How to Compose Clear and Effective Reports, Letters, Email, and Memos
This is the first course in our 2-course Word Workshop, offered throughout the year. The second course is Writing to Persuade.
Editing a paper, by Nic McPhee
Do you need to improve your writing skills? This intensive one-day course helps you, and your staff, understand the three dimensions of professional writing: organization, format and style.
Our writing courses are designed for anyone who wants to improve their writing, including agency staff who want to improve their writing and comply with the Plain Writing Act of 2010 (H.R. 946) and Executive Orders 12866, 12988, and 13563.
Our writing courses have been described as “really about how to get better job reviews and get promoted” because they help you improve one of your most important, and visible, job skills: written communication.
July 11, 2012, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Where: Location in Washington, DC will be announced on web site before course.
For more information, see WordWorkshop.com
Approved for 0.6 CEUs from George Mason University.
This is a required course for the Certificate in Communication and Advocacy.
For more information about both courses, including agenda and secure online registration, see WordWorkshop.com
These courses and any combination of their topics can be tailored for custom on-site presentation at your location and both are available via the GSA Schedule.
Tags: better job reviews, critical thinking and writing, drafting language, drafting legislation, get promoted, GSA Schedule, how to get better job reviews, improve your writing, legislative drafting, Plain Writing Act, Plain Writing Act of 2010, Word Workshop, WordWorkshop.com, writing course, Writing for Government, Writing for Government and Business, writing skills, writing workshop
Posted 2012/06/16, 8:07 am
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Category:
Washington, DC,
Work ·
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When handled properly, good legal writing stands out.
photo credit: Seattle Municipal Archives
There are four basic questions that should be asked in considering whether a document meets the standards of good legal writing:
- Is it easy to read?
- Is it interesting?
- Does it work?
- Is it as short as possible?
If you are able to answer yes to all of these questions, your piece will stand out from the crowd and be a good example of written advocacy.
One of the biggest challenges of written advocacy is determining how much advocacy to use. At the outset, ask yourself what your objectives are for writing the piece. Advocacy is only required when you want to persuade someone to a certain point of view, and it does not come into play until you have an objective.
One of the most important goals of any written document is to be taken seriously. Even if your writing is accurate, it will be viewed poorly if it contains spelling mistakes and cumbersome sentences. The way in which you write reveals a great deal of information about yourself, including the words you use and the structure of your sentences. In many ways, writing is a good deal like body language, and it is your responsibility to know what your writing says about you.
Keep your writing concise. Lengthy paragraphs should be broken up so they are more easily read. Keep a brisk pace to your writing by using short sentences, occasionally 
varying the length of your sentences and writing in plain English rather than legalese.
To learn more about effective writing, consider our 2-day Word Workshop: Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing, and Writing to Persuade.
Reference: Rule 89 Good Legal Writing is Easy to Read and Interesting, Accomplishing its Goal in as Few Words as Possible, in Common Sense Rules of Advocacy for Lawyers, by Keith Evans
For more information about becoming a better advocate, see these resources from TheCapitol.Net:
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Tags: Common Sense Rules of Advocacy for Lawyers, critical thinking and writing, Keith Evans, legal writing, Word Workshop, Writing for Government and Business, Writing to Persuade
Posted 2010/10/15, 5:57 am
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Category:
Tips ·
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