At the beginning of each of my training days in writing for government, I go around the room, asking people what they hope to gain from the session.
There’s always a mix of answers.
One person will confide that their writing is always too fluffy – their writing goes on and on when in fact they should get the point across in far fewer words. Others say that they find it hard to plan the writing task until they’re actually doing it – and as a result, they need to do multiple drafts.
But one of the most common answers is that the participant wants to learn to write in the ‘government style’.
They always say this in a slightly hushed tone, because – you know – the government style is such a slippery customer to come to grips with, a complex amalgam of bureaucratic speak and inside government knowledge. And if you’re new to the public service, how on earth do you gain the skills to write in that manner?
Well, the good news is that the required style for writing for government is actually nothing like that.
I came to the public service after more than two decades of professional writing, mostly as a magazine and web journalist. And what I discovered when I started reading the style guides issued by government is that, in fact, writing like a bureaucrat and using lots of inside government terms is exactly what you should not be doing!
Instead, whole-of-government style guides, and also those of individual departments, actively encourage the use of simple words, simple sentence structures and a direct and unambiguous clarity of purpose.
Which is just great: that’s what all good business writing is about!
I’ve talked elsewhere on this website about identifying your audience and then writing for them, and about inductive and deductive methods of organising written arguments. But what about this idea of a ‘government style’, of a special approach that you should take when performing the actual writing?
Let’s take a look at just four simple tactics you can easily apply.
Write in the active voice
When an English teacher starts to talk about nouns and verbs, and passive and active voice, it’s very easy to switch off. So I won’t mention those terms – except to say, like many things, it’s a lot easier to recognise and change active and passive voices than it is to describe them.
Take a look at this phrase:
Senator Bill Webb today announced that the unemployment benefit will rise by 50 per cent.
Who announced it? Senator Bill Webb – we know that; it’s easy because it’s right up the front.
Now let’s change it a bit.
The unemployment benefit will fall by 50 per cent, Senator Bill Webb announced today.
Who announced it? We still know it’s Senator Webb, but we have to dig harder to find it. It’s a harder search because unlike the first example, this sentence is written in the passive.
Today it was announced that the unemployment benefit will fall by 50 per cent.
Who announced it? Who knows! This is an even more passive sentence.
All government style guides state that the active voice should be preferred. Why? Well, you then know who or what is causing the action, and that’s simply much easier to understand. And another thing about the active voice – it also increases accountability!
Tip: Use Word’s ‘Readability’ function to quickly show you how often you’re currently using passive voice.
Use Plain English
Plain English just means using simple words rather than complex ones, using short sentences and paragraphs, and using simple sentence constructions.
Remember, you can express complex concepts in simple language!
Usually, when someone chooses to use complex language it’s because they’re unsure of themselves and want to make their work look stronger than it really is.
It is an ongoing process of facilitation to achieve cultural change with respect to the time-based work practices habitually evidenced.
Translation?
We want people to come to work on time.
If you want to communicate effectively with your audience, write in simple language. You’ll reach more people more quickly, and more of those people will understand what you have written.
Think about that….
Formality
It’s important in all business writing (and so not just for government) that you write with an appropriate degree of formality. But the required formality is probably a lot less than you think!
Unless you are writing legal documents, use the sort of written language you’d be happy saying in a job interview. You wouldn’t say to the interviewer that you’re late “cos that bloody bus went straight past me, going like a bat outa hell,” but nor would you say to the interviewer that “I must really apologise for my disgracefully bad form caused by the errant behaviour of an omnibus driver who quite overlooked my presence at the bus stop”.
So what would you say? Probably something like: “I am very sorry I am late – the bus did not stop for me.”
Don’t be informal – evidenced by contractions like don’t and wasn’t, the use of clichés and slang. But at the same time don’t go too far the other way.
You’re looking for a degree of formality similar to professional journalism – a little more formal than I am writing here, but not hugely so.
Keep the Writing Tight
Whether it’s a minute, briefing note or ministerial, a universal in government writing is to keep the writing concise.
Don’t say things twice in different ways; say them once very clearly.
Before starting, have a clear intent as to the purpose of the document and know the sequence with which you are going to introduce points. Taking this approach makes it much easier to be tight.
Be careful of phrases that are simply unneeded (ones like “all things considered”) and of extra words that just seem to sneak in (“it is quite small in size” – well, what else could it be – quite small in colour?).
And lastly, don’t be frightened if a document looks too small. If you have covered the required points in adequate depth, a short outcome is to be applauded – and will be welcomed by all readers.
Julian can be contacted directly or courses in writing can be arranged through training provider Anne Jenkins and Associates.
