Programmes to meet your needs

Despite what they say, it’s never too late to learn new tricks. Writing is something we largely do on our own, and it’s easy to become stale, to trot out the same solution to every writing task we’re given – without thinking whether there might be other ways of going about things.

Training gives you a chance to step back, think about what you do and consider other possible approaches.

We offer simple training programmes that give your staff tips on how to write more clearly and simply. We will work with you to decide the appropriate content of these programmes, but some of the training packages we have involve:

• Assessing material, and gauging the complexity of texts
• Identifying the reading level of your target audience and looking at the implications for your writing
• Introducing some basic techniques for simplifying texts
• Considering the design – looking at the text in conjunction with the layout
• Monitoring your work – applying readability formulae to your writing
• Revisiting aspects of grammar and punctuation that commonly cause confusion

Most of the training courses we run are ‘pick and mix’, based on elements taken from different packages, depending on the needs of the organisation.

We are prepared to offer one-to-one training and can cater for as many members of staff as you require, but the ideal number of people is between five and ten. Most of our training programmes are half-day programmes.