The nation's federal, state and local government agencies provide the foundations for services and products that ensure America's safety and well-being. Agencies develop and enforce measurable standards for everything from dependable bridges and postage stamps to reliable food and beneficial drugs.
However, the most valued commodity of an agency – its knowledge, communicated in its documents – is typically not produced to a measurable standard.
As a result, government documents have for years had a justly earned reputation as exemplifying unclear, unfriendly, not-useful and sometimes unsafe writing.
The GS Writing Center is a response to:
Presidential mandates for clear writing
Congressional initiatives for clearer written communications in government, such as H.R. 4809: Regulation in Plain Language Act of 2006
Grassroots movements such as The Plain Language in Government movement
The GS goal of supporting continual improvement in writing skills for all government employees by providing advisory services to ensure training "sticks" and is applied according to consistent standards
A Systematic Yet Flexible Solution: Document Development Process Improvement (DDPI)
By working directly with your agency's representatives, the GS will help you maximize productivity and minimize risk in your written communications, to make sure you get the most out of your time and dollars. Research and experience have shown that writing skills training is highly perishable in the absence of policies, style manuals, job aids and ongoing support from experts who can answer questions on grammar and style, help break writer's block, or even edit or write troublesome documents. Hence, the GS uses a Document Development Process Improvement system to build an environment where high standards will be understood and maintained across the workforce.
The GS Writing Center's Document Development Process Improvement (DDPI) system includes these components, among others.
Review of agency documents from the target audiences' perspectives, from the shortest e-mail messages and memos to the longest book-length publications
Review of training programs and assessments in place for writing skills
Risk assessments of e-mail and other documents
Development of a unique, measurable "corporate standard" for written communications, and an agency style manual to ensure execution
Development of policies and procedures to ensure compliance
Development of a Quality Assurance Plan, with tools for measurement
Risk Measurements
Development of custom job aids
Development of a custom training plan/curriculum to ensure managers' and workers' skills are continually improving
Providing mentoring, editing, research/authoring, document troubleshooting and other on-call support via on-site, online, teleconferencing and other technologies
The Solution Provider for Quality Assurance and Risk Reduction for Your Agency's Documents
The GS Writing Center helps agencies to apply quality assurance and risk management where they are needed the most: written communications.
Through its Writing Center, the Graduate School has the expertise and resources to provide comprehensive consulting and training solutions to government agencies and other organizations. With a nationwide presence, over 50 courses in writing skills, a prestigious faculty, varied delivery capabilities (including online), experienced course development staff and resources, and content provider partners including the nation's top publishing firms, the GS has the capacity for training in writing and other communications skills for the government, corporate and nonprofit sectors.
For more information on how the Writing Center can assist you, please call Eileen Wall at (202) 314-3409 or send email to
.