

PLAIN Meeting: September 2012 | |||||||
Time: 2:00 to 3:30
Frank Boland, an
attorney in IRS’s Office of Chief Counsel, has been writing and reviewing
regulations for more than 20 years. Directions:The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby; you must have a government-issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: August 2012 | |||||||
Time:
We are not meeting this month. Enjoy August vacation! Directions: | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: July 2012 | |||||||
Time: 2-3:30 pm
With the second annivesary of the Plain Writing Act of 2010 coming up this October, PLAIN still has very little data concering how well federal agencies are complying with the law. Please join us for a brainstorming session on encouraging agencies to collect, share, and use data on their use of plain language. Directions:Location: The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby; you must have a government-issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: June 2012 | |||||||
Time: 2-3:30 pm
This month Dees Stallings' presentation focuses on the potential for three "enablers" of plain writing standards: writing centers, style guides, and productivity measurements. Directions:Location: USCIS, 20 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington DC. 20 Massachusetts Ave is one block west of Union Station. Take the main Mass Ave exit and walk right towards the U.S. Postal Museum. 20 Mass Ave is adjacent the Sun Trust bank at the corner of North Capitol Street.Security: Your name will be on a security list. Bring a
government-issued ID (if you have a federal gov't badge, please bring
that). You'll need to go through security screening and then a PLAIN
member will escort you to the room.
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PLAIN Meeting: May 2012 | |||||||
Time: 2-3:30 pm
Peg Hausman, writer-editor at the U.S. International
Trade Commission, will speak about grammatical urban legends. Some of these
bugbears are fairly harmless, while (or is it "whereas"?) others can get in the
way of plain writing. Bring examples of these pesky phenomena from your own
workplace—and any tips you have for dealing with them. Directions:The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby; you must have a government-issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: April 2012 | |||||||
Time: 2-3:30 pm
Speakers --
-- Linda Joy, NOAA public affairs officer -- "Why science needs plain
language"
-- Michael French Smith, anthropologist, author -- "Why scientists need
plain language"
Special tour: at 1:30, the new NOAA Gateway exhibit will be open for the
Plain group -- this is located by the Silver Spring Metro exit leading onto the
NOAA campus in 1325 East West Highway -- this small, but informative exhibit is
a great way to quickly get a sense of the scope of the science and services NOAA
provides every day. Directions:NOAA
1311-B East West Highway (follow the signs -- next to the building with the
Hand statue - 1315 East West Highway)
Please note: Metro if you can (Silver Spring Metro, exit via the south side
entrance OPPOSITE the construction)- a short walk between Buildings 1-2 (NOAA
Gateway will be on your left) meeting room is on East West Highway - there will
be signs posted and a map at the Gateway.)
Parking is practically non-existent at NOAA -- those parking in the Giant
lot across the street WILL BE TOWED. Security: Your
name will be on a security list. Bring a government-issued ID
(if you have a Federal Government PIV badge, please bring that).
You'll need to go through security screening. Please arrive no
later than 1:50 to clear security.
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PLAIN Meeting: March 2012 | |||||||
Time: 2-3:30 pm
Join Nicole Burton of GSA's First Fridays usability testing for a discussion of
what usability testing is, what First Fridays tests, what problems usability
testing reveals, and how First Fridays can help the plain language effort.
