This section includes materials on crafting clear and effective public communications. Resources are divided into those that deal specifically with written communications and those that address digital communications strategy more broadly.
(General Services Administration) A website full of templates, checklists, and guidelines to help government employees with public-facing writing. Maintained by the Plain Language Action and Information Network.
(General Services Administration) A webinar on using plain language, covering how to establish a personal plain language “brand,” how to advance your brand, and how to plan for your long-term future as a plain language pro.
(Plain Language Action and Information Network) A document of best practices curated by federal employees. Includes examples of poor and improved writing from real government copy.
(General Services Administration) An interview with a senior member of the White House digital team on how their team uses digital tools to effectively communicate the President’s priorities and activities with citizens.
(General Services Administration) A website allowing government employees and contractors with a .gov or .mil email address to join a community of federal communicators with extensive experience in government communications, public affairs, social media, and other related areas.
(Department of the Interior) The Department of the Interior’s guidelines and best practices for social media and website managers. Many guidelines are specific to the department, but its best practices could be broadly helpful to employees at other agencies.
(Office of Personnel Management) Guide for any employees who manage official government social media accounts. Details allowed and disallowed types of content, restrictions against personal use, and required disclaimers.
Resources for All Employees on Personal Communications
(Department of Labor) An overview of what constitutes allowable personal versus work use of social media and email. Explains the federal ethics rules under the Hatch Act, a federal law limiting some political activities of federal employees, as well as specific guidelines from the Department of Labor.
. However, we did not find resources that help new government employers approach internal communications, such as email correspondence
We also did not find any general communications resources at the federal level that explain how to write an effective press release or approach conversations with the media. This would be helpful to any new staff that are on-boarding.
, but these appear to be live courses that are offered periodically. We were unable to find resources that help government employees improve their writing skills on their own time.