Outline
You can already write – and write well – so this is a course about how to think differently about written communication. It cuts through all the opinion and the myths and explains how to use the written word as a powerful tool to reduce complaints, avoidable questions and kick-back, get people to understand quickly and see your point of view.
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering how to start writing or even slipping into Offglish – that vague, sounds-like-a-parent tone with long words and sentences that go on and on without getting anywhere – this is for you.
It’s a practical two and a half hour online session that explains how to write faster, simply, clearly and easily. You’ll go away with ideas, tools and techniques from a whole range of industries that you can use the same day.
Mark McArthur-Christie, who leads the course, has used these techniques to simplify the Electoral Commission’s guidance for political parties, reduce complaints for organisations like the National Trust and help housing associations get residents out of debt.
It works for emails, complaints, social media, newsletters, standard letters, even notices – any type of written communication.
Objectives
You’ll understand the huge impact that written communication has and the role it can play in building better working relationships, reducing friction and being understood.
We’ll get you (and your team, if you work with others) writing faster, better and with confidence.
What we’ll cover
- We’ll bust the myths around writing and what ‘professional’ really means, without dumbing down
- What really matters to people – and how to harness it to get them to do as you ask
- The responsibilities of being an expert writing to non-experts
- Why people sometimes seem not to ‘get it’ when you write
- The ‘unspoken questions’ technique and how it helps you structure your writing
- How ‘think-feel-know-do’ helps avoid complaints and kick-back
- Understanding how people really read and understand
- How to measure your writing to see how easy it is to understand
- You’ll get a set of simple techniques that anyone can use to avoid writing in ‘Offglish’
- You’ll understand what good practical writing looks like and how to do it
- You’ll get a range of tools that’ll help you write anything from a newsletter to a report
Date
Thursday 30 June, 1:00pm – 3:30pm
Price
The cost for this webinar is:
SLCC Members – £90 + VAT
Non-Members – £105 + VAT
CPD points
Claim 1 CPD point for attending this webinar!
Joining instructions will be sent to you 3 weeks before the event (please check your spam inbox) and your invoice will be sent before the event. We advise that, on receipt of the joining instructions, you are liable for any fees incurred in order to attend the event.
About the Trainer
Mark McArthur-Christie
Mark has been helping organisations communicate better with their customers and stakeholders for the last 30 years. His first project was an accident; asked to find a way to reduce customer calls for a building society, he realised that most of their calls came from customers who didn’t understand their letters and statements. Rather than changing systems, products or processes he simply re-drafted their suite of standard letters so people could understand them. The result? 40% fewer query calls.
Having trained as an advertising copywriter, he realised that people are far too busy getting on with their lives to read most of the stuff they get sent. At the same time, things like standard letters, statements, policies and terms & conditions are vital, operational communications – customers (residents, in your case) need to understand them simply and quickly. He uses techniques from behavioural psychology, design thinking and advertising to make written communication easy to understand.
He works with clients including The Electoral Commission, Aston Martin, Pizza Express, Prudential Hong Kong, Nando’s, The International Tennis Federation, The Open University and Biffa.
As well as training teams in the UK, USA and Far East, he’s a consultant for both public sector organisations and listed companies. He also writes for several magazines and websites.
Wrong time? Wrong place?
SLCC is always keen to respond to members’ needs for training. If you would like to register an interest in having a particular course delivered via webinar or in your region, please let us know.
