Enhancing the quality of your documents
- Analysts and employees at all levels of the organization who want to improve the clarity of their work, or need to edit their own work before submitting high-quality written materials to their busy supervisors
- Supervisors, managers, and executives who review documents written by their employees or others
Why You Should Take This Course
Government supervisors and senior managers are spending significant time “fixing” and rewriting documents prepared by their employees. This hands-on workshop will equip you with the skills you need to edit written materials and to produce text that is: clear in meaning; elegant in logic and flow; concise in length; and complete and accurate in content.
The workshop uses recent, relevant examples to discuss basic and advanced editing rules and techniques. Participants work on tasks to learn how to edit material and to practise strong writing and plain language techniques. These tasks will help them reduce the amount of editing time needed to produce clear and easy-to-read documents. Tips and checklists are included.
- integrate substantive editing techniques to produce high-quality materials that flow logically and are tailored to the identified audience
- use copy-editing techniques to increase clarity and readability
- spot common writing mistakes and stereotypical language – and fix them through effective editing techniques
- use your own workplace materials in the “virtual classroom” to increase relevance
- learn tips and techniques for working collaboratively and tactfully with others to produce high-quality materials and to offer constructive criticism and suggestions in a non-threatening manner
Jim Young
Jim Young is a professional editor with more than 35 years of experience in the federal government and the private sector, including his own freelance business. Throughout his career, he has trained staff in how to write and edit materials that are clear, logically elegant, concise, complete and accurate. Jim is passionate about helping others to edit documents so that the text is easy to read and ready for approval by senior management.
As a frontline editor, managing editor and as a communications and multi-team manager, Jim has ruthlessly wielded a red pen to produce a wide range of edited materials for internal and external use and publication. These include policies, procedures, research and other reports, correspondence, briefing notes, departmental plans and performance reports, Memoranda to Cabinet, Treasury Board submissions, M.A. theses and Ph.D dissertations. In addition, Jim is the author of a practical manual sponsored by Health Canada for use by voluntary sector professionals across Canada.