Senior executives from Nest, the National Employment Savings Trust, debated with industry experts this week on the best way to communicate with a new generation of savers.

The first round of auto-enrolment will begin to be implemented by the largest firms in October. Up to 8m people will be affected by the changes and many will be saving from the first time.

Experts taking part in the debate included Tom McPhail, head of pensions research at Hargreaves Lansdown, Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which?, Stephen Ingledew, managing director of corporate at Standard Life and Will Aitken, senior consultant at Towers Watson.

Nest chief executive Tim Jones said: “Nest has spent a lot of time getting to know the new savers that pension reforms will affect and our findings suggest clear communications are important if we want people to feel good about being in a pension.”

Mr Lloyd said: “Consumers need clear, comprehensive information so we welcome this guide from Nest. Removing jargon like ‘trivial commutation’ and ‘with-profits’ will help people understand the significant changes that are being introduced in the pensions market and make the right decisions for them.”

The eight rules for communication as devised by the panel are:

1. Keep it real: Use examples people can relate to and avoid abstract concepts.
2. Rights not responsibility: Tell people what they’re entitled to not what they should be doing.
3. Out with the old: Make pensions relevant to their lives now and don’t focus on the details of retirement.
4. One for all: Make it clear automatic enrolment is happening to most workers, not just them.
5. Tell it like it is: Present the facts and avoid ‘spin’- people want to make up their own minds.
6. Give people control (even if they don’t use it): Tell people about their choices and not that everything’s done for them.
7. Take people as you find them: Give people access to information that matches their knowledge and interest.
8. Be constructive: Tell people about solutions, not problems or scare-stories