HARBOR/CREATIVE

Public communications

A Clearer Public Communications Checklist

In this resource

A practical guide to clearer public notices and updates, with plain-language examples, accessibility considerations, and a release checklist.

The public should not have to decode a notice.

A resident opens an email about a road closure. A parent sees a social post about a change in park hours. A business owner receives a letter about construction outside the storefront. Each person has the same immediate questions: Does this affect me? What is changing? When? What do I need to do?

Those answers often compete with project names, department titles, formal introductions, and paragraphs of background. The result may be accurate, but accuracy alone does not make a message useful.

Clear public communication gives the right person the right information in time to act on it. That is the standard behind this checklist. Use it before publishing a service alert, public meeting announcement, project update, flyer, website page, or community outreach campaign.

Start with the five-question test

Before touching the layout, see whether the first screen or first paragraph answers:

  1. Who is affected? Name the people, streets, neighborhoods, customers, or service users who need to pay attention.
  2. What is happening? State the actual change or decision, not the internal name of the initiative.
  3. When does it matter? Include the specific date, time, duration, or deadline—and a time zone when relevant.
  4. What should someone do? Give one clear next step, even if that step is simply to plan around a disruption.
  5. Where can they verify or ask questions? Provide a reliable destination or contact, plus a way to get updates.

If readers must search through the entire notice for those answers, revise the opening.

This approach is grounded in the CDC's Clear Communication Index, which puts the main message, audience action, familiar language, and early placement of essential information at the center of effective public communication. Although developed for health communication, its core clarity questions are useful well beyond health-related materials.

1. Write for the person receiving it—not the department issuing it.

A project team may know why a change took six months to approve. A resident may only need to know that their usual entrance will be closed on Monday.

Start with the audience's situation, not the agency's organization chart. Consider who is affected directly, who may hear about the change secondhand, and who might have difficulty accessing the information.

Ask: What does the audience already know? What do they need to know to make a decision? What words would they use to describe the issue?

Instead of: “The Public Works Department is pleased to announce the commencement of its multi-phase roadway improvement initiative.”

Try: “Road work begins Monday on [street]. Here's what to expect and how to get around the work area.”

The second version immediately connects the project to a reader's day. Add the project background after the essentials.

The federal government's plain language guidance emphasizes designing information for a specific audience and testing whether that audience understands it. The Plain Writing Act of 2010 applies to covered federal communication; its audience-first principles are also useful practices for state and local teams.

2. Make one message impossible to miss.

One announcement can contain many facts, but it should have one unmistakable central point. Make the headline useful enough that someone skimming a phone can understand the change.

A simple working formula:

[What is changing] + [who or where is affected] + [when it happens].

For example, “Downtown parking changes begin November 2” is more informative than “Important Community Update.”

Immediately under the headline, explain the necessary action: apply, attend, register, move a vehicle, use another entrance, submit feedback, or check a project page.

Keep the history, benefits, and supporting details available, but do not let them displace the action. If an announcement genuinely contains several separate actions for different groups, consider separate targeted messages or clear audience-specific sections.

3. Turn institutional language into usable instructions.

Plain language is not a childish tone. It is respectful writing that does not require a reader to translate agency terminology before taking action.

Use familiar words, active voice, specific nouns, and short sections. Expand unfamiliar acronyms. Replace vague phrases such as “at your earliest convenience” with an actual date or deadline.

Before and after: a fictional street-closure notice

Before

“Residents are hereby advised that scheduled roadway rehabilitation activities may result in temporary vehicular access restrictions along the designated project corridor.”

After

“Pine Street will close between First Street and Third Street on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Drivers can use Oak Street as the detour. Check the town's project page for updates.”

This is a fictional writing example, not a real closure. Before issuing an actual notice, confirm dates, boundaries, detours, transit impacts, accessibility, and the official project link.

Notice what changed: the reader can identify the impact, the time, and the next step without understanding the phrase “roadway rehabilitation.” Details about funding, phases, or engineering may matter—but they belong after the practical information or on a linked project page.

4. Design for a scan, not a careful reading session.

People may encounter public information while standing in line, at a bus stop, between meetings, or on a small phone screen. Structure should help them find the answer even when they do not read every sentence.

Use descriptive headings such as “Where traffic will be affected” rather than “Additional Information.” Put dates and deadlines near the top. Use short paragraphs and lists for steps. Show only the most important information in a graphic and provide the same essential facts in accessible text.

If the notice contains a map, ask whether it actually helps someone make a decision. A beautiful map without street labels, an accessible description, or a readable alternate route may be less useful than a simple written detour.

The CDC's information design criteria support headings, lists, and a summary of the most important information at the beginning.

5. Treat accessibility as part of the message.

An accessible communication is not simply a PDF that can be opened. The content has to remain understandable and usable across devices, formats, and abilities.

Use real text instead of placing essential words inside a graphic. Give images useful text alternatives when they communicate information. Make links descriptive—“Read the meeting agenda” rather than “Click here.” Use meaningful heading levels, adequate contrast, and captions or transcripts when appropriate. Test important paths with a keyboard and assistive technology, not only an automated checker.

