Open courses

Our range of one day open courses are held at various hotels in the UK and Ireland.

• Advanced grammar
• Grammarcheck
• Plain English
• Plain English and forms design
• Plain English and report writing
• Writing for websites in plain English
• Tips on plain English for medical writers

Most of our open courses focus on plain-English techniques in the morning, followed by an afternoon looking at how to use them in a specific area (for example, writing reports).

The courses are designed to allow the delegates to contribute as much as possible. They use a mixture of group and individual work. We actively encourage discussion and questions, and keep the number of delegates to a level that makes this possible.

A course will normally begin at 9.30am and finish at 5pm. There will be breaks for tea and coffee at 11am and 3pm, with lunch at 12.30pm.

Below is the timetable for our Plain English and forms design course.

The morning session focuses on the principles of plain English, including the following.

• Shortening sentences
• Is the style appropriate for the audience?
• Suggestions for clear writing
• Being active about passives
• Revealing hidden verbs

(If you have been on the Plain English course, you will have covered these recommendations already.)

The afternoon session focuses on the principles of clear layout, including typography and design. These principles, along with plain-English techniques, will make forms:

• easier to read;
• easier to understand;
• easier to fill in; and
• more user-friendly.

The afternoon session will also include a form-designing exercise.

Open courses are designed to give delegates the skills they need to:

• recognise some of the traps a writer can fall into;
• understand the features of a plain-English style; and
• use a clear and concise style of writing to avoid wasting their reader's time.

If you would like more information, please e-mail Terri-Louise Schabel or call her on 01663 744409. We will then send you details and a booking form.

Some comments from our delegates

"Very good, excellent trainer, would recommend it to others."

"The trainer was great. He was funny and personal which made me take things in easier."

"Great course. Makes me realise how out of touch I am with English grammar."

"Excellent course content, dynamic engagement, learnt a lot."

"Very informative, fun and interactive."

"I really enjoyed the course. It was very informative and will be useful in my day to day job."

"Interesting, informative and friendly."

"Very useful tips and advice."