I discorsi per la politica: i segreti di uno speechwriter

Le parole della politica e l'arte di scrivere discorsi
Leaders, politici, managers spesso si trovano a dover tenere discorsi importanti in pubblico.
Per queste occasioni diventa di fondamentale importanza riuscire a trovare la parole giuste e organizzare un discorso efficace.
Esistono professionisti che curano la redazione dei testi per conto di chi poi dovrà pronunciarli.
Lo speechwriter è colui che scrive discorsi per conto terzi, il professionista della scrittura per la politica.
Esistono tecniche specifiche e alcuni segreti del mestiere per realizzare discorsi efficaci ed incisivi ed anche persuasivi.

Ecco alcuni di questi segreti illustrati da David Kusnet speechwriter per Bill Clinton:

1) I discorsi sono costruiti per essere pronunciati ed ascoltati.
 Se ci sono parole difficili da pronunciare o che possono essere fraintese, meglio evitarle

2) I discorsi hanno bisogno di una struttura: inizio, tema centrale e conclusione
    Ciascuna parte della struttura è importante e va curata

3) La struttura dovrebbe essere emozionale quanto logica
    Suscitare emozioni deve essere un'abilità del leader

4) Il discorso va focalizzato sul punto principale: bisogna scegliere accuratamente le parole per illustrare il punto
    

5) Il discorso deve essere breve e semplice.
    Mai essere prolissi e parlare in modo semplice e colloquiale 

6) La conclusione deve essere memorabile
    Bisogna fare in modo che le persone ricordino ciò che è stato detto

Per approfondire:
Plain Language: scrivere chiaro nella comunicazione istituzionale
Scrivere per il business
Il ruolo del management ghostwriter
Per altre informazioni o consulenze www.scrivodite.it  contattaci:i nostri riferimenti

Speeches are meant to be spoken and heard. If you have trouble pronouncing a word – or if an audience would have trouble understanding it – then don’t use it. For instance, the late New York Times language expert (and speechwriter for President Richard Nixon) William Safire wrote that he never used the word “pith” in a speech. As he (pithily?) explained, “It sounds like a vulgar word being spoken with a lisp.”

Speeches need a structure. Yes, you need a beginning, a middle and an end. Even more important, you need to follow the old rule: “Tell ‘em what you’re going to tell ‘em; then tell ‘em; then tell ‘em what you told ‘em.” In 1981, Jack Welch began his first speech to shareholders as CEO of GE by explaining: “I have three subjects to cover in this 10-minute report. First, I want to give you a brief perspective on your Company at the beginning of a new Administration… Second, I want to discuss the rationale behind the Company’s recent moves in electronics, including two significant acquisitions. And third, I want to talk about one of my basic objectives for this Company over the decade ahead.” These aren’t applause lines. But they helped the audience listen for his big points.

The structure should be emotional, as well as logical. Learning from preachers, the best speakers of all kinds start on a high note, then bring the audience down by explaining a problem, then bring the audience back up on an even higher note than the beginning by presenting a solution or vision. In his speech at the 1963 March on Washington, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., began by praising the participants in “the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” Only after decrying segregation, discrimination and poverty did Dr. King conclude by describing his dream of justice and declaring “Let freedom ring.”

Shine a spotlight on your main point. Before you write a speech, ask yourself what you want your listeners to remember. Then make this point with the most memorable language in your speech. In his first inaugural address in 1981, President Ronald Reagan declared: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” President Bill Clinton’s 1996 State of the Union Address positioned him halfway between Reaganism and liberalism: “The era of big government is over. But we cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves.”

Keep it short and simple (KISS). Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address took only two minutes and 246 words, most of them of one or two syllables. Before Lincoln, then-famous orator Edward Everett’s spoke for two hours and 13,607 words, many of them multi-syllabic. Simplicity is more memorable.