The U.S. Web Design System recommends readable content, labeled links and images, logical order, sufficient contrast, and testing with a broad range of users. W3C's image guidance explains why informative images and complex charts need equivalent text information.

As a practical design check, WCAG 2.2 Level AA calls for at least 4.5:1 contrast for ordinary text and 3:1 for large text, subject to its defined exceptions. Check the actual applicable requirements for your organization. For federal agencies, Section 508 standards incorporate WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA criteria; this is not a claim that every state or municipal communication is governed by the same federal rule. See W3C's WCAG reference and Section508.gov.

Also consider whether the people affected need communication in other languages or formats, and work with your agency's accessibility and language-access specialists to determine the appropriate approach. Do not assume that one translated flyer, one social channel, or an unreviewed machine translation reaches everyone.

6. Choose distribution based on the audience's real habits.

Publishing to the website is not the same as reaching the people who need the information.

A citywide event, a two-block utility interruption, and a public hearing call for different distribution plans. An agency website can be the authoritative home for details, while email, SMS, social posts, physical signs, partner organizations, community meetings, and direct notices help people discover it.

Build a small channel map:

  • Primary source: Where will the current, complete version live?
  • Directly affected audience: Who should receive a targeted notice?
  • Additional reach: Which trusted partners and channels can amplify the message?
  • Update method: How will corrections and schedule changes travel through those channels?
  • Offline access: How can someone get the information without social media or reliable internet?

Write each shorter channel message to point back to the authoritative source. If dates or instructions change, update the source and the distributed versions together. In time-sensitive situations, the person responsible for updates should be named before launch.

7. Verify the facts and the experience before publishing.

A clear error is still an error. Route names, addresses, times, eligibility rules, contact numbers, service impacts, and deadlines deserve more attention than decorative polish.

Have a subject-matter owner verify operational details and an independent reader try to complete the intended action using only the draft. The reviewer should not need background explanations from the author. Ask them what they think is happening, whether it affects them, and what they would do next.

The CDC's guidance on reviewing communication materials recommends independent review and testing with the intended audience; it also makes clear that checklist scoring alone cannot replace audience testing.

After publication, measure useful outcomes: whether people can find the notice, complete the intended action, understand a change without calling for clarification, and access the content using their preferred supported format. Website traffic can provide context, but visits alone do not show that a message worked.

The Harbor pre-publication checklist

Use this as a final review before any routine public-facing announcement. It is a practical Harbor editorial checklist, not an official accessibility audit or a substitute for agency-specific legal review.

Purpose and audience

  • The primary audience is named or clearly understood.
  • The first paragraph explains why the message matters to that audience.
  • A reader can identify the one central message.
  • The notice distinguishes directly affected people from the broader community.

The essential information

  • The headline describes the actual change or opportunity.
  • Dates, times, locations, deadlines, and any time zone are explicit.
  • The main action is specific and easy to find.
  • Contact details and the authoritative source are provided.
  • Unconfirmed details or expected future updates are labeled honestly.

Plain language and structure

  • Unfamiliar acronyms and technical terms are explained or removed.
  • The message uses active voice and audience-familiar words.
  • Important details appear before background information.
  • Headings tell readers what is in each section.
  • Lists, visuals, and links help people act rather than add clutter.

Access and inclusion

  • Informative images have suitable text alternatives, including detailed equivalents for complex graphics when needed.
  • Essential information is available as real text, not only in an image.
  • Link labels describe their destinations.
  • Contrast, heading structure, reading order, and mobile usability have been checked.
  • Relevant accessibility and language-access needs have been reviewed with the responsible team.

Distribution and trust

  • The primary publishing location is clear.
  • Distribution channels match the affected audience.
  • People can obtain information without depending on one social platform.
  • An owner is assigned to answer questions and correct updates.
  • The information is consistent across the website, email, print, and social versions.

Final release

  • A subject-matter owner has checked every operational detail.
  • Someone unfamiliar with the project has tested the message.
  • Links, forms, phone numbers, and downloads work.
  • Approvals, records, and any legally required notice procedures are complete.
  • There is a plan to correct and re-distribute the information if facts change.

A five-minute message brief to reuse

Before drafting the next notice, ask the project lead to fill in these six lines:

Audience: This matters most to ____________________.

Change: The one thing they need to know is ____________________.

Timing: It starts, ends, or requires action by ____________________.

Action: After seeing this, they should ____________________.

Source: They can verify details or get help at ____________________.

Owner: ____________________ will review facts and handle updates.

Once those answers are agreed upon, write the headline and opening paragraph first. Design the graphic, flyer, or page around that information—not the other way around.

Clarity is a public service.

A public message succeeds when someone knows what is happening and what to do next. Good communication does not hide complexity; it organizes complexity so the public can navigate it.

Before the next announcement goes live, use the five-question test, the release checklist, and an independent reader. The result should not just look finished. It should help someone move forward.

Research and further reading

This Harbor guide draws on established public-sector and accessibility guidance; the examples and release checklist are original editorial applications.

Editorial note: This guide is general educational guidance, not legal advice, a determination of regulatory compliance, or an official CDC/W3C/GSA checklist. Verify requirements that apply to each public organization and project.