Plain & Simple! Document Writing (PSDW)

Workshops:: Webinar At Your Unit

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Objectives:

Write clear, concise analytical documents readily understood by the average reader; effectively communicate technical and scientific information to a variety of audiences.

Focus on writing documents pertinent to the work you do. Designed for natural resource professionals who are involved in preparing NEPA documents, biological assessments/evaluations, and other types of analytical documents, but open to everyone. During the workshop participants will edit their documents, leaving with improved products. Participants also leave with a "short book" of what they learned at the workshop.

Description:

PSDW is transitioning to a distance delivery method. It will use WebEx/Video Conferencing, online postings and participant interaction. "Request" in AgLearn or email Shelly Witt (switt01@fs.fed.us). Once the new delivery method is established you will be notified.

"Bring With You":

• A Laptop Computer
• A document to work on -- an EA, an EIS, a regulation, a bio-appendix to an EA et cetera. This is about skills and techniques. Obviously in an electronic format as you will edit it on your laptop computer.

As the instructor, Dr. Jud Monroe puts it..."This really is a kind of science of writing workshop and so I tried to capture that idea in a short passage...

For example, there is this really neat pattern of grammatical elements to the declarative sentence. The various grammatical elements go in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 order. You don't always need all of them, but they must go in the 1 to 12 sequence. So, you can have 3,4,5,10. But you can't have 5, 3, 2, 10, 9. (You can do 5,3,2,10,9 in French or Italian, but not in English.) If you get them out of sequence, you lose clarity (and you can precisely quantify the potential for clarity loss based on measurements you can do with a ruler in class). If you know the sequence, then you can quickly check to see whether your sentences are in the right order. And the issue of "right order" is not a matter of personal preference -- there are very strong statistical relationships between the sequence and reader preceptions of "clarity." You just learn 12-pattern by trial and error if you write, say, 1000 pages a year. But you can learn it systematically in a very short time. Once you learn it, you can instantly spot sentence structure problems and fix them -- you just put the problem item back into the numerical slot where it belongs. Or, you learn how to move 2's to the 4 position by changing their form. . . and so forth. It's amazingly simple and it means you don't have to think your way out of problems.

When I first show people this pattern, they generally look at me as if I am crazy. Then they stumble about for a few hours trying to learn it. And in about 2-3 hours they're talking in code -- "I've got too many 1's, so I'll move a 1 to the 12 position." (1's and 12's are interchangeable, with minor adjustments). They usually end up asking me why nobody ever taught them this in Freshman English. It's the same question I had when I learned it.

Cheers, Jud"

In collaboration with the USFS Ecosystem Management Coordination staff.

Dropping from the Workshop: Tuition is low for this workshop consequently there is not much leeway on letting people drop. If you are registered, check with us first, just in case we have a waiting list. If there is not a waiting list, you will need to find a substitute or pay fixed costs. The budget has been set and spent based on current confirmation. Thank you for your understanding and consideration.

At Your Unit

Date: TBD - contact CE Program Leader to work with vendor in scheduling this workshop at your unit. If your unit doesn't fill the course, we will assist with marketing across the agency. Invite local state agencies, institutions or other agencies.


Tuition: $180


Paying Tuition: Please pay by Direct Deposit (CCR/FFIS/DUNS) or check (NFC government check, local government check or personal check; Feds paying with "Personal check" might not be reimbursed by their agency). Participants will receive Tax ID and DUNS information in the welcome letter from Jud. Credit Card payment is not available.


Registration Status: OPEN - Request in AgLearn

Webinar

Date: TBA - the vendor is finalizing his delivery and determining the best way to break out the training for webinar (multiple sequential long days or shorter units over a month)


Tuition: $180


Paying Tuition: Please pay by Direct Deposit (CCR/FFIS/DUNS) or check (NFC government check, local government check or personal check; Feds paying with "Personal check" might not be reimbursed by their agency). Participants will receive Tax ID and DUNS information in the welcome letter from Jud. Credit Card payment is not available.


Registration Status: OPEN - Request in AgLearn

AgLearn Keywords: wo 2600 plain simple writing
Registering in AgLearn


Vendor:

Dr. Jud Monroe, Environmental Planning & Documentation
24 Cinnamon Teal Lane
Novato, CA 94949
415-884-0479
jmonroe@pacbell.net

Dropping from the Workshop: Tuition is low for this workshop consequently there is not much leeway on letting people drop. If you are registered, check with us first, just in case we have a waiting list. If there is not a waiting list, you will need to find a substitute or pay fixed costs. The budget has been set and spent based on current confirmation. Thank you for your understanding and consideration.