Long-form reflections on various topics relating to public sector administration

Can we use AI for public sector board and committee minutes? (June 2024)

• Plenty of people are already recommending AI for minute taking as if it’s a “no-brainer”. But how good is AI for summarising formal public sector board and committee meetings . . . ?

Why external “writing skills” training isn’t always the answer (May 2024)

• It’s so easy to assume that the expertise is somewhere “out there”, but in fact the superstars are often already “inside the tent”, working hard on their day jobs and longing to make a difference . . .

On the vulnerability of public sector board members (April 2024)

• Of course there are many benefits to being in such a senior position. The associated respect, status and power are all powerful and attractive motivators. But equally, this apparently blessed group of people can be really vulnerable sometimes . . .

Public sector risk management as collective storytelling (February 2024)

• Have you ever felt frustrated, because “traditional” risk management matrices and scoring systems feel too linear and reductive to capture the complex, strategic public sector risks you’re dealing with . . . ?

17 tangible costs of poor writing in the public sector (February 2024)

• It can be hard to get buy-in for a Plain Language or other writing skills initiative in the current climate of urgency and constant pressure. How can you “sell” something so abstract and “back office”, when there are patients urgently needing treatment; or public buildings or roads needing repair . . . ?

The Ultimate Committee Paper Checklist (Public Sector) (January 2024)

• A comprehensive checklist for paper authors, paper approvers and meeting secretaries, on the basis that writing good public sector board papers is a complex skill which some people have never been explicitly taught how to do . . .

How to serve the ten different audiences reading your board paper (January 2024)

• There are at least ten completely different groups of people who may end up reading your paper. And each one will need something completely different . . .

How to fix writing skills within your (public sector) organisation in 2024 (December 2023)

• It’s bothered you for a long time now – the poor quality of writing skills in your team, directorate or organisation – but you have no idea how to change things. How about making 2024 the year when you fix this once and for all?

Seven ways using long words can hurt you at work (December 2023)

• Seven powerful reasons why it’s probably never a good idea to choose words such as “utilise” . . . 😉

The Public Sector PenPushers’ Manifesto (November 2023)

• They call us the “penpushers” and it’s an unkind term – but we see things quite differently . . . !