A Scottish company has been recognised for the ‘game-changing’ potential of its new business communications tool after scooping one of the top prizes at this year’s UK Internal Communications National Awards.
Edinburgh-based Better Company took home the Innovation: Game Changer award for its Better Words programme. This innovative tool empowers a company’s employees to choose and use easier-to-understand words at work,
and improve the impact of colleague
and customer communications.
Over 400 internal communicators came together in a glittering ceremony in London’s Natural History Museum last month to celebrate best practice and innovation in the way UK companies communicate with their staff and customers.
Alongside their client, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, Better Words impressed judges with its simple, practical and insight-driven approach to putting the power of better communication into the hands of employees. Better Words provides a framework for each individual employee to make language simpler and more accessible. This empowers employees to improve everything from complex contract wording to confusing, jargon-laden customer letters.
The business wasborn from a recognition that today’s emphasis on memorable branding and distinctive tone of voice can often exclude many people. Packaged in a simple to use tool and training programme, Better Words shows employees how to simplify and connect the language they use with the needs of their staff and customers.
The task is more important than ever, with research showing many individuals face challenges with literacy:
• 1 in 6 adults in England have poor literacy skills
• 1 in 4 adults in Scotland experience challenges due to a lack of literacy skills
Founder Lucy Richards was inspired to create Better Words after learning that all UK government content is written for a reading age of 9 – yet businesses and organisations often use words that are too long, too complicated, or simply don’t make sense to anyone outside of their own workplace.
She commented: ‘This is a special award for us after so much research and development to find a new model for organisations to make better connections with their colleagues and customers. There is nothing else quite like Better Words on the market and we believe we have the potential to make a huge difference to the success of communications programmes, starting with those all important building blocks: words.’
Better Words language expert Jo Laidlaw added: ‘It’s really easy for businesses to hide behind complicated language, but it’s never the right thing to do.
“Our clients at Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks worked hard to go beyond their regulatory requirements and choose better words for everyone. Like them, all organisations can use Better Words to spark a change.’
The team now hope to spread the Better Word mission within other sectors and organisations across the UK. Lucy added: ‘From utilities companies to financial services, from public services to companies that work with vulnerable customers, if you communicate with humans then Better Words can help you do it simply and more clearly.
“The fact that your own team will love the process and actually make the change for you is a bonus!’
For more informtion, go to: www.bettercompany.uk/better-words
