Technical Writing for Public Sector Professionals

1Know your users

Slides 2–12.

Getting to know the humans on the other end of Send.

Try it: assess your users

The slide shows a wall of screens, each with a different person—your readers. In class, you assess your users: who they are, and what they need from what you write.

Whom do you write for?

• Managers.
• Contractors.
• Public.
• Others.

The slide pictures a writer at a desk, connected to many different readers at once.

Know your users: four users, four questions

The questions unfold across the next slides. Answer each one for the users you named.

• What does the user expect or need to see?
• What do users want to do?
• What barriers or biases exist?
• What action do you want users to take?
• Why should users do what you say or ask?

Barriers and biases

What if reader bias exists concerning what your document says?

One slide makes the point with a photo: two figures stand on opposite sides of a numeral lying on the ground between them. One reads it as a six. The other reads it as a nine. Same numeral, two honest readings—position changes what a reader sees.

Another slide shows two wooden figures separated by a solid wall. A barrier stands between the writer and the reader, and neither can see the other’s side.

Secondary readers

Secondary readers seek information, ideas, or theories.

Facilitator’s note: think of analysts, environmentalists, researchers, and politicians.

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2Practice good information design

Slides 13–25.

Creating the most accessible and easily understood content.

Mentally shape your document

Before you draft, ask two questions:

• What format? Where do readers use the doc? How do they use it?
• In what order? How will you structure your key points?

Facilitator’s note: grouping content rhetorically—user-centered presentation.

Design thinking: the process

The slide shows a six-stage process diagram. The stages, in order:

1. Care
2. Define
3. Brainstorm
4. Draft
5. Test
6. Use

The stages group into three phases: Understand (Care and Define), Explore (Brainstorm and Draft), and Materialize (Test and Use). Arrows loop from later stages back to earlier ones—design is not a straight line. What you learn while testing and using a document sends you back to earlier stages.

Experiencing design: what did you see?

In class, you look at a document and say what you saw. Then the slide shows two ways to open the same recommendation:

Version 1 We Should Purchase Laser Alignment Equipment.
This equipment would only cost us $30,000 ea. X 4 (attached study mentioned).

Version 2 Laser Alignment Costs Fall Well Within Our Financial Reach.
Cost of one-time purchase: $120,000 versus $87,000 a month.

Inverted pyramid design: bottom line up front

The slide diagrams a document as an inverted pyramid—widest at the top, narrowing as it goes:

• Top: summary, conclusion, recommendations, requests.
• Middle: supporting details—findings, tables, figures, charts.
• End: restate the conclusion.

Start with an overview, summary, or request. Provide details in sentences that follow.

Bottom line up front: two examples

First, a funding request. The bottom line comes first, in bold, and the details follow:

We need $460,000 to hire more engineers to help plan safe logging roads that won’t trigger unstable slopes. We’ve seen a 10-fold increase in road applications around potentially unstable slopes over the last 6 years. More engineers will allow us to properly review each application and ensure public safety.

Second, a compliance notice built the same way:

Bottom line up front You have unauthorized access to the right-of-way near the corner of Carlson Drive and Campbell Lake Rd E. You must have a road approach permit, or you must remove the access.

If you do not act, you may face fines.

Details On May 30, 2024, we received a report of unauthorized access to the right-of-way for Carlson Drive.
A review of city permit records on June 5, 2024, shows no permits submitted or issued for this access.
We will work with you to address the issue. Contact us at 253-123-4567.

Structuring key points

Chronological order shows sequence—first this, then that.

Where do users look?

Design can help us find information we want and need.

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3Break through the noise

Slides 26–33.

Gaining and holding users’ attention.

Say the thing—don’t announce it

Read this opener:

“This paper will address the issue of benefits our DPW could explore through cooperative buying practices as they relate to cost savings and service provision.”

Now compare it with a version that says the thing:

“We will save $85,000.00 in one year on road salt if we change suppliers.
Our city-county cooperative sells salt for $77.00 less per ton than our supplier. They require a 2000-ton buy and a $5000.00 membership fee.”