Begin with a grabber. Many speakers begin with lengthy acknowledgements of everyone else on the dais. It’s better to start by saying something that grabs the audience’s attention. In his commencement address at Stanford University in 2005, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs began: “I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation.”

Use techniques that help the audience listen and respond. Litany – repeating the same words, usually at the beginning of each sentence – helps audiences hear what you’re saying and answer with applause. In June 1940, after the British troops were evacuated from Dunkirk, Prime Minister Winston Churchill vowed: “We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.”

Talk like a regular person. In his debut before a national audience, delivering the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, an Illinois State Senator named Barack Obama spoke more conversationally than most politicians. He described his younger self as “a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.” He talked about having met “a young man named Shamus in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid — six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile.” These vivid descriptions of himself and others are how regular people talk (OK, regular people with the gift of gab).

Use physical images. Abstractions make people nod off. Real-life images make them wake up. In his farewell address in 1989, President Ronald Reagan took Americans on a tour through the White House – and American history: “Down the hall and up the stairs from this office is the part of the White House where the president and his family live. There are a few favorite windows I have up there that I like to stand and look out of early in the morning… On mornings when the humidity is low, you can see past the Jefferson Memorial to the Potomac River… Someone said that’s the view Lincoln had when he saw the smoke rising from the Battle of Bull Run.”

Conclude memorably. Some speakers just trail off and thank their audiences. It’s better to sum up by saying something they’ll keep in mind. Steve Jobs finished his commencement speech with four words that explained how he revolutionized computing without graduating from college: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

- See more at: http://www.podesta.com/pulse/ten-speechwriting-tips#sthash.wEKzZmZS.dpuf

David Kusnet, former chief speechwriter to President Bill Clinton, is the Podesta Group’s senior writer and the author of several books on the economy and American politics.
“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States …”
In Washington, DC, and countless communities, there are people who dream of reciting that oath and delivering an inaugural address. Many others dream of writing the speech.
Most of us won’t write speeches whose most memorable lines end up etched on marble monuments. But many leaders in every sector of American life give important speeches to shareholders, employees, community leaders, graduating classes and the news media. Often, they work with colleagues to draft and polish their remarks. For those occasions when you need to find and speak the right words, here are ten time-tested techniques that can benefit any speaker:

