What is a 'Readers Panel'?
A Readers Panel is one way that residents can say what they think about Council documents and leaflets. They will be asked to look at new leaflets, letters and other documents and to give their comments on how easy to read, clear and attractive they are. This will help us improve the way we write things so that we take into account the needs of the reader.
How can you tell us what you think as a Panel Member?
Focus Groups: We estimate that twice a year we will select a small group of you to meet and consider a range of documents. For those of you who take part in these we will:
- Pay your travelling expenses.
- Provide refreshments.
- Provide childcare/adult care costs if necessary.
Two weeks before we meet we will send you the documents for you to read. At the focus group we will take minutes. These will be sent to you along with copies of the final versions of the documents after we have altered them based on what you have told us where it is reasonable to do so.
Postal Surveys: On a more frequent basis we will ask some of you for your comments by post. We will only ask for your views on simple leaflets or letters in this way.
We may also send things to you by e-mail if this is possible, and we may phone you to ask you what you think about what you've read.
What we want you to tell us
We'll ask you to consider the following things:
- Tone - For example is the leaflet friendly enough?
- Layout - Are things written in the right order? Does it look appealing?
- Length - Is the leaflet too long? Or have we missed anything out? Are the sentences too long?
- Language - Have we used jargon or words that are difficult to understand?
- Spelling and punctuation - Have we made any errors?
- Aims - Does the leaflet do what it was designed to do?
What type of documents will you read?
Any document aimed at all or some of the residents of Wigan. These may include letters, forms, leaflets, posters, flyers, magazines, catalogues and so on. We will give priority to those documents that carry an important message.
Confidentiality and sensitivity
We will not share any personal details you give to us with anyone. We are members of the Market Research Society and must behave according to the rules that are set out in their Code of Conduct.