Which do you prefer?

Will your words work?

Focus and hold users’ attention. Keep sentences clear and short: under 18 words.

Use short words with clear meaning

One 27-word sentence:

Collaboration tools, as opposed to online communication tools, should encourage communication among participants, have interfaces that are easy to use, and both expect and be capable of collaboration.

Revised into two sentences of 10 words each:

Collaboration tools should help parties work together and share ideas. Users need simple tools that require teamwork and make it possible.

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4Daily operations

Slides 34–42.

Getting things done faster and better.

Targeted outcome

Convey your idea clearly and briefly so that the reader needs no further explanation.

Targeted messages

Memos relate to daily operations. These messages of vital information follow a memo format:

• Clear subject line.
• Direct opening.
• Key message.
• Closing.

Request memos

• Use lists and parallel phrasing.
• Remain courteous and friendly.
• Make sure your closing includes the action you want your reader to take.
• Include a deadline, with a good reason.

Confirmation memos

Sometimes we need to confirm verbal agreements or casual conversation that leads to something important.

• Include names and titles of those involved.
• Ask for feedback—any unclear or inaccurate points?
• Ask for a confirmation reply.

A confirmation memo example

To Mike Jones, Project Manager
From Christine Carlson, Functional Manager
Subject Confirming date change: resource calendar to publish March 20.

This memo confirms our conference call yesterday. When we talked, you said you could complete your resource calendar for all engineers tasked to the ATW Project a month earlier than planned. You now plan to publish your resource calendar by March 20.

Please reply to confirm the new deliverable date or let me know if I haven’t got that right. Thanks!

Facilitator’s note: would this help you? Would this annoy you?

Try it: good info design

In class, you revise a document to practice good information design. Try it first, then open the review.

What needs work?

Preparing for our writers’ workshop: bring a document and ask, what needs work?

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5Write well

Slides 43–55.

Using structure to boost understanding, trust, and recall.

Build great sentences into powerful paragraphs

These slides picture a paragraph as a natural rock arch—a stone span standing over water, held up by its own structure.

Facilitator’s note: write each paragraph with a single focus and include supporting details.

• Arch: the summary of the paragraph.
• Pillars: the supporting details. These must be solid.
• Guardrails: opposing or limiting statements. Place guardrails where needed.

Arch, pillar, and guardrail together

Adopting a four-day workweek of ten-hour days could increase employee productivity by 25%.
For some divisions, this schedule will not work.
Emergency services staff will have to keep five-day schedules.
All other employees can work this schedule. Pilot program data show that fewer days with more hours increases the number of cases resolved. In the pilot, workers resolved 25% more cases in every 4/10 week than they did in each 5/8 week.

Connect ideas

Guide your reader from point to point and link ideas together with “bridging techniques.” The slide pictures a long suspension bridge crossing open water at dusk.

Connect ideas of equal value

Coordinating conjunctions—each follows a comma:

, and · , but · , nor · , or · , so · , yet · , thus · , then · , hence

Conjunctive adverbs—each follows a semicolon and takes a comma after:

; consequently, · ; furthermore, · ; hence* · ; however, · ; moreover, · ; nevertheless, · ; otherwise, · ; subsequently, · ; therefore, · ; thus*

*The asterisk marks hence and thus: they appear in both categories, and they take the punctuation of conjunctions, not conjunctive adverbs.

Connectors convey meaning

The connector you choose changes the meaning. A three-line exchange from the slide:

“You must be the squarest woman I know.”
“But you love me.”
“No; therefore, I love you.”

Bridge in these ways too

• Repeat key words and phrases.
• Use familiar pronouns.
• Dovetail sentences.

Dovetail: join ideas by repeating key words

The slide includes a sketch of a woodworking dovetail joint—two boards whose interlocking pins fit together—next to this example. The repeated key word joins the sentences the same way:

A Preliminary Engineering Report evaluates facility infrastructure. It includes project budgets, project schedules, and funding scenarios. These scenarios may lead to future construction projects that address negative impacts on a community’s health, safety, and resources.

