CEF Boosts Slovenian Experts’ Skills in Written Communication

The CEF kicked off 2013 with a learning event in written communication that was tailored to senior staff of the Slovene government who are tasked with the writing and editing of strategic documents.

Attendees of the early January seminar included officials from the Bank of Slovenia, the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The group of 13 participants also included staff of the CEF who are responsible for communications and program and project management.

CEF visiting expert Paul McClure adapted the curriculum to samples of the participants’ work. The wide range of documents discussed included the National Reform Programme and the Stability Programme, Slovenia’s key annual economic updates to the European Commission. Topics covered included methods to make writing more active, clear, and concise, as well as to improve emphasis and guide the reader through a text’s main messages. The interactive three-day session asked participants to work together in applying the principles being discussed.

Feedback indicated that participants expected to use the knowledge they gained in their day-to-day work: in addition to reports for the EC, they cited international institutions’ briefing documents, other strategic and analytic writing, and business correspondence. Evaluations described the session as a “great experience” and asked the CEF to “organize more similar courses.”