The high stakes of government communication

One of the core skills 18F offered our partner agencies was the ability to communicate clearly and effectively. Agencies must be able to communicate with the public using plain language and trusted channels. From public health warnings to disaster assistance, from tax policy to product recalls, people’s livelihoods or even lives could be on the line. It is critical for government communications to be clear, accurate, and trustworthy.

Government communicators are being fired

Federal employees who keep the public informed and help them navigate complex processes are losing their jobs. With these losses, the American people are losing trusted sources of information and help.

Experienced communications staff have been removed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the Social Security Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the General Services Administration, among others.

Without professionals whose job it is to communicate with the public, the American people will not have access to critical updates about health emergencies, environmental hazards, and food safety. Without professionals managing content, the public will not have access to accurate historical records. We’ll lose a shared set of facts and access to reliable research. In the absence of trusted information, misinformation thrives.

18F helped partners manage content and communicate effectively

18F had a world-class content team. We helped our agency partners create and manage content, choose the best content management tools, develop communication strategies, and make content findable and understandable by non-experts. We helped our partners manage content responsibly so that the public wouldn’t access outdated or incorrect information.

Agencies have complex information management needs and often serve many audiences across different channels, like websites, applications, social media, emails, contact centers, and chatbots. These content ecosystems require oversight to ensure that public information is clear, accurate, and accessible.

We learned a lot by working with our agency partners and created resources to help others adopt best practices.

• The 18F content guide documents best practices for writing, structure, and style.
• The 18F design methods are a set of tools and exercises for discovering and meeting user expectations.
• 18F helped create plainlanguage.gov to promote the use of plain language for all government communications.
• We blogged about our work to share lessons learned.

Government communicators are essential

Government communication professionals are essential to public trust and safety. The American people deserve to find the information they need when they need it. Effective government communications require professional staff with the expertise to keep the American people informed. Cutting communications staff weakens transparency and puts the American people at risk of consuming and sharing misinformation.