Plain Language

2020 Federal Plain Language Summit

Tuesday, October 27, 2020 10:00 AM – 4:15 PM ET

Hosted by Digital.gov and the Plain Language Community of Practice

Plain Language / plainlanguage.gov

On October 27 and 28, 2020, the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) will bring experts together to explain how plain language can improve our government communication.

There will be two sessions each day. You will need to register for each one to receive the correct Zoom for Government links and conference details. Below is a short description of each of the four sessions.

Agenda

Tuesday, October 27

First Session (10:00 am - 12:15 pm, ET)

In this session you will hear from the following speakers:

  • 10:00 am - 10:30 am: Welcome & Annual Report—Katherine Spivey, GSA’s Plain Language Launcher and co-chair of the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) and Katina Stapleton, co-chair of PLAIN
  • 10:35 am - 11:15 am: Putting Plain Language to the Test—Nicole Fenton, Senior Content Strategist
  • 11:15 am - 12:15 pm: Keynote—Mark Mchale, GSA’s Senior Plain Language Official Associate Administrator, Office of Strategic Communications, GSA

Second Session (2:00 pm – 4:15 pm, ET)

In this session you will hear from the following speakers:

  • 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: Government CX: Intersection of CX and PL—Martha Dorris, Independent Consultant
  • 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm: How We Got the Plain Writing Act Passed—Annetta Cheek, Chair, Standards Committee, International Federation for Plain Language
  • 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm: Flimsy Claims for Legalese and False Criticisms of Plain Language: A 30-Year Collection—Joe Kimble, Professor Emeritus, Western Michigan University

Wednesday, October 28

Third Session (9:30 am – 12:00 pm, ET)

In this session you will hear from the following speakers:

Fourth Session (2:00 pm – 4:15 pm, ET)

In this session you will hear from the following speakers:

  • 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm: How Smart Teams Create and Train Writers—Scott Kubie, Independent Consultant
  • 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: Plain Language—Katherine Spivey, GSA’s Plain Language Launcher and co-chair of the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN)

Our goal is to promote the use of plain language for all government communications. We believe that using plain language will save federal agencies time and money, and provide better customer service to the public.

Join the Plain Language Community of Practice