About This Training Course

In this 1-day Writing for Government Training Course for Government writers, participants will gain the knowledge and skills required to produce clear, effective and relevant communications for a range of purposes and a variety of audiences.
You will increase the effectiveness of your business communications through an understanding of the importance of planning and tailoring content to suit the intended audience. Delivery of the Writing for Government Training Course program is tailored to suit individual attendees.

Subjects Covered

This 1-day Writing for Government Training Course covers the following subjects:

DO IT THE RIGHT WAY
• Identify your audience
• Get to the point — fast
• Use clear, plain language to suit the audience
• Structure documents for impact and readability
• Emphasise purpose and outcome — don’t over-emphasise the document or the writer
• Don’t rely on the ‘beginning, middle, end’ approach
• Use straightforward proofreading techniques
PLAIN ENGLISH: 10 KEY PRINCIPLES
• Use simple everyday words
• Write in the active voice
• Write short sentences
• Use proper punctuation
• Make capitals consistent
• Watch for commonly confused words
• Be consistent in paraphrasing
• Construct paragraphs well
• Adopt a personal tone
• Adopt a positive tone
WORKING WITH GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS
• Fundamentals of writing for Government
• Briefing note structure
• Approaches to Ministerial correspondence
• The ‘one-page memo’ system
• Writing an executive summary
EMAIL ETIQUETTE
• The writing hybrid: not conversation, not formal writing
• Subject lines with reader benefit
• Careful word selection
• Message format

Training Course Outcomes

By the end of this Writing for Government course participants will be able to:

• Plan clear, effective briefing notes, memos, reports, emails and letters for Government purposes and audiences;
• Apply the principles of ‘Plain English’ to all written work;
• Improve common weaknesses in grammar, spelling and punctuation;
• Establish techniques for the proper layout of documents;
• Provide critical information with limited words for briefing notes;
• Structure reports for effective and easy reading;
• Understand email etiquette and guidelines; and
• Develop proofreading skills.

Prerequisites

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: This Writing for Government Training Course requires no previous training or experience. Participants are requested to bring samples of letters, memos or e-mails from their workplace to refer to during the course.

Other Information

RECOMMENDED ATTENDEES: People who work in Government who wish to improve their writing skills and techniques.