Directions:Time: 2-3:30 pmLocation: Directions: | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: February 2012 | |||||||
Time: 2-3:30 pm
Directions:Time: 2-3:30 pmLocation: Directions: | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: January 2012 | |||||||
Time: 2-3:30 pm
Come join us for an exchange of information and ideas on editing and a discussion of editing problems and solutions. No edit question is too small or “dumb.” For those who can't attend, we will provide call-in information the day of the meeting. Directions:Time: 2-3:30 pmLocation: VA Office of Inspector General, 801 I Street, NW, TechWorld Building, Room 1105 Directions: We are located two blocks from the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station—exit at the big “fan” art and come out beneath the Chinatown Gate. Walk one block up 7th Street (you’ll pass Fadó Irish Pub on your left and Nando’s Peri Peri on your right), turn left at I Street, and walk one block to TechWorld. The VA OIG offices are in the left-side building of TechWorld. Security: Your name will be on a security list. Bring a government-issued ID (if you have a Federal Government PIV badge, please bring that). You'll need to go through security screening. Please arrive no later than 1:50 to clear security. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: December 2011 | |||||||
Time: 2-3:30 pm
Come join us for a preview of our redesigned website (www.plainlanguage.gov). We'll also discuss agency style guides and other efforts to implement the Plain Writing Act. For those who can't attend, we will provide call-in information the day of the meeting. Directions:Time: 2-3:30 pmLocation: Office of the Federal Register, 800 N Capitol Street, NW, Suite 700 Directions: We are located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro, on the northwest corner of H street and N. Capitol Street. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter our lobby. Security: Your name will be on a security list. Bring a government-issued ID (if you have a federal gov't badge, please bring that). You'll need to go through security screening. Please arrive no later than 1:50 to clear security. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: November 2011 | |||||||
Time: 2-3:30 pm
Tom Elliott, a Training Program Manager from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), will be the speaker at the November PLAIN meeting. In recent years, FHWA has identified writing training as a key priority for engineering and technical staff and developed a new training course, Writing Effective Performance Reviews, which is now being delivered to all FHWA staff nationwide. The course covers such material as writing for your audience, minimizing the use of jargon, and how to write to move readers to action. Tom will give an overview of how the course was developed and how it is improving technical writing at FHWA. We will be meeting at the U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE so everyone (including federal employees) needs to register. You must RSVP by COB Tuesday, November 8 and you must be at DOT no later than 1:45 pm to get into the meeting room. There’s a coffee/soda/snack kiosk right outside the conference center, if you want to arrive early enough before the meeting to grab a snack. For those who can't attend, we will provide call-in information the day of the meeting. Directions:Time: 2-3:30 pmLocation: U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Directions: Green Line metro, Navy Yard stop. There are signs in the Metro directing you to DOT (take the exit opposite the one to the Nationals Ballpark). Once you come off the Metro escalator to the street, you will see DOT across the street. DOT is at the corner of New Jersey Ave. and M Street, SE. Come in the main entrance which is easy to spot, it has a big sign, columns, and a rotunda. Security: Your name will be on a security list. Bring a government-issued ID (if you have a federal gov't badge, please bring that). You'll need to go through security screening and then a PLAIN member will escort you to the room (even federal ID holders will need an escort). | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: October 2011 | |||||||
Time: 2-3:30 pm
Join us for a discussion on best practices to promote plain language inside your agency. Katherine Spivey, the General Services Administration's Plain Language Launcher, will discuss how GSA is marketing plain language throughout the agency including good ideas, dud ideas, challenges and best practices. We will be meeting at the Department of Energy at 1000 Independence Ave., SW so everyone (including federal employees) needs to register. You must RSVP by COB Tuesday, October 11 and you must be at DOE no later than 1:50 pm to get into the meeting room. For those who can't attend, we will provide call-in information the day of the meeting. Directions:Time: 2-3:30 pmLocation: U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Ave., SW Directions: From Smithsonian metro (Independence Ave exit) Walk east on Independence Ave until you reach L'Enfant Promenade, then turn right. Or from L'Enfant metro, head down C St (behind FAA), take a right on 9th street and a left on Independence and a left on L'Enfant Promenade. Security: Your name will be on a security list. Bring a government-issued ID (if you have a federal gov't badge, please bring that). You'll need to go through security screening and then a PLAIN member will escort you to the room (federal ID holders may or may not need an escort). | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: September 2011 | |||||||
Claudette Chagnon and Cindy Bowers from Information Mapping will be our presenters this month. Join us to find out:
We will be meeting at the General Services Administration (GSA) at 1275 First Street, NE so everyone (including federal employees) needs to be registered. You must RSVP by COB Tuesday, September 13 and you must be at GSA no later than 1:50 pm to get into the meeting room. For those who can't attend, we will provide call-in information the day of the meeting. Directions:Time: 2-3:30 pmLocation: GSA, Room 1101, 1275 First Street, NE, Washington DC. Directions are located at http://www.usa.gov/webcontent/wmu/directions/gsa-constitution-square.shtml. Security: Your name will be on a security list. Bring a government-issued ID (if you have a federal gov't badge, please bring that). You'll need to go through security screening and then a PLAIN member will escort you to the room (federal ID holders may or may not need an escort).
