OPEN-REGISTRATION WEBINAR – LIVE TRAINING
Effective Workplace Writing
Write clearer documents faster
We’ve been training writers for over 45 years. This workshop brings together input from writers, reviewers, and decision-makers for what they want to see in quality writing. You will learn how to:
write documents that are clearer, more usable, and easier for readers to act on
resolve challenges specific to public and private-sector writing
apply research-based principles for strong writing
use a step-by-step writing process to reduce writing and editing time by 50%
The course applies to every document you write—reports, briefings, policy documents, procedures, proposals, emails, and more.
SOME OF OUR CLIENTS
City of Calgary
City of Red Deer
Alberta Court of Appeal
Calgary Police Services
Parks Canada
The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO)
Government of Alberta
Indigenous Affairs
Children and Family Services
Education
Environment and Protected Areas
Municipal Affairs
Course content
Core skills every writer needs
These three modules cover all the core skills necessary to be a strong writer.
Think Deeper to Write Faster
We’ll walk you through a new writing process that helps you write much more quickly and confidently.
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- reveals the reasons behind workplace writing struggles and how to solve them
- adapts to the needs of different audiences, including clients, senior leaders, and the public
- creates a strong, readable structure
- helps you deepen your thinking and analysis
- allows you to write much more quickly and confidently
Write in a Clear, Accessible Style
Learn to refine first drafts quickly and write in a clear, professional style.
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- refine first drafts quickly
- write in a clear, professional style
- write concisely without losing important context
- avoid government jargon and insider language
- structure active, strong sentences
- explain technical content to non-technical readers and the public
Think, Write, Edit + AI
The first two modules give you the foundation to be a faster, more effective writer. This module gives you a step-by-step workflow to integrate AI into that process.
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- assess your audience, purpose, and structure
- speed up the process
- act as a thinking partner and writing coach
- perfect tone for the audience, purpose, and context
- edit and proofread thoroughly and quickly
We also cover where it’s appropriate to avoid using AI and rely on your judgment and expertise. This guidance prevents AI from creating confusing text, wasted time, and hallucinations.
After the course, you’ll
- Build strong analysis that supports decision-making
- Communicate complex information clearly while respecting accuracy, context, and political sensitivity
- Move documents through review with less stress, clearer feedback, and fewer unnecessary revisions
A before-and-after example: What you'll learn
Administration has undertaken a comprehensive review of the snow and ice control program in light of community feedback received over the past two seasons and evolving service-level expectations. Following consultation with internal stakeholders, a number of considerations have emerged which, taken together, suggest that…
Administration recommends adding residential streets to priority-2 snow clearing. This brings clearing time after a major snowfall from 7 days to 4. This change can be made within the current operating budget.
It's not theoretical learning
The content is practical, interactive, and hands-on
We customize to your goals
Before the workshop, we ask you to fill out a form and we use what you tell us to customize the workshop. We ask:
- what documents you write
- where you struggle
- what you hope to get out of the workshop
- for an optional sample document
You write a real document
During the workshop, you will collaborate, discuss, ask questions, learn from peers, and do exercises. Each person comes with a document in mind to write. We will walk you through a writing process live to get a real piece of work done during the workshop.
Keep building with our resources
You get a recording for one week after each session, a 100-page course manual that covers all the principles taught in the workshop, and a 3.5-hour self-paced follow-up module.
I received so much good feedback about the training. Leaders were really blown away. One of them told me she saw many improvements in her people's reports, and it's saved her lots of review time. That’s what we wanted as a result! Kudos to you.
I’ve taken this course three times, and I’ll probably take it again. Each time I learn something new and I continue to build my skills as a writer.
I was reflecting on the best courses I’ve taken and this was hands down one of the best. So applicable to my daily work.
Answers to your questions
How many people are in the training?
We limit attendance to 20 people per session. This keeps workshops interactive and gives everyone a chance to ask questions.
Can I register a few people from my team?
Absolutely! If you want to register more than 10 people, please email us at hello@wordsmith.ca. We can discuss hosting a private session customized to your team and documents.
Will I get useful takeaway resources with this training?
All participants get access to:
- a recording for one week after each session
- a 100-page course manual that covers all the principles taught in the workshop
Is it open to all levels of seniority?
The training is valuable for anyone who writes or reviews municipal documents—from admin staff to senior leaders.
When your team shares a common vocabulary and approach, documents get clearer and the review process gets faster and smoother.
Other live webinars
November 24 & 26, 2026
Effective Municipal Writing
Municipal writers produce a wide range of documents every day—from quick emails to formal council reports and public notices.
Our Effective Municipal Writing workshop provides practical tools to help you write clearly and effectively for a variety of audiences, using real examples from municipal documents. Live virtual workshop.
Learn more →Date TBD
Think Deeper to Write Faster
This half-day webinar covers our step-by-step process to create stronger documents.
The material applies to every document you write—reports, briefings, policies, procedures, emails, and more. This half-day can be taken as a standalone course or as Part 1 of our longer Effective Writing course. Live virtual public workshop.
Learn more →