1. Speeches are meant to be spoken and heard. If you have trouble pronouncing a word – or if an audience would have trouble understanding it – then don’t use it. For instance, the late New York Times language expert (and speechwriter for President Richard Nixon) William Safire wrote that he never used the word “pith” in a speech. As he (pithily?) explained, “It sounds like a vulgar word being spoken with a lisp.”
2. Speeches need a structure. Yes, you need a beginning, a middle and an end. Even more important, you need to follow the old rule: “Tell ‘em what you’re going to tell ‘em; then tell ‘em; then tell ‘em what you told ‘em.” In 1981, Jack Welch began his first speech to shareholders as CEO of GE by explaining: “I have three subjects to cover in this 10-minute report. First, I want to give you a brief perspective on your Company at the beginning of a new Administration… Second, I want to discuss the rationale behind the Company’s recent moves in electronics, including two significant acquisitions. And third, I want to talk about one of my basic objectives for this Company over the decade ahead.” These aren’t applause lines. But they helped the audience listen for his big points.
3. The structure should be emotional, as well as logical. Learning from preachers, the best speakers of all kinds start on a high note, then bring the audience down by explaining a problem, then bring the audience back up on an even higher note than the beginning by presenting a solution or vision. In his speech at the 1963 March on Washington, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., began by praising the participants in “the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” Only after decrying segregation, discrimination and poverty did Dr. King conclude by describing his dream of justice and declaring “Let freedom ring.”
4. Shine a spotlight on your main point. Before you write a speech, ask yourself what you want your listeners to remember. Then make this point with the most memorable language in your speech. In his first inaugural address in 1981, President Ronald Reagan declared: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” President Bill Clinton’s 1996 State of the Union Address positioned him halfway between Reaganism and liberalism: “The era of big government is over. But we cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves.”
5. Keep it short and simple (KISS). Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address took only two minutes and 246 words, most of them of one or two syllables. Before Lincoln, then-famous orator Edward Everett’s spoke for two hours and 13,607 words, many of them multi-syllabic. Simplicity is more memorable.
6. Begin with a grabber. Many speakers begin with lengthy acknowledgements of everyone else on the dais. It’s better to start by saying something that grabs the audience’s attention. In his commencement address at Stanford University in 2005, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs began: “I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation.”
7. Use techniques that help the audience listen and respond. Litany – repeating the same words, usually at the beginning of each sentence – helps audiences hear what you’re saying and answer with applause. In June 1940, after the British troops were evacuated from Dunkirk, Prime Minister Winston Churchill vowed: “We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.”
8. Talk like a regular person. In his debut before a national audience, delivering the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, an Illinois State Senator named Barack Obama spoke more conversationally than most politicians. He described his younger self as “a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.” He talked about having met “a young man named Shamus in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid — six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile.” These vivid descriptions of himself and others are how regular people talk (OK, regular people with the gift of gab).
9. Use physical images. Abstractions make people nod off. Real-life images make them wake up. In his farewell address in 1989, President Ronald Reagan took Americans on a tour through the White House – and American history: “Down the hall and up the stairs from this office is the part of the White House where the president and his family live. There are a few favorite windows I have up there that I like to stand and look out of early in the morning… On mornings when the humidity is low, you can see past the Jefferson Memorial to the Potomac River… Someone said that’s the view Lincoln had when he saw the smoke rising from the Battle of Bull Run.”
10. Conclude memorably. Some speakers just trail off and thank their audiences. It’s better to sum up by saying something they’ll keep in mind. Steve Jobs finished his commencement speech with four words that explained how he revolutionized computing without graduating from college: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

- See more at: http://www.podesta.com/pulse/ten-speechwriting-tips#sthash.wEKzZmZS.dpuf

David Kusnet, former chief speechwriter to President Bill Clinton, is the Podesta Group’s senior writer and the author of several books on the economy and American politics.
“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States …”
In Washington, DC, and countless communities, there are people who dream of reciting that oath and delivering an inaugural address. Many others dream of writing the speech.
Most of us won’t write speeches whose most memorable lines end up etched on marble monuments. But many leaders in every sector of American life give important speeches to shareholders, employees, community leaders, graduating classes and the news media. Often, they work with colleagues to draft and polish their remarks. For those occasions when you need to find and speak the right words, here are ten time-tested techniques that can benefit any speaker:

1. Speeches are meant to be spoken and heard. If you have trouble pronouncing a word – or if an audience would have trouble understanding it – then don’t use it. For instance, the late New York Times language expert (and speechwriter for President Richard Nixon) William Safire wrote that he never used the word “pith” in a speech. As he (pithily?) explained, “It sounds like a vulgar word being spoken with a lisp.”
2. Speeches need a structure. Yes, you need a beginning, a middle and an end. Even more important, you need to follow the old rule: “Tell ‘em what you’re going to tell ‘em; then tell ‘em; then tell ‘em what you told ‘em.” In 1981, Jack Welch began his first speech to shareholders as CEO of GE by explaining: “I have three subjects to cover in this 10-minute report. First, I want to give you a brief perspective on your Company at the beginning of a new Administration… Second, I want to discuss the rationale behind the Company’s recent moves in electronics, including two significant acquisitions. And third, I want to talk about one of my basic objectives for this Company over the decade ahead.” These aren’t applause lines. But they helped the audience listen for his big points.
3. The structure should be emotional, as well as logical. Learning from preachers, the best speakers of all kinds start on a high note, then bring the audience down by explaining a problem, then bring the audience back up on an even higher note than the beginning by presenting a solution or vision. In his speech at the 1963 March on Washington, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., began by praising the participants in “the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” Only after decrying segregation, discrimination and poverty did Dr. King conclude by describing his dream of justice and declaring “Let freedom ring.”
4. Shine a spotlight on your main point. Before you write a speech, ask yourself what you want your listeners to remember. Then make this point with the most memorable language in your speech. In his first inaugural address in 1981, President Ronald Reagan declared: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” President Bill Clinton’s 1996 State of the Union Address positioned him halfway between Reaganism and liberalism: “The era of big government is over. But we cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves.”
5. Keep it short and simple (KISS). Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address took only two minutes and 246 words, most of them of one or two syllables. Before Lincoln, then-famous orator Edward Everett’s spoke for two hours and 13,607 words, many of them multi-syllabic. Simplicity is more memorable.
6. Begin with a grabber. Many speakers begin with lengthy acknowledgements of everyone else on the dais. It’s better to start by saying something that grabs the audience’s attention. In his commencement address at Stanford University in 2005, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs began: “I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation.”
7. Use techniques that help the audience listen and respond. Litany – repeating the same words, usually at the beginning of each sentence – helps audiences hear what you’re saying and answer with applause. In June 1940, after the British troops were evacuated from Dunkirk, Prime Minister Winston Churchill vowed: “We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.”
8. Talk like a regular person. In his debut before a national audience, delivering the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, an Illinois State Senator named Barack Obama spoke more conversationally than most politicians. He described his younger self as “a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.” He talked about having met “a young man named Shamus in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid — six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile.” These vivid descriptions of himself and others are how regular people talk (OK, regular people with the gift of gab).
9. Use physical images. Abstractions make people nod off. Real-life images make them wake up. In his farewell address in 1989, President Ronald Reagan took Americans on a tour through the White House – and American history: “Down the hall and up the stairs from this office is the part of the White House where the president and his family live. There are a few favorite windows I have up there that I like to stand and look out of early in the morning… On mornings when the humidity is low, you can see past the Jefferson Memorial to the Potomac River… Someone said that’s the view Lincoln had when he saw the smoke rising from the Battle of Bull Run.”
10. Conclude memorably. Some speakers just trail off and thank their audiences. It’s better to sum up by saying something they’ll keep in mind. Steve Jobs finished his commencement speech with four words that explained how he revolutionized computing without graduating from college: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

- See more at: http://www.podesta.com/pulse/ten-speechwriting-tips#sthash.wEKzZmZS.dpuf

David Kusnet, former chief speechwriter to President Bill Clinton, is the Podesta Group’s senior writer and the author of several books on the economy and American politics.
“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States …”
In Washington, DC, and countless communities, there are people who dream of reciting that oath and delivering an inaugural address. Many others dream of writing the speech.
Most of us won’t write speeches whose most memorable lines end up etched on marble monuments. But many leaders in every sector of American life give important speeches to shareholders, employees, community leaders, graduating classes and the news media. Often, they work with colleagues to draft and polish their remarks. For those occasions when you need to find and speak the right words, here are ten time-tested techniques that can benefit any speaker:

