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Module 6 For Government intermediate 30 min

Default to Transparency: Resident Communication

Rule 4 + plain language

What you'll be able to do

  • Rewrite a dense resident notice into warm, plain language
  • Add a clear, honest AI-use disclosure line (Rule 4)
  • Run an equity check for the most vulnerable residents before sending

Default to Transparency: The Plain-Language Resident Notice

Government notices are often written in dense, legal language that scares residents instead of helping them act. This exercise turns one of those notices into a plain-language, trust-building communication, adds a clear AI-use disclosure line, and runs an equity check before it goes out. Built on Rule 4 (Default to Transparency) and the CMHA plain-language approach.

Recommended tool

claude

Claude is strong at rewriting dense text into warm, plain language while preserving the legally required substance. Keep the original and the rewrite in one thread so you can compare and iterate on tone without losing the required content.

Bring to the exercise

  • A notice or letter you send often (no real recipient identifiers)
  • The resident audience and the specific anxiety this notice tends to trigger
  • The one action the resident actually needs to take, and the deadline
  • Your reading-level and language/accessibility needs
  • Your preferred tone (warm, direct, formal)
Step 1

Name the Audience and Their Fear

Describe the resident and the specific anxiety a dense government notice triggers, with no identifiers.

Confidentiality Guardrail: Read Before Pasting
  • Use role labels, not real names (for example: the client, a partner, the team).
  • Strip identifying details, signed dollar values, account numbers, and anything that re-identifies a person or organization.
  • Confirm the AI tool you are pasting into is approved for this kind of information.
  • You, not the AI, own the final product. AI cannot invent facts.

Use the PII Redactor tool to scrub before pasting.

What to substitute before pasting

  • [DESCRIBE the resident group, no individual identifiers, ...] Describe the group, never a named individual. No addresses, unit numbers, or case numbers.
  • [DESCRIBE the anxiety, ...] The real fear this kind of notice triggers for this group.
  • [DESCRIBE the action and deadline] The single most important thing the resident must do, and by when.
I am a government staff member rewriting a resident notice to be clearer and less frightening.

The audience is: [DESCRIBE the resident group, no individual identifiers, e.g. "elderly residents, many with limited English, in senior housing"].

When they receive a notice like this, the fear it usually triggers is: [DESCRIBE the anxiety, e.g. "they think they are losing their housing"].

The one action they actually need to take is: [DESCRIBE the action and deadline].

Do not rewrite anything yet. First, tell me back what you understand about this audience and what would build versus break their trust.
What good output looks like
  • AI reflects back the audience and the trust dynamics before drafting.
  • It identifies what would create anxiety versus what would calm it.

Verify before using AI's output

Step 2

Rewrite the Notice in Plain Language

Produce a warm, plain-language version that leads with the action, not the legalese.

Confidentiality Guardrail: Read Before Pasting
  • Use role labels, not real names (for example: the client, a partner, the team).
  • Strip identifying details, signed dollar values, account numbers, and anything that re-identifies a person or organization.
  • Confirm the AI tool you are pasting into is approved for this kind of information.
  • You, not the AI, own the final product. AI cannot invent facts.

Use the PII Redactor tool to scrub before pasting.

What to substitute before pasting

  • [PASTE THE NOTICE, no real recipient names, addresses, unit numbers, or case numbers] The notice text only. Strip every recipient identifier first.
  • [LANGUAGE if needed] A second language your population needs, e.g. Spanish. Delete this line if not needed.
Here is the current notice:

[PASTE THE NOTICE, no real recipient names, addresses, unit numbers, or case numbers]

Rewrite this notice in plain language for a resident with a 6th-grade reading level. Lead with what action they need to take and by when. Use short sentences and avoid legal terminology. Open with one warm, reassuring sentence so the resident is not frightened before they read the rest. Keep every legally required fact, but say it plainly.

Then give me a second version in [LANGUAGE if needed].
What good output looks like
  • The rewrite leads with the action and deadline, not the legal preamble.
  • A warm opening sentence lowers the fear before the details.
  • Every legally required fact is preserved, just stated plainly.

Verify before using AI's output

Step 3

Add the AI-Use Transparency Line

Draft a one-sentence, plain-language disclosure that AI assisted and a human reviewed. Operationalizes Rule 4.

Write one short, plain-language sentence I can add to the bottom of this notice that tells the resident, honestly and without jargon, that AI assisted in preparing this communication and that a government staff member reviewed it before it was sent. Keep it reassuring, not alarming. Give me two or three options in different tones.
What good output looks like
  • A single, plain-language disclosure sentence in a few tone options.
  • It is honest about AI assistance and clear that a human reviewed it.

Verify before using AI's output

Step 4

Equity Check and Sign-Off

Stress-test the notice for the most vulnerable resident before it goes out.

Confidentiality Guardrail: Read Before Pasting
  • Use role labels, not real names (for example: the client, a partner, the team).
  • Strip identifying details, signed dollar values, account numbers, and anything that re-identifies a person or organization.
  • Confirm the AI tool you are pasting into is approved for this kind of information.
  • You, not the AI, own the final product. AI cannot invent facts.

Use the PII Redactor tool to scrub before pasting.

Run an equity check on the rewritten notice. Answer honestly:
1. Does this content meet the needs of our most vulnerable residents (limited literacy, limited English, no internet, disability)?
2. Would it build trust or create anxiety?
3. Is there a no-technology path for someone who cannot use an online portal?
4. Is anything still written for a lawyer instead of a resident?

List specific fixes. Then remind me that a human must review and approve this notice before it is sent, and that I should confirm it meets accessibility (plain language and accessible format) requirements.
What good output looks like
  • A specific list of equity fixes, not a generic thumbs-up.
  • A no-technology path is confirmed or flagged as missing.
  • A clear reminder that a human approves before sending.

Verify before using AI's output