Writing Project

Communication is essential for any business or organisation - and the internet has made the need for written communication even more demanding. Yet most staff working in those organisations will have had no help with their writing skills since school.

I'm delighted to be part of a new venture, Writing Project, set up by but separate from the Royal Literary Fund. It has on tap a fantastic collection of writers, providing a cornucopia of professional experience in every form of writing, all adept at making written communication sing.

Writing Project offers a range of services, notably audits of clients' written material and workshops - there are some example of the workshops offered below, though these can be tailored to the clients' needs.

This venture has been under development and gradually taking shape for a couple of years, led from centres in Bristol and Birmingham, though its reach is UK-wide. It's worth consideration by any business or organisation that is serious about its communications.

Here are the workshop topics:

Our tailored writing workshops develop writing skills and stimulate confidence at work. All our trainers are professional published authors with at least two years' experience in writing skills development. A workshop can last from two hours to a full day, or longer. This list of workshops is not exhaustive and we'll be happy to create a workshop especially for you.
You’ll come away with a new approach to writing and the confidence to write effectively. Get in touch to find out how we can help (our numbers are below).

Who Are You Writing For?
Knowing your audience is crucial. This workshop will help you communicate clearly and concisely to the people you want to influence. Participants will learn key writing and editing skills and boost their confidence in shaping their message for different clients/stakeholders.

Use More Engaging Language
There's often too much jargon and over-used vocabulary in professional communications. This workshop will experiment with fresh language and explore the use of metaphor and simile. It aims to provide tools for more engaging phrase- making and find alternatives for tired and unimaginative phrases.

Edit Yourself Better
Save management time by creating better first drafts. Using examples from your organisation, and others generated during the workshop, this session provides practical techniques for effective editing. Learn to re-structure, summarise, and make documents more accessible to your target audience. Experiment with editing your own and colleagues' writing.

Understanding Your Narrative
Narratives define who we are and what we do. Organisations need stories that clearly depict what they represent, why they exist, and where they are going. This workshop will help you define your story and express it memorably. We will look at how to foreground your USP and other stand-out elements of your organisation within a coherent narrative that will engage your customers and stakeholders.

Writing Press Releases
Snappy, factual, story-driven: press releases must be all these things if they are to grab a journalist's attention and get your message across. This workshop focuses on how to identify your core message, craft punchy headlines, and construct press releases that the media will want to publish.

Email Etiquette
Casual and friendly? Precise and official? Somewhere in between? This workshop discovers how to set the appropriate tone for your emails, both in-house and to other organisations. Explore the question of language register, how to establish authority and show tact in response – and learn how to self-edit before hitting 'send'.

Blogging and Social Media
Who do you want to engage? What image do you want to project? How do you find your desired audience and communicate your message in a tone that will keep them on your side? Participants will experiment with different voices and tones to attract interest, and discover techniques for building a compelling online presence as well as keeping up the momentum.

Writing Marketing Documents
Learn how to fine-tune public documents to attract and win over your target readership. Based on your organisation's own marketing/PR materials, this workshop shows how to hone your style and tone to convey the optimum public image/brand identity.

Note-taking Techniques
It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you collect and collate. This workshop looks at ways to analyse information as you record it, and how to be strategic, concise and accurate in your note-taking. It also looks at selecting for relevance and priority in your notes, so that you can put what matters first.

(Charity professionals) Bid Writing and Grant Proposals
If you're seeking funding, this workshop will help you create powerful and effective
bids, proposals, and letters to potential donors. Written communication skills will be honed and polished through an understanding of the process, attention to structure, clarity of intention, and imaginative ways to engage different audiences.

(Creative industries) Writing an Artist Statement
An artist statement is one of the most important pieces of writing an artist or maker
produces. Learn how to present your work and yourself in the best possible light and shade. This session will show you how to design a template that is adaptable to different audiences and revisable as your practice evolves throughout your career.

To talk about your writing needs or book a Writing Project workshop, get in touch with Julian Evans or Meg Sanders at writebetter@writingproject.co.uk or phone 07811 323664 or 07813 785424