The Government Manager's Guide to Plain Language

Table of contents

1. Cover
2. Title Page
3. Copyright
4. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
5. CONTENTS
6. PREFACE
7. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
8. CHAPTER 1: Succeeding as a Writer in Today’s Government Workplace
   1. The Importance of Plain Language in Government Writing
   2. Why Use Plain Language?
9. CHAPTER 2: Getting Started: The Planning Stage
   1. Guidelines for Planning
   2. Guidelines for Brainstorming and Organizing
   3. Guidelines for Outlining
10. CHAPTER 3: Drafting: Writing It Down
    1. Turning Off Your Inner Critic
    2. Planning Paragraphs
    3. Writing Sentences
    4. Tips for Writing Drafts
11. CHAPTER 4: Editing: Using the Right Voice and Tone
    1. Prefer the Active Voice
    2. Bring Submerged Action to the Surface
    3. Substitute Action Verbs for Forms of “To Be”
    4. Choose the Appropriate Tone
12. CHAPTER 5: Editing: Writing with Clarity and Conciseness
    1. Improving Clarity
    2. Being Precise
    3. Avoiding Common Barriers to Understanding
    4. Checking Readability
13. CHAPTER 6: Editing: The Final Phase
    1. Two Types of Editing
    2. The Editing Process
    3. Making Changes Online
    4. How Can a Style Manual Help?
    5. Editing Someone Else’s Writing
14. CHAPTER 7: Emailing the Right Message
    1. Planning Email
    2. Elements of Email
    3. Email Etiquette
    4. Security and Privacy Issues
    5. Some Landmines to Avoid
15. CHAPTER 8: Writing Effective Letters
    1. How to Format a Business Letter
    2. Basic Steps in Writing Business Letters
    3. Types of Business Letters
16. CHAPTER 9: Preparing Reports
    1. Informal or Brief Reports
    2. Formal Reports
    3. Formats for Government Reports
17. CHAPTER 10: Other Forms of Government Workplace Writing
    1. Collaborative Writing
    2. Ghostwriting
    3. Talking Points
    4. Position Descriptions
    5. Performance Reviews
    6. Budget Justifications
    7. Exhibit 300 Reports
    8. Policies
    9. Regulations
18. CHAPTER 11: Using Social Media
    1. Policy Regarding Social Media
    2. Guidelines for Use of Social Media Platforms
    3. Security Risks and Mitigation Strategies
19. INDEX
20. Back Cover