Writing Skills
It's more than just a course.
This is a learning journey.
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On-demand digital learning playlist
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Live session delivered virtually or in-person
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Supporting on-demand digital learning playlists | 30-minute follow up coaching session (optional extra for teams)
Course Code: OV-WS
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2 x half-day live session delivered virtually or in-person | 6-8 hrs on-demand learning | 30-minute coaching session (optional extra for teams)
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This is available for individuals, groups and teams
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Part of our Core Library
This course focuses on how to harness the power of the written word. It will equip you with the tools and the confidence to produce convincing, persuasive and powerful documents that help you to achieve your objectives.
On the course you will cover the accepted rules of writing in plain and professional English; learning how to avoid the most common mistakes in punctuation, spelling and grammar, and how to keep your documents succinct and focused on the needs of the reader – rather than the writer. You will use various techniques to organise your key ideas and topics and ensure that your documents follow a logical flow and structure. You will also learn how to use persuasive writing to motivate your readers to take action. Throughout the course your learning will be supported through guided practice; written and oral exercises, analysis of different kinds of writing and examples of business documents.
This course is aimed at anyone whose work requires them to produce professional written communications and who wants to improve their accuracy, develop their writing style and sharpen their impact.
By the end of this course you will be able to:
- Follow the rules of grammar that matter, knowing which are obligatory, optional or defunct
- Get your point across clearly, using plain and professional English
- Use the appropriate vocabulary, style and tone to satisfy your reader‘s needs and expectations
- Follow a logical structure and sequence when producing written documents
- Edit and proofread to eliminate errors and streamline content
- The rules of grammar that you need to know and apply; those to question and use with discretion, and those to ignore
- The most misunderstood punctuation marks and how to use them properly; using punctuation to optimise clarity and brevity
- The most commonly misspelt and misused words, spelling rules, exceptions and pitfalls
- Building sentences and paragraphs that guide your reader through the document and give your writing rhythm and pace
- The virtues of simplicity and the principles of ‘plain English‘
- Selecting a style and tone that is appropriate to the audience and the content
- Planning your document and structuring the key points into a logical flow
- Editing and streamlining your writing for maximum readability
- Proofing techniques to catch stylistic, grammatical and related errors
- Explanations of common grammatical terms
- Techniques to persuade the reader to your way of thinking and to take appropriate action
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Better Communication Skills
Communicating with Impact
Bitesize Sessions
Available for delivery to groups and teams, our bite-size learning sessions are short bursts of knowledge covering the what, why, and how of a topic, and delivered at pace. Expert-led sessions can be delivered virtually, face-to-face, or you can choose a combination, and they can be run either standalone or up to three sessions in a day.
Effective Writing
Course Code: VILT-EW
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90-minute live session delivered virtually or in-person (Perfect for use as part of a blended learning programme)
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This is available for groups and teams
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Part of our Core Library
You’ve probably heard people saying that good writing is important, but why does it really matter?
Think about what can happen if a document is poorly written – for example, if your readers can’t figure out what actions you need them to take, or if your key points are hidden behind lots of words. And think about how your readers might perceive you if they notice lots of spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. The stakes might be very high indeed!
The written work you produce is a reflection of both you and your organisation – no matter whether you’re writing a formal business report, an email, or a social media post.
Good writing skills let you express yourself clearly and concisely, avoid misunderstandings, and make you stand out in a positive way. This can open new doors for you, help you progress toward your goals, and build your network and your career.
This 90-minute session will teach you how to beat common mistakes, including a series of ‘grammar gremlins’ and several tricky words that sound the same but mean different things. It will also show you how to use style and tone to improve the clarity and effectiveness of your writing, and write consistently in ‘plain English’.
- Do you regularly need to produce written documents that are clear, concise and professional?
- Do you struggle with any ‘grammar gremlins’ – those little rules that you just can’t seem to remember?
- Are there some grammar rules that you think are obsolete, but you’re not quite sure?
- In your writing, do you have a tendency to use 10 words when 3 would be enough? Or the opposite?
