Grades for content quality from federal agencies

Grades for content quality from federal agencies

Since 2010, the Center for Plain Language annually judges the quality of content produced by US government agencies. The results for 2017 are shown below. I love these report cards for several reasons but chief among them is that they use an evidence-based approach. On a shoestring budget. Most complaints about content quality are vague. But the…

Feds make better grades in 2015

Feds make better grades in 2015

The Center for Plain Language recently released final grades for US federal agencies. After completing a rigorous evaluation process, they concluded that Participation by agencies in the Center for Plain Language Federal Plain Language Report Card reached an all-time high: 23 agencies submitted materials for review, including all 15 Cabinet-level departments. Compliance scores increased overall: Eight…

Which federal agencies made the grade?

Which federal agencies made the grade?

The Center for Plain Language just released their 2014 Federal Plain Language Report Card. Highest grades went to Homeland Security, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Social Security Administration. In their white paper, they note that the quality of writing within the US federal government is improving. • 16 out of 22 departments improved over last year’s grades….

Are corporate values connected to plain language adoption?

Are corporate values connected to plain language adoption?

I think so. At least this email from the lead writer at Pinterest to all company employees supports the connection. It is too good not to share. (See my series on what plain language is for background.) Because of my current research on workplace writing quality, I’ve been thinking about how to capture the qualities of organizations…

Looking for evidence that writing quality matters?
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Looking for evidence that writing quality matters?

To Be Clear, SEC Reviewers Want Filings in Plain English, Period” from the Wall Street Journal will help you make your case. Let me highlight a few of their examples of SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) responses to the filing documents companies have submitted for review. In case these documents are unfamiliar to you, here’s how Wikipedia describes them:…

What is the dullest, most vital skill you need to become a successful manager?

What is the dullest, most vital skill you need to become a successful manager?

It’s the ability to write. I wholeheartedly agree with the author of this piece found on LinkedIn so I’m sharing it with Pros Write readers. Walter Chen uses three mega-successful business leaders to make his point. Ben Horowitz, co-founder of the venture capital company, Andreessen Horowitz; Andrew Grove, former CEO of Intel; Jeff Bezos, CEO of…

Learn to write like a secret agent!

Learn to write like a secret agent!

Thanks to the folks at Bridging the Unbridgeable, I learned that the CIA style manual is now publicly available. As the Director of Intelligence wrote in the foreward to the 8th edition, The information the CIA gathers and the analysis it produces mean little if we cannot convey them effectively. I’ve included the manual here so you can investigate for yourself. The…