John W. Swain - Effective Writing in the Public Sector

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Effective Writing in the Public Sector

Effective Writing in the Public Sector

John W. Swain and Kathleen Dolan Swain

First published 2014 by M.E. Sharpe

Published 2015 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

Copyright 2014 Taylor & Francis. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Notices
No responsibility is assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use of operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein.

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Swain, John W.
Effective writing in the public sector / by John W. Swain and Kathleen Dolan Swain.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-7656-4149-6 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN 978-0-7656-4150-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Government report writingHandbooks, manuals, etc. 2. AuthorshipHandbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Communication in public administrationHandbooks,
manuals, etc. I. Swain, Kathleen Dolan II. Title.

JF1525.R46S83 2014
808.066351dc23

2013049798

ISBN 13: 9780765641502 (pbk)
ISBN 13: 9780765641496 (hbk)

We dedicate this book to James M. Banovetz, a singularly exceptional teacher. His integrityboth personal and professionalhas affected us in ways even more profound than we realized when we were his students. Words cannot express the fullness of our debt to him.

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Contents

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We wish to thank all of the people who have aided us in producing this book. Our appreciation for their many contributions to this project is boundless.

We would like to acknowledge our teachers, students, colleagues, and the many practitioners from whom we have learned much about writing for the public sector. More specifically, we thank the following people for reading our original manuscript and for providing invaluable comments and insights that made the book better: Sheryl Gallaher, David Limardi, Dan Nisavic, Jim Norris, John Perry, Paul Peterson, and Dwight Vick.

We also thank Harry Briggs, executive editor extraordinaire at M. E. Sharpe, who believed in this project from the beginning and provided much-needed support and encouragement during the process. We are also indebted to Elizabeth Parker, associate editor, for her valuable assistance and to Laura Brengelman, assistant managing editor and project editor, for her superb efforts to make this book the best it could be. We truly appreciate, too, the fine work of copyeditor Deborah Ring.

Last, but certainly not least, we thank our family members and the many others who have encouraged us while we worked on this book.

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We designed this book for students and practitioners in public administration because of the unique challenges they face in their everyday writing. In many ways, of course, students and practitioners in public administration experience the same concerns as all writers. To write effectively, all writers need to understand whom they are writing to so they can express themselves clearly to that particular audience; be familiar with and use the proper form of writing for the situation; observe the rules of English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; and follow conventions on language usage.

But the writing done by individuals working in the public sector also differs in critical ways. One difference is the need to communicate with a wide range of audiences. Public sector audiences range from an individual citizen, to special-interest groups, to technical specialists, to the public at large. As such, people who write for the public sector face the challenge of communicating the right information in the right tone to the right audience. For example, a letter to a citizen about a zoning change will differ greatly in content, language, and tone from a letter to the members of a zoning commission, even though the general topic is the same.

The types of communications written by individuals in the public sector also span a broader range than those of other writerseven more so than the public relations departments of private businesses. Because public sector officials write for all of the public, they must spread their communications across a wide range of media in a wide range of forms. A village manager, for example, may have to write not only memos and letters but also public service announcements and formal reports. That manager and staff might also be involved in writing rules and grant applications.

Another special concern of public sector writers is the importance of their communications to the public. Public communications may literally involve life-and-death situations. For example, a communication written about an immediate health hazard to the community must be clear and concise to effect the right results. Other communications affect other aspects of a communitys well-being. Public officials and staff are responsible for writing about such varied concerns as crime prevention and tax assessments, for example, and all such writing places a premium on clarity.

Public sector writers face two additional challenges. First, many people distrust government communications. In some cases people react adversely to government communications that affect them in a negative way, for example, an order to cease business. In such communications, governments express their power to coerce, and the writing must be approached and expressed with this in mind.

Second, much government writing historically has been characterized, justly so, as bureaucratesea foggy, pretentious, and jargon-infested way of writing that baffles (and annoys, as we can testify) the people trying to read the communication. Here is a good example of bureaucratese: Upon receipt of this memo dated 28 June 2013, affected parties are notified that the new book deposit process will be effectuated immediately. Affected persons with questions, concerns, or comments should contact our office at their earliest possible convenience. How much better it would have been to state, The new book deposit process starts now. Please contact our office if you have questions or comments. Bureaucratese has persisted throughout all levels of government because of habit and lack of knowledge of how to write in a better way. We hope this book will help writers avoid the convoluted writing that frustrates so many readers.

Writing effectively contributes to the success of individuals, governments, and the public at large. Students who write effectively earn better grades. Practitioners who write effectively are likely to gain positive attention and promotions. Governments with officials and staff who write effectively more ably serve their publicsand that means all of us benefit, a worthy endeavor indeed.

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