Chunk information

How short?

• Print: under seven typed lines.
• Web or screen: three to four typed lines.

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6Three grammar mandates

Slides 56–81.

Showing expert understanding with clear, concise content.

Where do we get these rules?

From The Gregg Reference Manual, by William A. Sabin—the course’s reference for grammar and usage rules.

Edit without mercy: avoid these words

am · is · are · was · were · be · been

Activate any sentence

Two questions, in order:

1. Ask: what’s happening? To find the verb.
2. Who or what makes it happen? To find the subject.

Passive, indirect style

It can easily be seen that when large volumes of fuel are metered and when there are changes in fuel temperature, there is going to be a loss of income if some correcting device is not used. 38 words

Now ask: what happens? Who or what loses income, can correct it, must meter?

Activated, direct revision We can retain income if we correct for temperature changes when we meter large volumes of fuel. 17 words

Try it: active voice

In class, you activate two sentences. Try each one first, then open its review.

Adopt a knowledge transfer mindset

For years, you wrote to show knowledge. Now you must share knowledge.

Ye Olde English: a no-go

No person shall suffer any premises under his or her care or control to be used which shall destroy the peace and tranquility of the surrounding neighborhood.

In plain language The city will fine anyone making noise that exceeds 100 decibels $250.00 for each incident. This rule applies from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily. We measure sound from any adjacent parcel or public right-of-way nearest the source.

Try it: make this clear

The building of this overpass will become not only the best way but the only way to implement the complexity of such an aerodynamic construction.

Write your own clear version first, then open the reveal.

Remove jargon

1. Initials or acronyms your audience might not know.
2. In-house originals.
3. Multi-syllable “monsters.”

How do Americans feel about business buzzwords? One slide shares two survey findings:

• 7 in 10 use business buzzwords and jargon.
• 3 in 4 say using buzzwords makes you look professional.

Reduce complexity

Reduce complexity by clearing clutter

Clarify requirements

Shall or must? Always use must.

Builders must follow state guidelines when working near wetland properties.

Either/or. Separate the correlative conjunctions.

Either the operations manager or your line leader may approve your request.

And/or. Separate the conjunctions. Use “or” only when stating a choice.

When you come to the office, bring a certified copy of your birth certificate and your driver’s license, or bring just your passport.

Support every claim

Ethical tech writers support every statement, avoid generalizations, and acknowledge other credible interpretations.

Claim Many science policy scholars argue . . .

Support statement Gutmann, Thompson, Bohman, and Warren all argue that experts must translate claims into ordinary language that lay people can understand.

Claim Most judges will remand to the agency . . .

Support statement According to Judge Wallach, when an agency fails to explain its reasoning, the proper course is to remand to the agency for additional explanation.

Seeing ambiguity

One slide makes the point with a cartoon: an electric fan says, “I’m a huge metal fan.” A denim-clad heavy-metal fan replies, “Me too!” The same words carry two meanings.

Now find the ambiguity in a real passage. Which is it?

The use of lower wind speeds in the dispersion model fits our requirements for a conservative approach and tends to predict higher ambient concentrations. This is another reason to use Northland meteorological data in the dispersion model.

To what does “this” refer?

Try it: writers’ workshop

In class, the writers’ workshop applies everything so far to real documents.

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7Design thinking: pages

Slides 82–85.

Grouping ideas in verbal and visual language.

Emphasize and summarize with visuals

Visuals earn their place when they emphasize or summarize what the text says.

Carry design thinking forward

• Evaluate your readers.
• Introduce each visual with text.
• Use plain language captions and titles.
• Understand accessibility barriers.

Facilitator’s note: for accessibility guidance, see Section508.gov, the federal accessibility site (external link).

A designer’s reminder

“Design isn’t just about making things pretty. It’s about making things work, and in the case of infographics, that means representing data accurately and clearly. It means letting the data speak and not putting icons all over the place to obscure what’s important.”
—Nathan Yau

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