Why it matters
You know stuff
You’re experienced.
You’ve trained in your field.
You might even be an expert.
But has anyone ever taught you to express what you know in writing?
Most of us never get that.
We all write — emails, reports, briefs, summaries, proposals, specs, memos. But we all usually just guess at how to do it. Or we copy what others have done before.
The good news: international standards in clear communication
They’re simple, easy to learn, and a more natural way of writing than what you might’ve seen or been taught.
You’ll get the tools to write documents that are fit for purpose, every time
Forget templates and formulas — equip yourself with the ability to start each document from scratch to quickly and efficiently achieve exact outcomes.
What the training covers
Day 1
Reader-centric tools
Focus on the reader for success
Putting yourself in the readers’ shoes
What all readers want to know
Bottom line up front
Plain language
What is plain language?
Who uses it?
Why use it? (the benefits)
Structure and layout
Reader-focused structure
Visualising structure with layout
Plain language approaches
Speakable language
Sentence length
Active voice
First person – you and we
Day 2
Planning tools
Separating thinking and writing so you can write more efficiently
Identifying your goal in writing
Prioritising the needs of multiple readers
Filtering and ordering content
Creating informative, logical headings
Supported writing using your own documents
Practise, practise, practise!
Reviewing and editing
The editing process
Reviewing skills
Surviving the reviewing process!
The specifics
Who’s it for?
Up to 14 people who write documents at work
How long?
2 full days at your venue
How much?
All trainings are $8,000 + gst per day plus travel
What format?
In person or online, but not a mix of both
Before the training
You can give me document samples to use in the training (optional)
To bring on the day
Laptops
Your own documents to work on
Download the full course outlines
Plus the ROI information you need to make a strong business case for this training!
Course descriptions
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Managers and senior leaders can make all the difference in their team’s writing process by upping their own skills in commissioning documents, and reviewing them against principles of clear communication.
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When you write regulations, or write to people about regulations, you walk a fine line between accuracy and clarity.
This day-long workshop explores the art of being clear and approachable at the same time.
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You know, you really should know how to write a report. (Read that in a whiny, snarky voice for full effect.)
Ahhhhmm, no, you shouldn’t. Because every report is different. There is no one right way. But I can give you the tools and the confidence to figure out how to write the right report, every time.
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This course helps anyone who writes at work to do it better, faster, and more effectively. We cover emails, reports, and literally any kind of writing from content-writing to legally-binding documents. Increase your confidence, learn the latest best ways to write, and save some time and sanity!
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Do you want to know the thing I’m constantly asked on workshops: How do I make my writing clear and concise? Here’s how.
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What if I told you a simple email formula could get you faster replies? Less to-ing and fro-ing? People doing what you ask for - quickly?
This stuff really is some kind of magic. (Well it’s actually neuroscience, but, you know…)
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Board members need clear information to help them make good decisions. It needs to be strategic, not operational, information.
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Do you recognise good writing when you see it? But are you not sure how to get people’s writing up to standard without rewriting it yourself?
This training’s for peer reviewers, managers, and senior leaders.
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What even is technical writing? Well, if you’re communicating complex information, you’re doing it. And most of us do technical writing without any guidance or qualification. Take a couple of days to find out what you should be doing. What’s current industry best practice? A few powerful tools will make all the difference!
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Although it would be nice to do a Jerry Maguire and scream SHOW ME THE MONEY at the top of your lungs, that doesn’t seem to get the best results in a business setting. So here’s a training to teach you the art and skill of persuading (so people will show you the money).
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If you want to write policies to tick a box and sit on a shelf, find another course! Our focus here is to write policies that both work for your business AND get used by the people who need them. We’ll cover all the good foundational stuff of clear, modern business writing, then we’ll focus on the requirements of policy and procedural writing at a specialist level.