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PLAIN Meeting: August 2011 | |||||||
We will be having an August meeting this year (on Thursday, not our regular Wednesday spot) Join PLAIN and OMB for a discussion on the implementation of the Plain Writing Act. Come prepared to discuss what your agency is doing to prepare for the Oct 13 deadline. We will be meeting at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at 20 Massachusetts Ave, NW so everyone (including federal employees) needs to be escorted in. You must RSVP by COB Wednesday, August 10 and you must be at USCIS no later than 1:50 pm to get into the meeting room. For those who can't attend, we will provide call-in information the day of the meeting. Directions:Time: 2-3:30 pmLocation: USCIS, 20 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington DC. 20 Massachusetts Ave is one block west of Union Station. Take the main Mass Ave exit and walk right towards the U.S. Postal Museum. 20 Mass Ave is adjacent the Sun Trust bank at the corner of North Capitol Street. Security: Your name will be on a security list. Bring a government-issued ID (if you have a federal gov't badge, please bring that). You'll need to go through security screening and then a PLAIN member will escort you to the room.
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PLAIN Meeting: July 2011 | |||||||
Hank Wallace will discuss: Write Like the News: 8 Journalism Skills to Transform Your Business Writing Here's the discussion booklet -- get a head start on the 8 skills: Write Like the News Hank is a graduate of Columbia Law School, and he wrote the FCC's plain-language newsletter -- including the commission's plain-language description of how cell phones work. Directions:Time: 2-3:30Location: GSA, One Constitution Square, 1275 First St NE Washington, DC 20417 Room: 1101
Security: Your name will be on a security list. Please use the visitor's entrance located to the left of the revolving door. Bring a government-issued ID (if you have a federal gov't badge, please bring that). You'll need to go through general security and metal detector (non-GSA employees)
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PLAIN Meeting: June 2011 | |||||||
Mark
Starford is the
founding director and key consultant of The SCILS Group, a national nonprofit
consulting firm dedicated to full and inclusive community participation of
children with developmental disabilities and their families. He’ll be talking
about his work on Directions:Location: GSA, One Constitution Square, 1275 First St NE Washington, DC 20417 Room: 1101 Security: Your name will be on a security list. Please use the visitor's entrance located to the left of the revolving door. Bring a government-issued ID (if you have a federal gov't badge, please bring that). You'll need to go through general security and metal detector (non-GSA employees)
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PLAIN Meeting: May 2011 | |||||||
Training Your Staff: Best Practices on Implementing a Plain Language Program Directions:U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 111
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PLAIN Meeting: April 2011 | |||||||
April's monthly meeting has been cancelled. We will reschedule Hank Wallace later this year. Directions: | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: March 2011 | |||||||
Jodi Patterson, from the IRS will discuss the testing process of benefits from rewriting IRS form letters into plain language. Directions:The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby, you must have a government issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby.
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PLAIN Meeting: February 2011 | |||||||
Join us from 2 to 3:30 at the Office of the Federal Register. Solveig Brownfeld will talk about: Teaching Plain Language to People who Must Interpret Events for Others How to use verbs, nouns, patterns, tense, and bottom line up front to convey to your reader what happened, who made it happen, why it is significant, and where it occurred on the timeline. Directions:The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby, you must have a government issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: January 2011 | |||||||
Join us and Nick Fraser from OMB, from 2 to 3:30, for a discussion of the Plain Writing Act of 2010, OMB's preliminary Guidance for the Act, and upcoming guidance. The meeting will be held at the Office of the Federal Register from 2 to 3:30 on January 12, 2011. Be sure to bring your questions. Please RSVP using the More Information link. If more people than usual attend we'll have to find a larger room to hold the meeting. Directions:The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby, you must have a government issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: December 2010 | |||||||
We will be meeting at
the Office of the Federal Register.
Directions:The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby, you must have a government issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: November 2010 | |||||||
Join us on November 17, from 2 to 3:30, to celebrate the passage of the Plain Writing Act of 2010. At the meeting we will discuss:
We will be meeting at the Office of the Federal Register.
