In-house training

Winning people over with plain language,

because the way we’ve always done it isn’t helping anyone.

Colleen comes to you – for groups of 5 to 14 people – $8k per day.

Quick descriptions of courses

When you write regulations, or write to people about regulations, you walk a fine line between accuracy and clarity.
This day-long workshop explores the art of being clear and approachable at the same time.
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!
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.

Do you want to know the NUMBER ONE thing I get asked on workshops: How do I make my writing more clear and concise? Here’s how.
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…).
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 writing up to standard - and still be their friend. If any of that sounds familiar, this training’s for you!

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!
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).
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.

Comments from people on a recent workshop

Colleen was engaging, supportive and knew her stuff. We walked through helpful tips and exercises to demonstrate that we all can be better writers and better communicators.

Seamus McCroskery, KiwiNet
Colleen changed the way I do my emails! They are now the perfect mix of personable and professional. Thanks Colleen :-)

Shannon Barclay, Marketing and Communications Specialist, KiwiNet
Colleen delivers with gusto and grace. The writing workshop has really helped our team to get to the point, improve our relationships with our stakeholders and save time in the process.

James Hutchinson, CEO, KiwiNet