Writing Policies and Procedures
2-day course, in person or online
Why it matters
Goodbye, policies that nobody reads!
Gone are the days of policies, processes, and procedures that are costly to write and dusty to store. If you want to write policies to tick a box and sit on a shelf, find another course!
The focus here is to write policies that both work for your organisation AND are used by the people who need them.
Hello, reader friendly, usable policies
The product of this course will be policies and procedures that are short, sharp, and easy to follow.
What we’ll cover
We’ll cover all the good foundational skills of clear, modern business writing. Then we’ll focus on the requirements of policy, process, and procedure writing at a specialist level.
You’ll bring your own documents to work on and apply the skills straight away.
What the training covers
Day 1
Reader-centric tools
Focus on the reader for success
Putting yourself in the readers’ shoes
What all readers want to know
Bottom line up front
Plain language
What is plain language?
Who uses it?
Why use it? (the benefits)
The difference between policy, procedure, and process
Understanding the pieces of the puzzle
What good policy and procedure writing is really about
How policies can save you all kinds of trouble
The problem with unwritten rules
The problem with out-of-date policies
The problem with badly-written policies or old-fashioned policy language
Day 2
Process of policy development
Identify need
Get the right people involved (but not too many!)
Dump, chunk, draft
The review process
Policy approval and publication
Structure of policies and procedures
The importance of standardisation
Ideal structure
Language and voice of policies and procedures
Writing engaging policies and procedures
Simplifying the complex
Legality, obligations, and pitfalls
When to use a disclaimer
Avoiding absolutes, weasel words, conditional phrases, and other risky bits
Using unambiguous, unbiased, and non-emotive language
The specifics
Who’s it for?
Up to 14 people who write policies, processes, or procedures at work
How long?
2 full days at your venue
How much?
All trainings are $8,000 + gst per day plus travel
What format?
In person or online, but not a mix of both
Before the training
You can give me document samples to use in the training (optional)
To bring on the day
Laptops
Your own documents to work on
Download the full course outlines
Plus the ROI information you need to make a strong business case for this training
Quick descriptions of courses
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Why is it so hard to get documents signed off? Why is it always a track-changes, version-control nightmare?
You recognise good when you see it but aren’t sure how to help people get their half-assed writing up to standard - and still be their friend. If any of that sounds familiar, this training’s for you!
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You know, you really should know how to write a report. (Read that in a whiny, snarky voice for full effect.)
Ahhhhmm, no, you shouldn’t. Because every report is different. There is no one right way. But I can give you the tools and the confidence to figure out how to write the right report, every time.
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This course helps anyone who writes at work to do it better, faster, and more effectively. We cover emails, reports, and literally any kind of writing from content-writing to legally-binding documents. Increase your confidence, learn the latest best ways to write, and save some time and sanity!
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Tell me your goals for your team's writing.
Give me samples of their writing.
I'll give you the workshop your team never knew they always needed.
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People sometimes ask me how to sound more professional in their writing. How to pad it out. How to use big words. But they’re crazy and you’re not. So you want to know the NUMBER ONE thing I get asked: How do I make my writing more clear and concise? Here’s how.
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We spend SO MUCH time writing emails. What if I told you a simple email formula could get you faster replies? Less to-ing and fro-ing? Get people to do the things you ask and do them fast? Get you more YESes? This shit really is some kind of magic (well it’s actually neuroscience, but, you know…).
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What even is technical writing? Well, if you’re communicating complex information, you’re doing it. And most of us do technical writing without any guidance or qualification. Take a couple of days to find out what you should be doing. What’s current industry best practice? A few powerful tools will make all the difference!
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Although it would be nice to do a Jerry Maguire and scream SHOW ME THE MONEY at the top of your lungs, that doesn’t seem to get the best results in a business setting. So here’s a training to teach you the art and skill of persuading (so people will show you the money).
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If you want to write policies to tick a box and sit on a shelf, find another course! Our focus here is to write policies that both work for your business AND get used by the people who need them. We’ll cover all the good foundational stuff of clear, modern business writing, then we’ll focus on the requirements of policy and procedural writing at a specialist level.