Write Less, Say More Technical Writing Skills for Clerks 2016 Clerks Certificaiton Institute October 27, 2016 Chris Robinson Vice President, Wilkes Community College
“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is … the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” — Mark Twain “There’s not much to be said about the period except that most writers don’t reach it soon enough.” ― William Zinsser , On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction “Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while to make it short.” – Henry David Thoreau
Agenda a) Overview b) Plain Language/Writing—What is it? c) Essentials of Technical Writing a) Process b) Understanding your audience c) Grammar and Spelling d) Applying it to your work d) Writing for the Digital Age e) Wrap up and questions
How does this affect my job? “One of the clerk’s most important statutory duties is to prepare the minutes of governing board meetings and maintain them in a set of minute books. The powers of a city or a county are exercised by the city council or the board of county commissioners, and the minutes of the governing board’s meetings are the official record of what it does.” A. Fleming Bell, Popular Government, Vol. 61, No. 4, p. 22, Summer 1996
What is plain language? "A communication is in plain language if its wording, structure, and design are so clear that the intended readers can readily find what they need, understand it, and use it.” --Center for Plain Language
What is plain writing? Communicaiton that readers can understand the first time they read it!
What plain language is NOT Plain Language is NOT: Uneducated, folksy or whimsical writing • Stripped down language • Imprecise • Something that lawyers won’t go for • EASY •
Why use plain language?
Why we write… 1. To convey ideas and thoughts to our audience 2. To document actions 3. To answer questions or concerns 4. To call to action like-minded people 5. To explain operations, decisions and other details.
Why we write… 1. To convey ideas and thoughts to our audience 2. To document actions 3. To answer questions or concerns 4. To call to action like-minded people 5. To explain operations, decisions and other details.
The Communication Process
The writing process • Audience • Style Planning • Information gathering • Organization/Format • Rough Draft • Clarity/Brevity Writing • Grammar • Word Choice • First Draft • Editing • Proofreading Revising • Revising • Final Draft
The elements of planning Who is your audience? What information is needed? Where are you most comfortable writing? When is your completion deadline? Why are you writing? Your purpose? How do you present in the best format for the audience?
Understanding your audience
The 3 Audiences of Business Writing Internal—Collegial style, personal but professional • External (specific audience)—Formal, with specific • vocabulary and industry-related jargon that will be understood. Public—Formal, with vocabulary at an appropriate reading • level and jargon free.
POP Quiz List three group that you commonly write to or for. What do they have in common? What are their differences?
Identify your audience Who is my audience—internal, external, public? • What does my audience already know about the subject? • What does my audience need to know? • What questions will my audience have? • What’s the best outcome for my agency? What do I need • to say to get this outcome? What’s the best outcome for our audience? What do I • need to say to get this outcome?
POP Quiz Take one of the three audiences you identified previously and answer the audience questions. How will that impact your writing for that audience?
The public reading level • The average adult reads at the 9 th grade reading level • The average newspaper is written at the 11 th grade reading level • More than 20% of the public read at or below the 5 th grade reading level Minutes and general documents written for the public should be at the 10 th grade level or below.
The Dreaded “Bureaucratese” Bureaucratese is a language unto itself, noted for three distinct characteristics: to obfuscate perfectly normal actions or directions to the • detriment of public service; to prove the “intelligence” of the writer without regard to • the reader; to render written communication into lengthy sentences, • thereby supporting the paper and timber industries
Focus your attention outward on the audience L NOT J BUT… What do I want to say? What does the audience need to know? How can I protect my How can I serve the interests? audience’s interests? What can I do to impress you? What can I clearly express to the audience ?
The elements of planning Who is your audience? What information is needed? Where are you most comfortable writing? When is your completion deadline? Why are you writing? Your purpose? How do you present in the best format for the audience?
Why are you writing? To document—meeting minutes, reports • To inform—memos, letters, press releases, emails, web site • information, reports, proposals To respond—letters, emails • Your purpose determines the modality, the tone, and the style of your project.
The elements of planning Who is your audience? What information is needed? Where are you most comfortable writing? When is your completion deadline? Why are you writing? Your purpose? How do you present the information for the audience?
Writing with style A style sheet can be useful for • Routine documents and correspondence • Official documents, e.g., policies or resolutions • Meeting minutes • Website information A style sheet includes • Formatting guidelines • Common terms of address • Grammar rules that are ambiguous A style guide should be approved by • The “authors”—who is responsible for compiling the information • The supervisor—manager, boss, or whomever • The elected body if for official communication
A sample style sheet Item Style Other Issues Formatting Minutes 12 pt. Times New Roman, 1.5 Attendees are included below spaces, header includes date of header and include board meeting and type (regular, members and staff. Use full special, etc.). names in header Terms of address--Chairman Chairman used as formal term, Chairman Jones is used in e.g., Chairman Jane Jones. subsequent usage in same document Terms of address—Members Commissioner used as formal Commissioner Doe is used in term, e.g., Commissioner John subsequent usage in same Doe document.
Item Style Other Issues Terms of address—Staff Official titles are used for Common salutations used in department leadership, e.g., subsequent usage, e.g., Mr. Smith County Manager John Smith or or Ms. Gains. When confusion DSS Director Donna Gains may occur, use the title after the salutation, e.g., Mr. Smith, county manager, ... Terms of address—Public Full name used first time, Common salutations used in followed by title, e.g., Sam subsequent usage, e.g., Mr. Johnson, president of the Johnson. Smalltown Rotary Club, … Grammatical—Serial Comma No serial comma is used before Exceptions may be made for the word “and”, e.g., item 1, item clarity. 2, item 3 and item 4.
Document formatting Meeting minutes—Predetermined format. Develop a style sheet. Letters, correspondence and interoffice memos—Most offices use a common template. If not, be a trendsetter--start one! Reports, presentations, and other external documents—Use effective techniques that highlight what is most important. Leave sufficient white space in margins, etc. Email and website date—Discussion to come!
Getting started Writer’s block is real! Some ideas to get you started Outline the process • Freewriting • Clustering • As much as one-third of your times is spent in planning your work. The payoff is in saved time during editing and proofing, making the process smoother and more rewarding .
The elements of writing Clear • Concise • Concrete • Correct • Coherent • Complete • Courteous •
Using the 7Cs Minimize the number of ideas in each sentence One idea per paragraph Use the active voice whenever possible Use pronouns properly Avoid ghost verbs Avoid redundancies Never use “bureaucratize” and avoid jargon Vary your sentence length and structure
Using the 7Cs Laser-like focus on the facts and details. Error-free communication that fits your audience Logical arrangement, with all points connected and relevant The flow and tone of your document is consistent Your audience has everything needed to be informed and take action. Your communication is transparent and the tone is open and professional
What happens when things are unclear? Iraqi Head Seeks Arms • Cold Wave Linked to Temperature • Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers • Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax • Farmer Bill Dies in House • Queen Mary Having Bottom Scraped • Two Sisters Reunite After 18 Years at Checkout Counter •
A simple rule for writing…
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