- Are you confident that you’re using punctuation marks correctly every time?
By the end of this session you will be able to:
- Follow the rules of grammar that matter in the workplace, and know which are obligatory, optional or defunct
- Get your points across clearly using plain and professional English
- Use the appropriate vocabulary, style, and tone to satisfy your readers’ needs and expectations
Online Learning
Our award-winning learning content library is expertly created, easy to consume, and visually engaging and it can be experienced through a range of modalities - Fluidbooks, videos, animations, podcasts, infographics, quizzes and more. Use our digital learning content to support on-demand or blended learning provision within your organisation. Hundreds of topics are available in multiple global languages.
Effective Writing
Core content
- Effective Writing Infographic
- Effective Writing Fluidbook
- Effective Writing Quiz
- Effective Writing Animation
- Effective Writing Thrive in Five
- Apply Your Learning Action Plan
See our engaging content in action
Explore more about our contentBuild a customised programme
Use our building blocks approach to create a customised programme to suit your specific needs and context, at the pace you need.
Talk to us about what you want to achieve.
Step 1
Choose the core blocks you want (from our content library)
Step 2
Consider what blocks you want to customise (to make it your own)
Step 3
Review any additional technology and support services we can help you with (to bring the truly bring the learning experience to life)
Step 4
We’ll create the optimum journey for your learners
Want to co-create?
Let's talkThe building blocks menu of options
To help achieve the pace and agility you need, we encourage you to make use of what we already have (our core library) and make it your own. There’s no need to ‘recreate the wheel’ - build from what we have ‘ready to go’ and then customise what you need to.
Choose from across our range of 100+ core topic areas.
Online self-study:
- Fluidbooks
- Infographics (standard and HTML)
- Thrive in Five
- Videos/animations
- Quizzes & assessments
- Podcasts
- Digital flip cards
- HTML microsites
- Digital adventures
- Applying what you have learned - action learning prompts/exercises
- All assets under a topic/collection
Live expert-led:
- Pre-built team experience (learning journey)
- Live workshops - virtual or in-person training (1 x half-day live session in a day; 2 x half-day live session in a day)
- Bitesize (1 x 90-min bite-size session in a day; 2 x 90-min bite-size session in a day; 3 x 90-min bite-size session in a day)
- Run-it-yourself
- Coaching – per hour (Follow-up; Learning programme; Transitioning together; Team effectiveness; Career coaching; Leadership & executive; Skills performance coaching)
- Group facilitation sessions (1 x 3hr in a day; 2 x 3hr in a day
- Leadership lab session (1 x 3hr in a day; 2 x 3hr in a day)
- Virtual delivery platform licence
Personalisation for live events:
- Add your logo
- Tailored
- Branded
- Fully customised
Bespoke content creation:
- Fluidbooks
- Infographics (standard and HTML)
- Thrive in Five
- Videos/animations
- Quizzes & assessments
- Podcasts with bespoke or your content
- Digital flip cards
- HTML microsites
- Digital adventures
- Digital badges/certificates
- Live expert-led bite-size or workshop session
Bespoke printed communication/learning assets:
- Handouts
- Z-cards
- Zappar AR for Z-card
- Action learning prompts/exercises
- Bespoke Hub annual subscription fee (per user)
- Hub implementation
- Subscription (open) hub
- Booker portal
- Delivery – Virtual or in-person facilitator; virtual producer
- Faculty management
- Delegate management
- Instructional design
- Specialist instructional design
- Learning journey curation
- Logistics support
- Project management
- Customer success management
- Branding & creative communication
- Graphic design
- Translations services
- Proofing/QA
- Data insights & engagement
- Consultancy
- Supplier management
- Managed Learning Services
Our approach
Successful learning programmes don’t just happen by accident: Our 4E learning journey model ensures maximum transformational power (and it’s informed by decades of adult learning best practices and proven real-life hybrid learning effectiveness).
Or speak to one of our friendly learning advisers by:
Phone
0345 0712801