Audience
- People working in the public service, not-for-profits, private sector or universities who want helpful tips on way to improve their writing skills.
Description
- Writing Well is designed for people who seek a refresher on basic grammar and plain English
- It will suit people who work in corporate roles (like administration, data analysis, procurement or contract management) where writing may not be their strength, but is still important to their role.
- This course will suit people who need to write emails, short reports and briefings in their role .
Topics
- Planning methods – brainstorming, free writing, mind-mapping
- Structuring – exploring the different ways to structure information (sequentially, hierarchically, chronologically)
- Writing effective emails (tone, salutations, length)
- Plain English – active voice, everyday words, clear and concise writing
- Writing with purpose and meaning
- Grammar and punctuation tips
- How to structure long strands of information, e.g. creating lists with commas, semicolons and colons
- Creating effective sentences – pausing between ideas (full stop, commas and dashes) and connecting ideas (‘but’, ‘therefore’, etc.)
- Reviewing, editing and proof-reading
Learning Objectives
Participants who attend the Writing Well workshop will be able to:
- Better prepare for writing tasks by using different brainstorming and planning tools
- Understand the structure of common documents and how to best organise material to gain maximum buy-in and reader interest
- Write in plain English and choose the most appropriate words to get a point across
- Use punctuation to make writing more meaningful and better flowing
- Apply different methods for reviewing and editing material so that the final version is polished, effective and fit-for-purpose.
Class size
- 10–20 people
Format
- The format can be tailored to meet your unique organisational requirements.
- It can be delivered live online or face-to-face.
- An online survey can be distributed ahead of the sessions to narrow in on what staff wish to learn.
- The standard format is three 2 hour sessions as follows:
- Session One: ‘Planning’ and ‘Structuring’
- Session Two: ‘Plain English’ and ‘The Importance of Meaning’
- Session Three: ‘Grammar and punctuation tips’ and ‘Reviewing and editing your work’.
Optional add-on
- Staff can send in a sample piece of their writing and I will give feedback between sessions.