Avoid the traps of policy online
You policy writers have a tough job. Creating the policy is just a start. You have to anticipate all possible effects of the policy. And you have to write lucidly about hypothetical and complex situations.
Among the traps of policy writing are gobbledegook, jargon, long sentences, overload of passive verbs, and hypothetical, abstract writing that we cannot understand.
When policy goes online, more traps await. Reading off a screen is more difficult than reading printed material, so you must be extremely rigorous about using plain language. When consultation is called for, you must be very clear about deadlines. Make it easy for readers to contact you!
We are used to a more informal style in web writing. Policy writers have to be accessible, understandable without lapsing into an inappropriately casual style. Casual writing is just as likely to be misinterpreted as over-formal policy overloaded with long sentences and words.
Policy writers, you need to adapt your style for publication on the web. The best way to do this is to enrol in a CONTENTED course.
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Managers, contact us now to discuss training all your policy writers
