Plain English
Home Up Tech Writing Navy Writing Grammar Brush-up Executive Update Managing  Writing Plain English Effective Writing Proofreading Meetings Presentation Skills

 

MANAGEMENT SKILLS ASSOCIATES
P.O. Box 365
Solvang, CA 93464
Phone: (805) 688-2388 Fax: (8050 688-2388) E-mail: casey752@verizon.net
Web: www.syv.com/~casey

WORKSHOP TITLE: PLAIN ENGLISH IN GOVERNMENT WRITING

LENGTH AND SIZE: Two days – Maximum 25 students

INSTRUCTOR: Carolyn (Casey) Reynolds

COURSE CONTENT:

The world of written communication is changing, especially in the halls of the federal government. Bureaucratic gobbledygook is out. Letters and reports written in clear, understandable English are in.

By presidential memo, government employees are now directed to use “plain English” in any document that provides explanations or instructions to the general public. This refreshing new style has already been introduced into all branches of the military, and the method is spreading into virtually all governmental agencies. This is a style that makes it easier for everybody to exchange information – easier for the writer to express and idea, easier for the reader to understand it. It all adds up to less wasted time, less wasted money, less personal
frustration, and less chance for misunderstanding.

The two-day workshop includes the basics of “plain English” writing (originally introduced as “Air Force Writing”), explains how a readability index works, takes a look at common grammar and punctuation errors in government writing, and offers ample opportunity for students to practice what they’ve learned. More than 150 transparencies demonstrate the good, the bad, and the unintentionally funny in a wide variety of real-world writing examples.