Find this course by searching for: government writing training, government writing course, government writing seminar, government writing class, government writing program

Government Writing Training

In Plain English: Government Writing Made Easy

Available Formats

• One Day
• Two Days

Program Overview

Unfortunately government is notorious for convoluted, clunky, and downright confusing writing. This program is designed to help participants develop basic skills for trimming wordiness and communicating clearly in writing within a government environment.

Program Objectives

At this program's conclusion, participants should be able to:

• Explain the five Cs of writing.
• Ensure their writing meets basic grammatical standards, including issues of word agreement, sentence construction, proper spelling, and punctuation.
• Differentiate between the active and passive voice.
• Write better business letters, reports, memos, and emails.

The following outline highlights some of the course's key learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of the participant materials prior to the session(s).

Course Outline

Why Write?: What We Really Want to Know

This session will help participants identify the value of writing, when they should do it, and when they should choose another communication method.

The Fundamentals: The First Four Cs

During this portion of the program, participants will explore four elements of good writing: clarity, conciseness, completeness, and correctness. Participants will practice each C in writing exercises.

Getting Along Together: Word Agreement

During this section of the program, participants will explore word agreement and the importance of parallel structure.

Assigning Ownership: The Active Voice

Most people prefer to read writing that is in the active voice because it promotes conciseness and clarity. We will discuss and practice writing in the active voice during this segment and consider specific instances when using the passive voice is preferable.

The Other Element: The Fifth C

Courtesy is an important principle of good government writing. During this session, participants will examine and rank several government letters in order to help them identify writers' choices and readers' preferences.

Wordiness Be Gone: Plain Language

It is important to use words that best reflect what you are trying to say. In this session, we will examine some common dilemmas (such as "persons" versus "people" and "individuals" versus "anyone") and suggest solutions that will help eliminate wordiness.

Getting Down to Nuts and Bolts: Punctuation

During this segment, participants will review the basics of punctuation and have the opportunity to clear up any persistent uncertainty about when to use constant marks.

Making This Real: Writing Business Letters, Reports, and Emails

In this portion of the program, we will create, evaluate, and edit work-specific documents. This segment can be expanded or shortened depending on the needs and desires of the group.

Being Accurate: Spelling and Proofreading

Proofreading carelessly can spoil a writer's best efforts. This session will help participants identify common spelling errors and practice their proofreading skills.

Getting It to Stick: Overcoming Writing Challenges

As a closing exercise, participants will work in small groups to identify their biggest challenges and consider some possible solutions they will implement in subsequent workplace writing tasks.

At the program's conclusion, participants will have an understanding of plain English and its importance in writing for government. They will also be aware of the most common writing errors that sabotage communication and know how to eliminate these from their own writing.

Find this course by searching for: government writing training, government writing course, government writing seminar, government writing class, government writing program

This outline adapted under license