Instructor Guide

Before the Workshop

Read through the instructor guide. This is intended as a guide and not a bible. Be guided by your
experience, the needs of the participants, and your own common sense, as well as the
information in here. Most of the suggestions and all of the information have been developed
through research and hands-on, classroom experience.
We recommend arriving at least one hour before the start of the session, particularly on Day One
of working with a client. We suggest you shake hands with each participant as they come into the
classroom and introduce yourself to them; it breaks the ice and sets the type of friendly
atmosphere that is conducive to learning.
Many of the flip charts can be prepared ahead of time. The f rst page should be set up like this:
Name of Workshop
Facilitated by (Your Name)
Your Organizations Name
Include in a different color, around the pe imeter of the room, the words Courtesy, Participation,
and Confidentiality. Y u might also want to add the words Exercises, Role Play, Learning, and
Fun.
Materials Required

Flip chart paper

Markers
Supply of blank paper
One Canine Kibitzing card per participant
One Say it Simply handout per participant
1 Punctuation card per participant
1 set of Promotions cards (cut up) per four participants
1 finished Promotions handout per participant
1 Edited and Unedited article per participant
1 Blockbuster handout per participant
1 set of Party Mix cards per 18 participants

Note: All cards and handouts are located in the Handouts folder.

Agenda: Day One

8:30 8:45
8:45 9:00
9:00 9:15
9:15 9:30
9:30 9:45
9:45 10:00
10:00 10:15
10:15 10:30
10:30 10:45
10:45 11:00
11:00 11:15
11:15 11:30
11:30 11:45
11:45 12:00
12:00 1:00
1:00 1:15
1:15 1:30
1:30 1:45
1:45 2:00
2:00 2:15
2:15 2:30
2:30 2:45
2:45 3:00
3:00 3:15
3:15 3:45
3:45 4:00
4:00 4:15
4:15 4:30

1st Session: Introduction and Course Overview

Icebreaker: Fact or Fiction
2nd Session: Why Write?
3rd Session: The First C Writing Clearly
Exercise
4th Session: The Second C Writing Concisely
Exercise 1
Break
Exercise 2
Exercise 3
5th Session: The Third C Writing Completely
Exercise
6th Session: The Fourth C Writing Correctly
Morning Wrap-Up
Lunch Break
Energizer: Relay the Message
7th Session: The Fifth C Writing Courteously
8th Session: Word Agreement
Exercise
9th Session: Active and Passive Voice
Exercise
10th Session: Sentence and Sentence Types
Exercise
Break
11th Session: Readability Index
12th Session: Practical Language
13th Session: Inclusive Language
Day One Wrap Up

1st Session: Introduction and Course Overview

(8:30-8:45)
Introduce yourself. Establish credibility by giving examples of training experience, and your own
experiences with writing, including some war stories if you have them.
Ask that participants respect confidentiality: what we say in this room stays in this room. Remind
them that it was Mark Twain who said, If two people have the same opinion, you dont need one
of them, so we are at liberty to disagree with one another, and with the instructor.
However, respect other peoples opinions. We ask that you act courteously, to make sure we give
other people their share of air time, and that we listen when other people are talking. Finally, we
ask that you participate. You get out of a workshop just about what you put into it, and you will
learn as much from sharing with others as you will from the concepts we bring you.
Give the participants a chance to introduce themselves to you. You will probably want to know
their name, their department, their position title, and what sort of writing they do.
Address housekeeping items, like breaks (usually 10:15 and 2:15) and noon hour (12 to 1, go to
lunch on their own). Give them info about washrooms, coffee, and cell phones.
Remind the group that his is a safe house, the place where they can learn from their mistakes in a
supportive atmosphere, rather than in the workplace where it can harm their credibility or their
organization.
Course Overview

Ask students to turn to their workbooks and read the introduction with the overall objectives of
the workshop (Session One). Then ask them to identify their own learning objectives.
Present the agenda (as a handout, electronic presentation, or flip chart) and look at the topics you
plan to cover. Go over these with the group and ask if there is anything there they didnt expect
to see, or something not there that they had been hoping for.

For topics they dont see:

Reassure group if a topic will be covered although it doesnt appear in the agenda.

Opt to squeeze in something not covered if there is time, its appropriate, and if everybody is
interested.

For those things they feel are not of interest to the group, you have the option of touching it
briefly and moving on. This doesnt happen often, but these questions are your hip pocket needs
assessment to make sure participants get what they expect, if it is possible.

Generally, topics not within the realm of this program must be dealt with at another time.

Learning Objectives
We all know what good writing is. Its the novel we cant put down , the poem we never forgot, and the
speech that changes the way we look at the world. Good writing is the memo that gets action, the letter
that says what phone call cant.
In business writing, the language is concrete, the point of view is clear, and the points are well expressed.
Good writing is hard work, and even the best writers get discouraged. However, with practice you can
feel more confident about your own writing.
Learning Objectives:

To learn the value of good written communication.

To learn how to write and proofread your work so it is clear, concise, complete, and correct.
To provide opportunities to apply these skills in real world situations.

To understand the proper format for memos, reports, and letters.

Icebreaker: Fact or Fiction

(8:45-9:00)
Activity

Ask the participants to write on a piece of paper THREE THINGS about themselves which may
be not know to other participants. Two are true and one is not. Taking turns they read out the
three facts about themselves and the rest of the group votes which are true and false. There are
always surprises. This simple activity is always fun, and helps the group and leaders get to know
more about each other.
Once they have prepared it, each one of the participants should introduce themselves and attach
in their names ADJECTIVE that not only describes a dominant characteristic, but also starts with
the same letter of his name e.g. generous Grahame, dynamic Dave. Write them down and refer to
them by this for the rest of the evening.

2nd Session: Why Write?

(9:00 9:15)
Whether we want to or not, most of us must write. We write to explain things, to smooth
relationships, to convince others of the value of some course of action. Such writing must be
clear, concise, complete, and correct. It must also convey our message in a courteous tone. This
workshop will help you to identify the range of this kind of writing, the forms it takes, and the
persuasive techniques it requires.
Many writers are defeated by the attitude that writing is an awesome task. These people do not
trust themselves with the language. They go to the files to see what has been done in the past. To
overcome their insecurity, they try to write to impress. They hunt for big words to sound like an
authority on the subject. They pad the r reports to indicate thoroughness.
Our aim is to teach the habits of good writing. With the proper attitude, a respect for how words
work together and knowledge of the conventions of usage, your writing can be clear, concise,
and easy to read.
Trust yourself. Find out what you think, and say what you mean in the simple language you
would use with a friend. Make adjustments in your wording until you are sure you are saying
what you want to say.
If you want to be a better writer, there are four things you can do to help yourself.
1)
You must READ. If the only writing you ever read is your own, you will have no
standards to judge your writing against. We learned to talk by hearing others speak. If you spent
a year in England, you would come back to the U.S. with a British accent. Read like a spectator,
if you must, but try to read like an apprentice.
2)
You must WRITE. No matter how many rules you know, it takes practice to write well.
Your tenth letter to a disgruntled client will be easier to write than the first one, and believe it or
not, the tenth report will be easier to write too.
3)
You should WANT to WRITE. Find personal reasons for wanting to write well, for
wanting to communicate with others, and then turn off the language cop and get writing.
4)
You need a FEEDBACK system to tell you how you're doing. You need to know if the
writing works. People don't learn to write well from being corrected. They learn not to write.
Look at feedback as an opportunity to find better solutions, not as an opportunity to correct
errors.

You are already very familiar with the English language. You already talk easily and well. People
generally understand you. So the leap from talking to writing need not be difficult if we forget
the rules for a moment and write the way we talk.
However, before putting pen to paper, or turning on the computer, there are several things to
think about; things we think about whether we are talking or writing. They are the five Cs of
communication.

3rd Session: The First C Writing Clearly

(9:15 9:45)
Writing Clearly
(9:15 9:30)
Writing is like other forms of communication. You want people who receive your letters, reports,
memos, or proposals to understand what you are saying.
Ask everyone to look at the following paragraph, included in the workbook and the slides.

The Pweor of the hmuan mnid

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosnt mttaern what oredr the ltteers in
a word are. The only iprmoetnt thing is that the first and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The
rset can be a total mses and you can still raed it wouthit a porbelm. This is bcuseae the human
mind deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe.
Amzanig huh?

Exercise
(9:30 9:45)
4th Session: The Second C Writing Concisely
(9:45 10:00)
Exercise 1
(10:00 10:15)
Break
(10:15 10:30)
Exercise 2
(10:30 10:45)
Exercise 3
(10:45 11:00)
5th Session: The Third C Writing Completely
(11:00 11:15)
Exercise
(11:15 11:30)
6th Session: The Fourth C Writing Correctly

(11:30 11:45)
Morning Wrap-Up
(11:45 12:00)
Lunch Break
(12:00 1:00)
Energizer: Relay the Message
(1:00 1:15)
7th Session: The Fifth C Writing Courteously
(1:15 1:30)
8th Session: Word Agreement
(1:30 1:45)
Exercise
(1:45 2:00)
9th Session: Active and Passive Voice
(2:00 2:15)
Exercise
(2:15 2:30)
10th Session: Sentence and Sentence Types
(2:30 2:45)
Exercise
(2:45 3:00)
Break

(3:00 3:15)
11th Session: Readability Index
(3:15 3:45)
12th Session: Practical Language
(3:45 4:00)
13th Session: Inclusive Language
(4:00 4:15)
Day One Wrap Up
(4:15 4:30)