The four most important skills you need to write well at work
Effective Writing Fundamentals combines our four coffee-break courses into one cost-effective bundle. You will get the foundational principles, tools, and practice you need to become a more effective workplace writer immediately.
Learn to write more clearly, quickly, and confidently
This presents the best of what we've learned from our over 40 years of experience working with public- and private-sector professionals. See our other online courses, our clients, and examples of our work to learn more.
Effective Writing Fundamentals
The four core skills that you will learn
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#1. Understand what goes wrong with writing
One problem influences every workplace writer and document. Because of it, documents take a lot of effort but still aren’t crisp and clear. Learn to write well and struggle less.
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#2. Think deeply about your audience and purpose
How do you make decisions as you write? How do you know you’ve done a good job? This course sets out a standard you can rely on.
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#3. Structure documents for readability
Learn a universal structure you can apply to create clear, readable documents. Happily, it also makes them easier and faster to draft.
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#4. Redefine professional style
Answer the question most workplace writers have: what is the most professional style? Learn easy ways to capture an accessible, modern style.
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Regular course fee
$250
Group pricing—Contact hello@wordsmith.ca for group pricing for 5 or more
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You will learn:
why most workplace documents aren’t as effective as they could be
the source of these problems (it’s not you)
how to identify and solve common issues
apply these insights to real-world documents
master a new approach to writing
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You will learn how to:
measure document quality
segment your audience’s needs
think about the action you want to accomplish
orient your reader
write for multiple audiences and layered purposes
integrate this approach in the writing process
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You will learn how to:
create clear and usable documents
structure to improve clarity and persuasiveness
format to improve readability
structure long documents effectively
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You will learn how to:
redefine what a professional style is
write professionally without complexity
write in a direct and accessible style
adjust your tone to your audience and purpose
What you’ll learn
"I enjoyed it a lot! Very eye-opening and reassuring to know there's a better way to write documents. :)"
—Online course participant
"The course left me with the feeling of wanting to go write a document. I've sat through a month-long course that didn't give me a fraction of the value."
—Change management consultant in the private sector
"The mixed use of video and audio slides enhances the delivery by 1000% compared to our typical online training."
—Writer from a federal review body
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The Dos and Don'ts of Using AI to Write for You
This is a practical course about how to use AI to generate and edit content. It looks at what AI does well, common pitfalls and how to avoid them, and how to use AI to speed up the process.
In-house and virtual options. Self-paced online course coming soon!
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Use AI to Think More Deeply and Get Smarter
Get the right relationship with AI as an analysis tool. Use it to gather information, test assumptions, identify risks, and develop capacity for more thorough and refined thinking.
In-house and virtual options. Self-paced online course coming soon!
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Edit Documents Effectively
Get the step-by-step process Wordsmith uses when we edit. You’ll learn to pinpoint, resolve, and communicate issues in structure, language, and formatting. This course includes a takeaway checklist.
In-house and live virtual options