1. Speeches are meant to be spoken and heard. If you have trouble pronouncing a word – or if an audience would have trouble understanding it – then don’t use it. For instance, the late New York Times language expert (and speechwriter for President Richard Nixon) William Safire wrote that he never used the word “pith” in a speech. As he (pithily?) explained, “It sounds like a vulgar word being spoken with a lisp.”
2. Speeches need a structure. Yes, you need a beginning, a middle and an end. Even more important, you need to follow the old rule: “Tell ‘em what you’re going to tell ‘em; then tell ‘em; then tell ‘em what you told ‘em.” In 1981, Jack Welch began his first speech to shareholders as CEO of GE by explaining: “I have three subjects to cover in this 10-minute report. First, I want to give you a brief perspective on your Company at the beginning of a new Administration… Second, I want to discuss the rationale behind the Company’s recent moves in electronics, including two significant acquisitions. And third, I want to talk about one of my basic objectives for this Company over the decade ahead.” These aren’t applause lines. But they helped the audience listen for his big points.
3. The structure should be emotional, as well as logical. Learning from preachers, the best speakers of all kinds start on a high note, then bring the audience down by explaining a problem, then bring the audience back up on an even higher note than the beginning by presenting a solution or vision. In his speech at the 1963 March on Washington, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., began by praising the participants in “the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.” Only after decrying segregation, discrimination and poverty did Dr. King conclude by describing his dream of justice and declaring “Let freedom ring.”
4. Shine a spotlight on your main point. Before you write a speech, ask yourself what you want your listeners to remember. Then make this point with the most memorable language in your speech. In his first inaugural address in 1981, President Ronald Reagan declared: “In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” President Bill Clinton’s 1996 State of the Union Address positioned him halfway between Reaganism and liberalism: “The era of big government is over. But we cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves.”
5. Keep it short and simple (KISS). Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address took only two minutes and 246 words, most of them of one or two syllables. Before Lincoln, then-famous orator Edward Everett’s spoke for two hours and 13,607 words, many of them multi-syllabic. Simplicity is more memorable.
6. Begin with a grabber. Many speakers begin with lengthy acknowledgements of everyone else on the dais. It’s better to start by saying something that grabs the audience’s attention. In his commencement address at Stanford University in 2005, Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs began: “I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation.”
7. Use techniques that help the audience listen and respond. Litany – repeating the same words, usually at the beginning of each sentence – helps audiences hear what you’re saying and answer with applause. In June 1940, after the British troops were evacuated from Dunkirk, Prime Minister Winston Churchill vowed: “We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender.”
8. Talk like a regular person. In his debut before a national audience, delivering the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, an Illinois State Senator named Barack Obama spoke more conversationally than most politicians. He described his younger self as “a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.” He talked about having met “a young man named Shamus in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid — six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile.” These vivid descriptions of himself and others are how regular people talk (OK, regular people with the gift of gab).
9. Use physical images. Abstractions make people nod off. Real-life images make them wake up. In his farewell address in 1989, President Ronald Reagan took Americans on a tour through the White House – and American history: “Down the hall and up the stairs from this office is the part of the White House where the president and his family live. There are a few favorite windows I have up there that I like to stand and look out of early in the morning… On mornings when the humidity is low, you can see past the Jefferson Memorial to the Potomac River… Someone said that’s the view Lincoln had when he saw the smoke rising from the Battle of Bull Run.”
10. Conclude memorably. Some speakers just trail off and thank their audiences. It’s better to sum up by saying something they’ll keep in mind. Steve Jobs finished his commencement speech with four words that explained how he revolutionized computing without graduating from college: “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

- See more at: http://www.podesta.com/pulse/ten-speechwriting-tips#sthash.wEKzZmZS.dpuf

Plain language: Le regole per scrivere chiaro nella comunicazione pubblica e istituzionale

Plain language: Come scrivere in modo chiaro nella comunicazione istituzionale

I principi della semplificazione del linguaggio amministrativo e del linguaggio dei comunicatori pubblici

Definire il plain language non è facile, basti dire che non si tratta di un linguaggio semplicistico e banalizzato, elementare e impoverito anche nei contenuti bensì di un linguaggio che sfrutta tutte le potenzialità offerte dalla lingua e capace di esprimere qualsiasi contenuto.

Esso è depurato delle complicazioni inutili, ed evita, nei limiti del possibile, quelle articolazioni linguistiche – lessicali, sintattiche, testuali – che tendono a ostacolare la comprensione (ad esempio i tecnicismi, la nominalizzazione, la forma passiva, ecc.).

