PROGRAM DETAILS

Introduction

Every successful business operates in accordance with a set of well-established policies, procedures and working practices. It is the responsibility of everyone in the organisation to understand and accurately interpret these business imperatives, yet it is the responsibility of the business to ensure they are well written, clear unambiguous and easy to access by all employees at all levels.

This 5-day program focuses on developing the skills required to ensure the various policies & procedures which need to be effectively communicated are well-communicated. This program also provides participants with the skills and confidence to bring such policies & procedures to life through effectively mastering excellence in the written word.

Participants will be encouraged to work on various case studies, including the process of developing specific policies and procedures which are relevant to their particular organisation. However, a variety of common templates will be shared, to enable delegates to practice writing the most commonly applied policies & procedures, business documentation, manuals and instructions.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this 5-Day workshop, delegates will be able to:

• Demonstrate highly effective business writing skills, which will have universal application in several formal business communications settings.
• Accurately proof-read formal documentation and identify the most commonly made errors
• Identify and clarify issues and anomalies with current policy and procedural publications
• Illustrate the impact of non-compliance and build fully compliant procedures
• Demonstrate the ability to produce excellent documentation and reduce risk for negative organizational risk and exposure, due to human error in document creation.

Target Audience

This workshop will be of particular benefit to those who have responsibility for writing business policies and procedures. This may include, but is not limited to the following:

• Newly promoted secretaries or P. A’s who are supporting a member of the leadership team
• Supervisors and managers seeking to develop their professional writing skills and competencies
• