Professional Writing Skills for Technical Specialists

In business and industry, critical decisions depend on written communications. Conveying complex information to diverse audiences with clarity and impact requires skills beyond those most of us learned at school and university.

This course bridges the gap between technical expertise and professional writing. It is tailored to those working in technical roles. You will learn from a professional writer and editor how to write complex information clearly, concisely and accurately. You will also learn the tips and tricks that make your documents persuasive, attractive and engaging to diverse readers.

If you are writing technical reports, tenders, Board papers, business cases or emails, this course will give you the tools and techniques to strengthen your professional reputation and that of your organisation.

• Duration: 1 day (7 hours)
• Maximum number of delegates: 12
• Resources: 30-page workbook, checklist, slides, handouts
• Delivery: Online or in person at your venue
• Suitable for: Engineers, Scientists, Functional Specialists in IT, HR, Marketing, Finance, Operations

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course you will know how to:

• Set a clear objective for any document.
• Analyse the target audience, and understand how this impacts structure, language, style and content.
• Use tools and techniques to structure the document to engage readers and highlight key messages.
• Use an appropriate style to inform, influence or persuade your audience.
• Make complex concepts clear and easy to understand, avoiding jargon.
• Incorporate visuals such as graphs, illustrations and tables to maximise impact.
• Use tools, techniques and checklists to review your work and avoid the most common problems.

Course content

1: Understanding planning and purpose

• The writing process – a 7-step process for managing the writing task
• How to set a clear writing objective and plan for any document

2: Analysing your audience and their priorities

• Identifying your target readers
• What questions to ask about them
• How to deal with diverse readers

3: Improving your writing style

• 7 principles for clear, concise and engaging writing
• Getting the right tone
• How to measure and increase readability

4: Structuring and sequencing your information

• Structures that do (and don’t) work
• Understanding key messages and chunking
• Prioritising and summarising information
• Creating a logical flow
• Crafting professional emails

5: Creating clarity and impact with illustrations

• Guidelines for using graphs, charts, tables and illustrations

6: Editing & proofreading

• Avoiding common errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation
• First impressions count: understanding layout
• Hidden Word tools, AI and strategies for editing and proofreading

Testimonials for Professional Writing for Technical Specialists

“The verbal feedback I had was extremely positive and all attendees seem to really enjoy the training and took a lot from it. Overall, the sessions have been extremely beneficial to all that attended, and it has been well received and had the impact we wanted.” – Dean McEnteggart, Senior Learning & Development Manager, Air Business

“I have heard lots of extremely positive things from the team about the business writing skills course. I will try and get on a future one myself and perhaps ask your advice on a couple of documents! Thank you – I can see this becoming a regular feature of our training program.” – John Armstrong, Director and General Manager, British Pipeline Agency (BPA) Ltd

“Jakki was extremely knowledgeable and was able to share the information in a concise but entertaining way. Although I was on the course more as an observer, I was pleased by the scope that the course covered.” – Gareth, delegate

“Really enjoyed the session – felt like I learnt a lot, gained some valuable tools and already find myself looking at ways of improving my writing.” – Catherine, delegate

For more information or to book this course, contact Jakki by text or email.