Technical and environmental training
Create clear, readable technical documents
Really clear technical writing is hard to do, and the writer or firm that creates it stands out. We teach a repeatable formula and objective principles writers can apply to write strong documents more efficiently.
Learn new techniques that apply to everything you write
Our training can radically improve everything you write as a subject matter expert—technical reports, proposals, environmental assessments, inspection reports, policies and procedures, compliance manuals, and so on.
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We teach internationally established best practices for clarity, as well as a new staged process to help participants reduce writing and review time.
We suggest taking the core course before our document- or skill-specific training because it covers foundational content.
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These courses teach writers how to:
work skillfully with key documents they produce regularly, like technical reports and procedures
avoid the pitfalls for that document type
write clearly and quickly under pressure
use templates effectively
gain from others’ experience with these types of documents
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These courses focus on and strengthen certain skills your team may need, depending on what they write. These include:
editing and proofreading
delivering negative messages
writing complex documents with multiple drafters
Ask us if you need a course you don’t see here.
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If you prefer to work at your own pace, check out our online school. We offer:
a roughly 12-hour course called Briefing Note Fundamentals
coffee-break courses that are densely packed mini modules you can take in 40 to 60 minutes
Our current coffee-break courses are:
Why workplace writing is difficult and often unclear (it’s not you)
How to structure documents for readability
The best style for modern workplace writing
More coming soon!
Choose training that fits your needs
We offer on-site training, live webinars, and online self-paced courses. Each workshop is customized to your organization and group.
Our workshops
Some of our clients
Alberta Electric Systems Operator
Alberta Energy Regulator
Alberta Environment and Protected Areas
Alliance Pipeline
Anthratech Western Inc
APEGA
Associated Engineering
Canada Energy Regulator
Clow Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Fortis Alberta
Government of Northwest Territories—Departments of Lands, Environment and Climate Change, Infrastructure
ISL Engineering and Land Services
Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board
Municipal governments across Canada
Nunavut Impact Review Board
TransAlta
Verra
Core courses
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Effective Technical Writing
Learn the core skills you need to deliver technical content in a way that captures both precision and readability.
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Effective Technical Writing Level 2
Deepen principles from Effective Technical Writing. Participants apply what they learned to more complex examples.
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Effective Writing and Reviewing for Managers and Leaders
A condensed version of Effective Technical Writing with a focus on leaders’ needs and how to give clear, useful feedback to writers.
Courses for specific documents
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Effective Technical Report Writing
Deliver technical findings and recommendations in a way that’s easy to understand and act on
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Effective Environmental Assessments
Communicate complex technical results in a concise, accessible format
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Effective Policy and Procedure Writing
Reduce risk and confusion, maximize readability and usability
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Effective Proposal Writing
Write proposals that communicate your skills and experience and win bids
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Effective Email Writing
Write emails that are task-focused, easy to read, and get the results you want
Courses in specific skills
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Effective Editing and Proofreading
Understand the fundamentals of efficient reviewing (and reduce process time significantly)
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Write to Persuade
Learn to write in a powerful, compelling, and clear style and build a reputation for clarity
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Deliver Negative Messages Skillfully
Write professional and respectful messages when readers may not want to hear what you have to say
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Build Strong Rationale
Focus on creating strong, evidence-based analysis in any type of document
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Write Effectively as a Team
Make decisions early to create consistent, clear, well-ordered content when writing collaboratively
What we teach your people to do
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"Best writing course I have ever taken."
Benoît Clément, Director of Financial Innovation at Verra
(5 star Google review) -
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"This was the most immediately applicable training I have ever taken. Our whole team got excited. We went back and applied what we learned to our Proposal Guide and cut the page count by 50%."
Lorraine Brekke, Manager of the Cumulative Impact Monitoring Program GNWT
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“Wordsmith went the extra mile to really help everyone at my company improve their writing. I think anyone would benefit from their services and I would highly recommend them."
Carlos Rodriguez, Associated Engineering
(5 star Google review) -
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"Fantastic. I plan to revise my process of creating reports and proposals. This will help my writing be more efficient and clear. Should save time and generate a better final product."
Participant from ISL Engineering
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"I highly recommend Wordsmith. I learned a systematic approach to writing more quickly, clearly and with more persuasion. It was one of the best courses that I've taken since becoming a professional.
Samantha H
(5 star Google review)