I progetti istituzionali finalizzati a semplificare il linguaggio amministrativo ovvero la comunicazione pubblica in Italia, si sono incentrati sull’elaborazione di un complesso di linee guida su come scrivere in modo chiaro, contenute in manuali e  recepite in una direttiva ministeriale che vengono insegnate ai comunicatori pubblici

Il ricorso a tecniche di scrittura volte a favorire la comprensibilità dei testi amministrativi è stato ispirato dal movimento del Plain language che a ridosso del 1970, o poco dopo, nacque, nei paesi anglofoni, per promuovere una comunicazione pubblica più trasparente e accessibile al comune cittadino

L’ampliamento delle funzioni e dei compiti degli stati moderni aveva comportato un aumento della complessità del linguaggio istituzionale.

Fu  così che negli Stati Uniti, in Gran Bretagna, in Canada, in Australia sorse il cosiddetto plain language movement (letteralmente: ‘movimento del linguaggio chiaro’), originariamente legato al più generale movimento dei consumatori, ma poi sviluppatosi autonomamente.

Ispirandosi al principio di cooperazione di cooperazione il plain language mira ad

adoperarsi per l’esito felice della comunicazione, avendo innanzitutto considerazione per il destinatario e adottando speciali accorgimenti per aiutarlo nella comprensione del messaggio

Uno dei principali risultati che il movimento per il  plain language ha

ottenuto è stata l’emanazione delle cosiddette plain language laws : leggi che stabiliscono che certe categorie di contratti e alcuni atti a questi connessi (prospetti informativi, notifiche, ecc.) devono essere redatti in un linguaggio chiaro, prevedendo diversi criteri per determinare se tale obbligo sia stato adempiuto e vari rimedi per la sua eventuale violazione. 

A partire dagli anni Novanta, la cosiddetta “dottrina del plain language”inizia ad affermarsi anche in Europa.

La Direttiva CEE 93/13 , all'art. 5, sancisce:

Nel caso di contratti di cui tutte le clausole o talune clausole siano proposte al

consumatore per iscritto, tali clausole devono sempre essere redatte in modo chiaro

e comprensibile. In caso di dubbio sul senso di una clausola prevale

l'interpretazione più favorevole al consumatore

Il legislatore italiano ha dato attuazione alla direttiva CEE 93/13, sopra menzionata concernente le clausole abusive nei contratti stipulati con i consumatori, con la legge 52/1996 (c.d. “Legge Comunitaria per il 1994”), il cui art. 25 inserisce, nel titolo II del libro IV del Codice Civile, ilcapo XIV-bis (artt. da 1469-bis a 1469-sexies), rubricato “Dei contratti del consumatore”

L’art. 1469-quater riproduce letteralmente il testo, sopra riportato, dell’art. 5 della direttiva.

Anche nel nostro ordinamento, dunque, è prescritta ora la chiarezza e la comprensibilità dei contratti del consumatore.

La mancanza di tali requisiti, oltre a essere sanzionata con la classica previsione dell’interpretatio  contra stipulatorem (regola secondo cui le clausole di un contratto, nel dubbio, si interpretano nel senso più sfavorevole alla parte che le ha predisposte), potrà essere valutata dal giudice come indice

di un “significativo squilibrio” a danno del consumatore e far sì che le clausole contestate siano giudicate “vessatorie”, consentendo così l’attivazione dei previsti meccanismi di tutela.

Per quanto riguarda la comunicazione istituzionale, va ricordata innanzitutto la direttiva del Dipartimento della Funzione Pubblica del 7 febbraio 2002

Essa è dedicata alla comunicazione delle pubbliche amministrazioni in generale e riserva al tema del linguaggio solo l’art. 8, in cui si legge, tra l’altro:

La comunicazione delle pubbliche amministrazioni deve soddisfare i requisiti della chiarezza, semplicità e sinteticità e, nel contempo, garantire completezza e correttezza dell’informazione.

Questo obiettivo dovrà essere perseguito anche con l’impiego dei nuovi strumenti informatici.

Con la direttiva dello stesso Dipartimento dell’8 maggio 2002, intitolata,appunto,  Direttiva sulla semplificazione del linguaggio dei testi amministrativi viene affermato il principio che:

Tutti i testi prodotti dalle amministrazioni devono essere pensati e scritti per essere compresi da chi li riceve e per rendere comunque trasparente l’azione amministrativa.

