When Speaking to Washington, Tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth, and Do So Intelligibly

Ten guidelines in the form of "commandments" are offered to scientists and statisticians who testify before government bodies such as congressional committees, regulatory agencies, or judicial panels. These guidelines are illustrated by examples of testimony by the author and others. Effor...

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Published in:The American statistician 1980-02, Vol.34 (1), p.34-38
Main Author: Bross, Irwin D.J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Administrative agencies
Jargon
Language
Leukemia
Linguistics
Natural language
Nonnative languages
Plain speaking
Radiotherapy
Sound
Statistical testimony
Statistics
Technical communication
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container_title The American statistician
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creator Bross, Irwin D.J.
description Ten guidelines in the form of "commandments" are offered to scientists and statisticians who testify before government bodies such as congressional committees, regulatory agencies, or judicial panels. These guidelines are illustrated by examples of testimony by the author and others. Efforts to communicate highly technical material to nontechnical audiences are often frustrated by communication breakdowns. These difficulties can be avoided by making simple statements in plain English, but this isn't so easy as it sounds. The commandments suggest that preparation and hard work are needed to avoid the mistakes that are commonly made in testimony.
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subjects Administrative agencies
Jargon
Language
Leukemia
Linguistics
Natural language
Nonnative languages
Plain speaking
Radiotherapy
Sound
Statistical testimony
Statistics
Technical communication
title When Speaking to Washington, Tell the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing but the Truth, and Do So Intelligibly
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