Principles to Improve Written Communication in the Public Sector

In the field of public service, communication is paramount. Indeed, without communication there would be no public service (Braji, 2019). While different mediums of communication exist (verbal, gesture, virtual), written communication is by far the most useful mode that you will use throughout your academic journey and in your expected career path. Examples of written communication in public service include manuals, reports, policy memorandums, meeting minutes, press releases, proposals, and letters, to name a few. Internal communication will include documents between staff (lateral), from staff addressed to supervisors/managers (bottom up) and written from those in supervisory or managerial roles to subordinates (top down). For those within the organization, you may have to communicate rules, policies, directives, and procedures. On the other hand, external communication is distributed to the public, external stakeholders, and organizational partners. Externally facing readers may review documentation which includes policies, programs, and proposed projects that citizens have a public interest in and that may affect their day-to-day lives.

As a future public servant, you may be tasked to write a policy memorandum for your prospective organization. It is important that you are aware of the correct way to write a policy memorandum as these are used quite often within public sector organizations. Policy memorandums state situational facts and propositions (Steve, 2014) but also analyze issues, encourage changes to stated policies, and provide feasible recommendations and solutions (Braji, 2019). When writing memorandums to share with colleagues and staff or with external stakeholders in your future [or current] organizations, it is important that messages are delivered in a simplified, clear and concise manner. In this way, complex information can be expressed better than oral communication, the material is distributed in a uniformed manner, and the writer can correspond with a large audience (Prabavathi & Nagasubramani, 2018).

Memorandums should be well-constructed, well-organized, effective, and understandable by a wide variety of readers, some that may be unaware of the topic you have selected. For example, when writing for the ordinary reader that is outside of your organization, the use of familiar words, a simple yet effective vocabulary, brief sentences, and non-scientific or technical jargon (Braji, 2019) all while ensuring that you utilize correct grammatical/spelling guidelines. Therefore, it is important to double-check your work (class assignments as well as future written communication in your career), utilize spell-check, and work with a proofreader, if possible. It is important that before beginning any document or research paper, you draft an outline and conduct ongoing revisions. Lastly, when writing a policy memorandum, ensure that your work is objective and direct while ensuring that it is within the specified page limit.

In sum, it is important to keep the following principles in mind: 1) the readers’ time is as valuable as your own: keep your communication concise and direct; 2) confusion is the enemy of us all: write what you mean and mean what you write; 3) exaggeration impairs credibility: don’t overstate your argument; and 4) false modesty is not flattering: don’t understate your argument. Indeed, research within the last eight years by Arputhamalar & Kannan (2016) found that aptitude in both oral and written communication have been placed in the top ten sought after skills by employers domestically and internationally Doyle (2021). Utilizing these principles will ensure that your written communication skills are perfected during your graduate education in preparation for the “real world.”

References

Arputhamalar, A., & Kannan, S. P. (2016). Written Communication in Organizations and the Need to teach Tertiary Learners. Indian Journal of Applied Research, 6(4), 17-19.

Braji, I. (2019). The Need for Effective Communication Skills in the Public Service. Arts and Social Science Research, 9(1), 122-157.

Doyle, A. (2021, July 16). Top Skills and Attributes Employers Look For. The Balance. https://www.thebalancecareers.com/top-skills-employers-want-2062481

Prabavathi, R. and Nagasubramani, P.C. (2018). Effective Oral and Written Communication. Journal of Applied and Advanced Research, 3 (Suppl. 1). S29-S32.

Steve, F. (2015, November 4). Policy Memo Writing Tips. Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. https://spia.princeton.edu/blogs/policy-memo-writing-tips