 I numerosi atti prodotti dalle pubbliche amministrazioni, sia interni(circolari, ordini di servizio, bilanci) sia esterni, devono prevedere l’utilizzo di un linguaggio comprensibile, evitando espressioni burocratiche e termini tecnici.

La direttiva poi contiene regole da applicare a tutti i testi prodotti dalle amministrazioni pubbliche, compresi gli atti amministrativi veri e propri

Anche gli atti amministrativi in senso stretto, che producono effetti giuridici direttie immediati per i destinatari, devono essere progettati e scritti pensando a chi lilegge. Oltre ad avere valore giuridico, però, gli atti amministrativi hanno un valore di comunicazione e come tali devono essere pensati. Devono, perciò, essere sialegittimi ed efficaci dal punto di vista giuridico, sia comprensibili, cioè di fattoefficaci, dal punto di vista comunicativo.

“dovranno [...] essere riscritti anche i principali atti e documentiamministrativi vigenti”.

Per raggiungere gli obiettivi dichiarati, la direttiva detta due decaloghi: il primo contenente “regole di comunicazione e di struttura giuridica”, il secondo“regole di scrittura del testo”.

Si tratta, in sostanza, delle stesse linee guida  sulla scrittura chiara offerte dai precedenti strumenti approntati da Dipartimento il  Codice di stile del 1993 e, soprattutto, il Manuale di stile del 1997

Le “regole di comunicazione e di struttura giuridica”

1. avere (e rendere) sempre chiaro il contenuto del testo;

2. individuare sempre il destinatario;

3. individuare le singole informazioni e inserirle nel testo in modo logico;

4. individuare e indicare i contenuti giuridici del testo;

5. individuare la struttura giuridica più efficace per comunicare gli atti;

6. verificare la completezza delle informazioni;

7. verificare la correttezza delle informazioni;

8. verificare la semplicità del testo;

9. usare note, allegati e tabelle per alleggerire il testo;

10. rileggere sempre i testi scritti.

Le “regole di scrittura del testo”:

1. scrivere frasi brevi;

2. usare parole del linguaggio comune;

3. usare pochi termini tecnici e spiegarli;

4. usare poco abbreviazioni e sigle;

5. usare verbi nella forma attiva e affermativa;

6. legare le parole e le frasi in modo breve e chiaro;

7. usare in maniera coerente le maiuscole, le minuscole e la

punteggiatura;

8. evitare neologismi, parole straniere e latinismi;

9. preferire l’indicativo al congiuntivo (ove il contesto lo permetta);

10. usare in maniera corretta le possibilità di composizione grafica del testo.

La dottrina non è unanime circa le conseguenze della violazione di una

direttiva, ma l’opinione prevalente sembra essere che l’atto che la disattende

senza che tale comportamento sia giustificato da adeguata motivazione

− sia viziato da eccesso di potere

Il Consiglio di Stato e alcuni Tribunali Amministrativi Regionali hanno emesso sentenze che hanno sanzionato atti (in particolare, bandi di gara e di concorso) scritti in modo oscuro o ambiguo.

Merita un cenno, infine, il recentissimo Codice dell’Amministrazione Digitale

L’art. 53, fra i principi che devono informare i siti web istituzionali, annovera anche la “chiarezza di linguaggio”:

Le pubbliche amministrazioni centrali realizzano siti istituzionali su reti telematiche che rispettano i principi di accessibilità, nonché di elevata usabilità e reperibilità,anche da parte delle persone disabili, completezza di informazione, chiarezza di linguaggio, affidabilità, semplicità di consultazione, qualità, omogeneità ed interoperabilità.
Per approfondimenti:

Il ruolo del Ghostwriter
Legal writing
Scrittura per il business
Dire l'ultima parola
Potere delle parole
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