History of Plain Talk at Ecology

Introducing Plain Talk to Senior Managers

In the Winter of 2003, Ecology invited Dana Howard Botka to give an overview of the Department of Labor and Industries' (L&I) Plain Talk Project. After hearing about the success of L&I's project, Ecology’s Senior Management Team made the decision to do an Ecology pilot project.

The Pilot Project

Three Ecology programs volunteered letters to review and rewrite using the Plain Talk Principles. In the Fall of 2003, the Environmental Programs Management Team made the decision to create a formal Plain Talk Team to support the agency's Plain Talk efforts.

The Plain Talk Team and Principles were introduced to each Program Manager, their management team, and the regional management teams. Agency employees were given the opportunity to learn about Plain Talk at open houses hosted at headquarters and each regional office. The Plain Talk Team starts to review and rewrite program documents using the Plain Talk Principles.

Governor's Executive Order

In 2005, Governor Gregoire issues a Plain Talk Executive Order that requires all state agencies to adopt Plain Talk principles.

Agency Executive Policy

Ecology Director approves an Executive Policy that requires all Employees to write documents the intended audience can understand. Each environmental program creates a Plain Talk team.

Mandates from Deputy Director

On August 4, 2006, Ecology's Deputy Director set the following expectations:

100 percent of Ecology managers and 80 percent of employees will take a plain talk training class by October 2007.
As of October 1, 2006, all Ecology publications and Web pages will meet the plain talk principles.