Directions:The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby, you must have a government issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: October 2010 | |||||||
Join us from 2 pm to 3:30 pm for a historical look at plain language. Stephen Bess will present The History of Plain Language: Traveling interstate 85. Stephen will look at references to plain language in early 20th Century America. Stephen is a writer and plain language consultant for R3i Solutions in Fairfax, VA. Directions:U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 20 Massachusetts Ave, NW. USCIS is two blocks down from Union Station. Walk west down Massachusetts Ave until you come to the instersection with North Capitol St. Cross the street towards the Sun Trust bank. 20 Massachusetts is the building next to the bank. You will need government ID or your drivers license to enter the building. Please RSVP in advance so that we can give the guard desk a list of attendees. While clearing security, let the guards know you are there for the PLAIN meeting. A USCIS employee will be there to greet and escort you to the meeting room. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: September 2010 | |||||||
Directions:The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby, you must have a government issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby.. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: July 2010 | |||||||
Join us from 2 pm to 3:30 pm to hear about healthfinder.gov. healthfinder.gov's Quick Guide to Healthy Living recently won the Clear Mark award for best plain language on a public Web site. Sandy Hilfiker from the HHS Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion will discuss the style guide for the Quick Guide and how it is maintained as a living document through a wiki. Directions:The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby, you must have a government issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby.. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: June 2010 | |||||||
"The anatomy of a plain language battle: A tactical review" On June 9th from 2 to 3:30, Bruce Corsino will talk about his attempt to get a government office to correctly use words of obligation. He'll discuss his short list of successes and long list of failures. He'll talk about the lingering challenges that exist as the plain language community tries to institutionalize a proper use of the words "must" and "shall." Directions:The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby, you must have a government issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby.. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: May 2010 | |||||||
Please join us, from 2 to 3:30 on May 12, in welcoming our presenter Evelyn Fella as she joins us via the telephone from California. Ms. Fella is an independent contractor for English as a Second Language materials and has worked for major educational publishers. She was the lead content writer for USALearns.org. In 2008 the U.S. Education Department funded the development of this popular site to teach English to immigrants. She will discuss that project as well as her current work on preparing students for the citizenship test, and will offer insights into the special needs of non-native English speakers. Directions:U.S. Citzenship and Immigration Services is located three blocks west of the Union Station Metro at: 111 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington DC 20001. Attendees will need to check in with security in the lobby and must have a government issued photo id or state driver's license. A PLAIN member will meet attendees in the hall and escort them to the conference room. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: April 2010 | |||||||
Please join us, from 2 to 3:30 on April 7, in welcoming Anne-Marie Hasselrot, Deputy Director, Ministry of Justice, the Kingdom of Sweden. Ms. Hasselrot will be discussing the Swedish approach to clear legislation lawyers and plain language experts work as a team. She'll also talk about some of the most common plain language problems. In addition, she'll discuss problems with legal writing in the European Union. Here is a link to Sweden's plain language page. http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/4409 Directions:The Federal Register Office is located three blocks north of the Union Station Metro at: 800 North Capitol Street, NW Suite 700, Washington DC 20001. Go through security in the lobby, you must have a government issued photo id. The Federal Register is located on the 7th floor. Follow the sign saying public inspection to enter the lobby. | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: March 2010 | |||||||
Join us in March for a workshop on training best practices. Bring your favorite training tips to share with the group. We'll be able to show your Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and video (as time permits). The March meeting will also feature a special screening of Invasion of the Space Lobsters! Make sure you don't miss it. Directions:Directions: | |||||||
PLAIN Meeting: February 2010 | |||||||
Our February meeting is canceled because of the weather. Please check back for information on our March meeting. Directions:
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PLAIN Meeting: January 2010 | |||||||
Directions:U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), 111 Massachusetts Ave, NW., Room 3004, 3rd Floor. USCIS is three blocks down from Union Station. Walk down Massachusetts Ave until you come to the instersection with New Jersey Ave. 111 Massachusetts in the large black glass building on the corner. You will need government ID or your drivers license to enter the building. Please RSVP in advance so that we can give the guard desk a list of attendees. While clearing security, let the guards know you are there for the PLAIN meeting. A USCIS employee will be there to greet and escort you to the 3rd floor meeting room. | |||||||
