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Plain Language in the Norwegian Financial Services

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Plain Language in the Norwegian Financial Services Plain Language Association International’s 11th conference Improving Customer Relationships September 21-23, 2017 University of Graz, Austria hosted by Klarsprache.at Copyright of this presentation belongs to the presenter www.plainlanguagenetwork.org Plain Language in the Norwegian financial sector Graz, 22nd September 2017 Gry Nergård, Consumer Policy Director www.finansnorge.no Introduction • Gry Nergård • Lawyer • Consumer Policy Director, Finance Norway • Former Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman www.finansnorge.no 3 Our members: • Finance Norway is the industry • Savings banks organisation for the financial • Commercial banks industry in Norway. • Life insurers • We represent about 240 financial • Non-life insurers companies with around 50,000 • Savings bank foundations employees. • Mortgage companies • Financial conglomerates • Other financial companies www.finansnorge.no Changes in the retirement pension system www.finansnorge.no The P-word www.finansnorge.no What is difficult? • Summer 2016: questionaire to 1000 consumers • Confirmed: • Economical terms are incomprehensible to most people. • In plain language: they are totaly not understandable! www.finansnorge.no Finance Norway’s Plain Language Project Main goals • Better information to consumers about retirement pension • Better choices – better pensions • Reduce capasity and costs in costumer relations • Better language culture in the companies • Reputation and trust www.finansnorge.no Working methode • Steering group • Working grpup • Bilateral cooperation between each company and external consultants • Anonymized material used as examples in the common project www.finansnorge.no Ten criterias 1. Structure and oversight 2. Pictures and layout 3. Precise headings 4. Informative subtitles 5. Helpful tone 6. Avtive language 7. Sentence length 8. Understandable economical terms 9. Modern language 10. Orthography www.finansnorge.no Delivery 1: Finance Norway’s Plain Language Standard www.finansnorge.no Costumer’s point of wiev: -find Can he/she the information -understand -make use of www.finansnorge.no Delivery 2: Dictionary www.finansnorge.no Delivery 3: Our «Language Promise»: “The financial sector in Norway will write more plain and understandable about pension, to make sure that cosumers can make good, informed choices for the future”. www.finansnorge.no Big news! “Now it will be easier to understand YOUR PENSION” www.finansnorge.no Example: Gjensidige Insurance Oslo Stock Exchange 4.000 emplyees in six countries Statoil Energi 482 840 DNB Finans 221 353 Telenor Telekom 210 654 Norsk Hydro Materialer 104 018 Yara International Materialer 91 773 Orkla Konsumvarer 77 363 Gjensidige Forsikring Finans 67 346 Marine Harvest Konsumvarer 59 929 Aker BP Energi 47 283 Subsea 7 Energi 45 499 Schibsted Forbruksvarer 45 334 Aker Finans 25 478 Storebrand Finans 25 439 Lerøy Seafood Group Konsumvarer 22 842 SalMar Konsumvarer 20 372 TGS-NOPEC Energi 18 712 Wallenius Wilhelmsen Industri 18 532 Entra Eiendom 17 490 www.finansnorge.no When the boss doesn’t understand… “Less information in small print” www.finansnorge.no 17 Shorter and better Before After www.finansnorge.no Internal resources Emplyees involved in Plain Focus groups and interwievs Language Project Product developers 20-25 Executive officers 8-10 Market and sales 13-16 IKT officers A lot… Internet editorial team 2-3 Lawyers 2 Costumers 20-40 www.finansnorge.no Results www.finansnorge.no Sucess criterias • Initiative from the board • Eager companies • Good cooperation with steakholders • External consultants • Practical and concrete approach • A smaller project www.finansnorge.no What comes next? • Evaluation • Extend the project to other product areas? • Cooperation with Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund • Cooperation with Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration? • Change in laws? www.finansnorge.no Dilemmas • Plain – too plain? • Different – but same? • Who’s responsibility to educate consumers? www.finansnorge.no www.finansnorge.no.
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