The Blast Newsletter: Continuous Improvement Community of Practice

Office of the Governor / Office of Financial Management sent this bulletin at 01/23/2026 07:53 AM PST

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Issue No. 36 | January 2026

Strengthen your digital skills: upcoming DES web & accessibility trainings with Anthro-Tech

Three laptops open with the Department of Enterprise Services' website on the screen

Looking to sharpen your digital communication skills and create more accessible, user-friendly online content? The Department of Enterprise Services (DES), in partnership with Anthro-Tech, is offering two high-value training opportunities for state employees in 2026.

These courses are practical, hands-on, and directly applicable to the work many of us do every day — from writing web content to ensuring our digital services are accessible to all Washingtonians.

Writing for the Web

February 11–12, 2026

This two-day workshop is designed for anyone who writes or edits content for the web. Participants will learn how to create clear, concise, and user-centered content that helps customers find what they need quickly and easily.

You’ll learn how to:

Write content that’s scannable, readable, and task-focused
Organize information for online audiences
Apply plain language principles to web content
Improve usability and customer experience through better writing

Learn more about the course or register now through DES!

Important timing note: The cancellation deadline for the February session is Monday, January 26 if the class does not fill. If you’re interested, early registration is encouraged.

Can’t make the February session? Additional Writing for the Web courses are already scheduled for June and October 2026.

Web Accessibility Training

March & July 2026

This course focuses on building awareness and practical skills to ensure digital content and services are accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. It’s an essential training for anyone involved in creating, managing, or approving digital content.

Topics include:

Accessibility principles and requirements
Common accessibility barriers and how to avoid them
Practical steps to improve accessibility in web content
Supporting inclusive, equitable digital experiences

Learn more about the course or register now through DES!

About the community

Our community of practice meets on the third Tuesday of every odd month from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. via Zoom to share knowledge and expertise on improving customer experience through continuous improvement.

All are welcome — meetings are optional and open to everyone.

Visit our Community of Practice webpage for more information about our community, our upcoming schedule, and previous meeting materials and recordings.

Reflection series

From wait to WOW, Danica Taylor with the Department of Licensing shares how her team is using customer experience methods to increase efficiency and excellence in back-office processes in this Reflection Series. This team is definitely one of our state's shining examples in working with a customer focused mindset!

Share your feedback

Did you attend our session? Let us know what you thought by taking our feedback survey!

Questions?

For questions on anything related to the community of practice, contact:

Talia Mazzara, Senior Performance Advisor

Theresa Dew, Senior Performance Advisor

Whoohoo! One down, five to go!

An image with three people helping each other up building blocks with the words "empathetic listening" above them

We kicked off our 2026 customer experience-focused community of practice series in January with a deep dive into empathy and active listening, and it did not disappoint.

Cindy Medlin and Dr. Agnes Furst from the Washington State Department of Licensing tag-teamed a dynamic and thoughtful session that brought empathy to life through realistic scenarios, reflective questions, and practical techniques we can use right away. Together, they challenged us to pause, put ourselves in the customer’s shoes, and think about how we might feel in difficult situations, and how to respond in the moment, when it matters most.

One of the standout moments was their clear and helpful breakdown of empathy, sympathy, and compassion. They reminded us that effective empathy means showing care with compassion, without over-identifying or absorbing someone else’s emotions so deeply that it prevents us from being truly supportive. That balance is key, especially in public service.

As a group, we shared what active listening looks like in practice, and the chat was full of great insights, including:

Using visual cues and eye contact
Repeating or clarifying what’s been said
Staying present (and not making it about yourself!)
Being mindful of body language
And — for the love of connection — don’t interrupt 😉

It was an engaging session filled with practical nuggets worth revisiting, and yes, absolutely one to rewatch.

Missed it or want a refresher? You can watch the recording here.

Attended the session? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Share your feedback here.

Up Next: Customer Journey Mapping Part 2

Our next community of practice meeting takes place on March 17 and will feature Darleen Simkins with the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. She will guide us through Customer Journey Mapping and Service Design – Part 2. If you’re ready to build on what you know and dig deeper into designing better customer experiences, this one’s for you.

We hope to see you there!

Don't forget to register for our 2026 meeting series!

As a reminder, our community will be meeting every odd month beginning January 2026, and registration is required to attend. Take a moment and register now for our 2026 series to save the dates!

You will be registered for all meetings in the series but can choose to attend the session(s) that work best with your schedule. We're looking forward to continuing our learning journey with you!

Passwords

For all of our 2026 community of practice meetings, the password for logging onto the Zoom meeting from your computer is “YWCOP”. If you're tuning into the meeting via audio-only, the password is "141313".

Coming up next

One female standing up at a desk speaking to two others sitting next t oher

March 17, 2026
10:30am - 12:00pm
Zoom Registration

Topic: Customer Journey Mapping and Service Design - Part 2

Presenters: Darleen Simkins, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission