Key details

Plain English training course teaching practical techniques for producing documents that are clear and concise.

Clear, reader-focused documents written in Plain English provide meaningful information that is easy to understand and act upon. Providing clear and concise information improves efficiency, effectiveness and helps your business stand out from the rest with an improved image.

Plain English training investigates what readers look for in a document, and teaches simple processes to ensure these needs are met. You learn how to:

• Write clearly, effectively and quickly.
• Use Plain English to develop a concise, readable and pleasing writing style.
• Apply the principles of Plain English to any document type, from emails to reports.
• Project a positive image of your business.
• Avoid common errors in grammar, spelling and word usage.
• Communicate precisely what is meant.

Plain English training is arranged on-request, i.e. one-to-one training or a ‘closed course’ for your group. Your training can be tailored to take into account any existing knowledge you have, and the work you’re going to be doing.

In-class or online

This course is available in-class at eight centres or live online.

Expert trainers

Plain English courses are hosted by highly experienced instructors, all of whom have held senior authoring/writing roles in business. For further details, see Expert trainers.

How will I learn?

Training combines lecture, demonstration and hands-on practice.

Exercises provide activity-based experience and help build delegates’ confidence writing in Plain English. These exercises can be tailored to deal with issues specific to your business.

You have ample opportunity to discuss specific requirements with the trainer.

Plain English training guide and certificate

Course delegates receive:

• A comprehensive training guide, to refer to throughout the course, and to use as a refresher back in the work-place.
• Job aids and roadmaps to use post-course.
• An e-certificate confirming successful completion of a plain English training course. Click here to see an example of the certificate you receive.

After course support

Following Plain English training, delegates are entitled to 30 days’ email support from their trainer to help with any post-course issues. For further details, see Support.

General information

Course times

Standard course times are 9.30am–4.30pm.

As we’d be hosting this as a ‘closed course’ for you/your group, there’s usually flexibility to change these times to suit you, e.g. start or end 30 minutes earlier or later.

Payment

Payment for business writing training can be made by:

• Bank transfer. Please call 01527 834783 for our bank details.
• Card. All major credit and debit cards accepted. Payment can be made securely online or over the phone. Card payments are processed by Stripe. Armada doesn’t record or store your card details.

Purchase orders

We accept purchase orders from UK-registered companies and public sector organisations.

Accommodation

See Accommodation local to our training centres.

Cancellations and postponements

If an on-request Plain English course booking is cancelled giving less than 20 working days’ notice, a cancellation fee is payable. View cancellation terms.

If an on-request Plain English course booking is postponed giving less than 20 working days’ notice, a postponement fee is payable. View postponement terms.

Terms and conditions

Expert trainers

Plain English training courses are hosted by:

• Robert Bullard
• Nigel Platts

Robert Bullard

Robert has over twenty five years’ experience in a varied range of writing roles including technical author, copywriter, feature writer and freelance journalist.

He has worked for several national newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Local Government Chronicle and Community Care, and has experience in the PR and media industries having ventured into national and regional radio, giving interviews and writing press releases.

Robert also carries out regular training course development work, and he delivers a variety of training courses in all aspects of writing for business.

He particularly enjoys relaying the knowledge he has acquired in his extensive and diverse career.

Nigel Platts

Nigel is a Co-Founder of Armada Technical Authors with over thirty five years’ experience in user-assistance in a wide range of roles including Technical Writer, Manager, Consultant and Trainer.

Nigel continues to undertake projects from time to time to keep up-to-date with the latest technologies and practices. His areas of expertise include software for local government, accountancy and finance.

Course content

Why good writing matters

• Making your business more effective
• Adding value to the public image of your business
• Increased profitability through better communication

Identifying your audience and objective

• Reader-focused and writer-focused writing
• Assessing your audience
• Identifying your audience’s preferred writing style
• Determining the document’s objective

Planning your writing

• The pre-writing phase
• Collecting and organising information
• Preparing your structure
  • Mind-mapping
  • Brainstorming
  • Outliner tools
• Testing your structure
• Drafting and revising
• Meeting deadlines

Using plain English

• Getting the right sentence length and type
• Using active voice
• Why active voice is effective
  • When passive voice should be used
  • Imperative voice and when it should be avoided
  • Avoiding nominalizations
• Using ‘you’ and ‘we’
• Appropriate words
• Using positive language
• Tables and lists

Avoiding common pitfalls

• Reviewing your writing
  • Building a grammar and punctuation toolbox
  • Applying essential editing techniques
  • Checking and amending your document
  • Eliminating spelling and typographical errors
  • Proofreading
• Identifying and dealing with…
  • Fragmented and run-on sentences
  • Misused words
  • Homonyms
• Myths in writing
  • Split infinitives
  • Beginning and ending sentences
  • Synonyms
  • Pronouns
  • Modifiers

Live online training

Live online training lets you participate in a course from your place of work or home.

We do everything possible to make your online training experience as close as possible to actually being in the classroom. You can:

• See and hear our trainer, and the other delegates participating in the course…
  
• Interact by speaking, using chat, or raising your ‘virtual hand’ if you need assistance.
• Share your screen with our trainer, and allow them to take control to explain something.

Like our in-class courses, online courses…

• Are presented by expert instructors.
• Give you plenty of opportunity to carry out assisted, practical exercises.
• Offer 30 days’ email support from your trainer.

All you need is an Internet-connected computer with a webcam and audio capability. We provide everything else…

• Links to download the files, resources, etc. you’ll use in your course.
• A training guide. For most courses, you can choose from a printed copy that we post to you, or a PDF.

In the week before your course, we’ll send you an email containing everything you need to prepare for and participate in the training. Then, a couple of days before your course, we’ll give you a courtesy call to make sure you have everything in place and answer any questions you may have.

Please note that we are not able to record scheduled online courses for privacy reasons.

When you attend live online training, you’re participating in a real course, hosted by a real trainer, in real time