Meet Katherine Spivey, one of our NextGen Exemplary Leader Award finalists. As the web content manager and Plain Language Launcher at the GSA, Spivey simplifies government communication in a variety of forms. From online platforms to publication content, Spivey aims to make the public’s experience with government quicker and easier for everyone.
I had a really great conversation with one of my coworkers the other day about the concept of “plain language” which really got me thinking about writing across all parts of government–local, state, federal… Here in the federal government, we talk about plain language–which is the idea that language should be easy to understand forRead… Read more »
Reading wordy language is a real pain. As a graduate student of a social sciences discipline (I recently got a Masters’ in gender studies), I saw some of the most ridiculous examples of convoluted and elaborate language out there – social theory seems to spontaneously inspire this habit. It was annoying as a student, asRead… Read more »
Plain Language Workshops from the Center for Plain Language Thursday, November 14, 2013 – 1pm National Press Club – 529 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20045$95 for non-members; $75 for memberWorkshops are 2 1/2 hours. We break for a networking session for 30 minutes. Choose one of two popular sessions: Testing your plain language Kath Straub, Usability.org StudiesRead… Read more »
I taught a session on writing for the Web today and mentioned that it can be fun to turn common sayings into governmentese and then challenging others to decode them. Here are three examples I came up with. Try your hand at deciphering them. Approximately spherical seed-bearing produce, examples of which can be many colorsRead… Read more »
(This is a repost of my guest blog for New Zealand’s WriteMark plain language advocates) I worked on U.S. Government websites for 10 years; and I learned there’s one principle that trumps all others: if you don’t communicate effectively, you can’t serve effectively. If customers come to your website and cannot understand what you offerRead… Read more »
(This is a repost of my guest blog for New Zealand’s WriteMark plain language adovcates) I worked on U.S. Government websites for 10 years; and I learned there’s one principle that trumps all others: if you don’t communicate effectively, you can’t serve effectively. If customers come to your website and cannot understand what you offerRead… Read more »
Plain language is critical to great customer service. You may think that “plain language” is all about getting the words right. Well, words are a big part of it. But there’s more to it than that. “Plain” means information you can find, understand, and use quickly and easily. So, in addition to choosing the rightRead… Read more »
Best Practices in Plain Language Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C. Using before and after examples of plain language from corporations, nonprofits and federal agencies, the Center for Plain Language’s national workshop showcases best practices to help others implement plain language. Speakers: Karen Baker, Senior Vice President, Healthwise, Boise, ID;Read… Read more »
Think that plain language in government doesn’t matter? That you don’t need good writers to communicate the work of your taxpayer-funded agency? Consider this Washington Post article on the approaching solar storm: Solar storm incoming: Federal agencies provide inconsistent, confusing information NOAA and NASA provide two different forecasts on the incoming solar storm, “a waveRead… Read more »