in the organization. In the third presentation, the call centre seemed to stand out as the central solution of the project, so I worked around this central image. These images function as the focal point around which other themes and words are organized. Color is used to add an extra layer of visual organization.

Susanne Hoogwater is a graphic facilitator and creative lawyer, specialized in legal information design and visual communication. She is originally from the Netherlands, and lives in the United States. She is the owner of www.legalsketchpad.com, www.legalvisuals.nl and www.goodmoodlaw.com.

Each week they have a selection of wines from different regions of Portugal for the public to taste. So it is a bit like a lucky dip but with great wine! “Ainda melhor”, as the locals say.

It is a wonderful space that also contains a small museum dedicated to the history of wine production in Portugal and some interactive exhibits.

There are 100′s of spectacular Portuguese wines available (in Portugal) and this is the perfect opportunity to decide which ones to take back home with you. The staff there are great to chat too and you should come away with an expanded knowledge of local grapes and probably purple lips too.

As you’d expect in a place that gives away free alcohol, there are some characters that visit who are more interested in quantity than quality. As it is a fairly upmarket establishment they are hard to spot. Sometimes however they like to strike up a conversation in order to make their cover seem more plausible. Quite often this ploy backfires and soon you realise that they are not a film director, artist or eccentric professor as you originally thought. But don’t be deterred, it is all part of the fun and seeing the deftness with which they top up their glasses while the staff’s backs are turned is worth a visit in itself.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Vini Portugal | Wine tasting
Sala Ogival de Lisboa
Terreiro do Paço
1100-148 Lisboa
Mobile: +351 916 606 576
Tel.: +351 213 420 690
Closes on Monday, Holidays and for Private Events

In your opinion, what’s new and exciting in the field of plain language/info design?

Demand for plain language and information design is on the rise in corporations. Information overload is the new norm, and yet employees hunger for clarity, direction, and meaning. Executives are finding it harder and harder to communicate complex ideas to their direct reports, superiors and peers in ways that “rise above the noise.”  The era of buzzwords and corporate-speak is ending.  Clear communication is the new imperative and the people who practice it provide differentiated value and achieve business results.

Why should people attend Clarity 2010?

This diverse global forum affords us the opportunity to exchange knowledge, tools and practices across disciplines and industries. By sharing our success stories, we can create a strong community of practitioners with a shared vision for a new standard of communication and a greater ability to realize that vision in our respective arenas. Together, we can create global awareness of the importance of plain language and inspire others to join our cause.

Why should people come and see your presentation?

Learn how a Fortune Global 500 company used plain language and information design to overcome obstacles in a major initiative impacting $4B of annual revenue and 50,000 partners worldwide. We will share “before and after” examples and explain how we applied the principles and practices of clear communication to facilitated dialogue, presentation content, and narrative documents.  In addition, we’ll describe how we applied  technology to engage 20 executives in over 5 time zones in an intensive process that resulted in a unanimously ratified document.

Renee Cullinan is Managing Partner at Atalanta Partners, a consulting firm focused on bringing clarity and meaning to corporate strategies. Her presentation, “Cisco systems drives strategy execution through clarity and alignment“, will be given with Steve Blunt, Senior Director of Cisco Systems. It  demonstrates the power and necessity of clear, explicit, plain language to support strategy execution within large, complex corporations.

About Renee

This particular store has a very unique slogan: “In nature nothing repeats itself, there aren’t two identical trees, two birds alike, two rain drops alike, two kisses alike. In this Fabrico Infinito also everything is unique and doesn’t repeat itself. It doesn’t come back. Enjoy. And be happy.” (by José Trabucho).

In Fabrico Infinito different types of original and peculiar things come together. You have an area of designer products from books, cd’s, jewelery, great chandeliers and also a wide selection of Brazilian artsy products such as bags, bathing suits or even plastic shoes that smell like strawberries.

In the back of the store you have a sort of delicatessen with divine cakes, which is a perfect place to just chill and enjoy the view. If you are in a working mood, just bring your laptop because here you have wireless internet.

Most of the products are biological (and really tasty!), and even the tea is served in a beautiful golden china set – this place is all about the details, you definitely shouldn’t miss it!

Vee’s favourites: Melissa Shoes.

Rita’s favourites: Great music selection.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Fabrico Infinito | Coffee & tea, Shopping | Merenda € 1.00
Rua D. Pedro V 74 | Príncipe Real | +351212467629
Tue – Sat 11:00 – 19:00

This article by Rita Esgalhado & Verónica do Carmo was originally published on Spotted by Locals Lisbon

Photo:  Rita Esgalhado

Download an up-to-date Lisbon cityguide by locals for Euro 3.99

Why should people attend Clarity2010?
There are many reasons why people should attend Clarity2010. (1) To learn about new developments in the field of plain language; (2) to network; (3) for enjoyment, as doubtless the conference will provide plenty of that.

Why should people come and see your presentation?
People should come along to my presentation to learn about the stylistic challenges involved in amending elderly legal texts.

Eamonn will be presenting “Intergenerational drafting: a very modern dilemma“, which discusses the process of taking very old legal text and making it understandable and relevant in today’s society.

About Eamonn

Mr Eamonn Moran is Law Draftsman in the Department of Justice of Hong Kong, and a Member of the Law Reform Commission of Hong Kong. He has 36 years experience in legislative drafting, including 8 years as Chief Parliamentary Counsel in Victoria, Australia.  He has been President of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel since 2007.

Esta conferência cobre várias perspectivas da linguagem clara, que interessam tanto a estreantes como a profissionais experientes na área.

Consulte o programa da Clarity2010 aqui.