Government Writing Gold Standards
Modern, public sector writing techniques
Good writing is clear thinking made visible.
The most important ideas in government are examined in writing, and it is more important than ever that audiences, particularly internal stakeholders who make decisions and external stakeholders who use an organisation’s services, can quickly and easily understand the ideas that are being conveyed to them in a written document.
The focus of this program is to nail the absolute essentials to modern, government writing. The focus will be on plain English, structure (of sentences, paragraphs and documents), and targeting the audience to ensure that the writer’s ideas are clear and easily understood by their reader.
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As a resulting of attending this program, participants will:
Understand their personal and organisational writing context
Write clearly, concisely, and use plain English
Structure their documents to communicate more effectively and ensure flow
Construct documents aimed at a target audience
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Plain English
Active voice and syntax
Critical thinking and analysis
Document scoping
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1-day F2F or abridged virtual workshop
Facilitator-led knowledge transfer
Exploration of the department’s style guide and Commonwealth Style Manual
Editing and proofreading of context-relevant text types and writing examples
Who should attend?
This program is designed for participants at all levels.
Writing for Government: The Impact Edge
Writing with Influence
‘The world is not run by those who are right; it is run by those who can convince others that they are right’.
-Jamshid Gharajedaghi
Writing is not just an important tool of communication for public servants, it is often THE tool that facilitates the exchange of ideas at all levels. However, the burden of subject matter expertise is that SMEs must make themselves understood to decision makers who know very little (and sometimes nothing) about the topic. However, all too often, SME’s influence is lost in the words on the page.
SMEs in the public sector must become influential writers because the people who analyse, work and solve the daily problems of government are not the ones who decide the outcome. Instead, our expert problem solvers inform and influence the people who make the decisions through writing. Writing capability is not a nice to have, it’s a need to have.
Writing for Government: The Impact Edge considers the elements of influence and how government writers can influence decision makers at all levels to make good decisions with lasting impact.
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To enhance the impact of their writing, participants will:
Write with influence
Enhance the credibility of their writing
Construct documents aimed at a target audience
Select and use language appropriate for the audience and purpose
Structure their documents to communicate more effectively and ensure flow
Construct compelling and persuasive arguments
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Influence
Principles of Persuasion: Ethos, Pathos, Logos
Communication
Logic and Clarity
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1-day F2F or virtual workshop
Who should attend?
This program is ideal for those who communicate to decision makers via writing.
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Foundations First: Writing by Design
Following the writing process
The famous essayist Thomas Hood wrote, ‘…easy reading is damned hard writing.’
Writing is indeed challenging, especially when writing for the public sector. Here, time constraints, the clearance process, and the intended audience can make the process even more difficult.
This program guides participants through each step of the writing process to enable participants to write effective documents that are easy to read, whether it is a brief, an email or a policy document. Producing writing that is not read, or not easily read, defeats the purpose of writing in the first place. This program enables participants to produce writing that is actually read and acted upon by their audience.
If you find writing difficult and find yourself taking way too long to move your ideas to paper – this is the program for you.
Writing by Design focuses on making writing a little less ‘damned hard’ by following the writing process to elicit effective writing that is read and acted upon.
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To enhance the impact of their writing, participants will:
Understand their personal and organisational writing context
Prepare their thought process in advance before externalising it in a document
Use an effective writing process that prioritises preparation
Write clearly, concisely, and use plain English
Apply quality assurance techniques to their own writing
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Logic and Clarity
Design thinking
Plain English
Structure and syntax
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1-day F2F or virtual workshop
Knowledge transfer
Small and large group discussion
Guided writing experience
Who should attend?
This program is designed for participants at all levels.
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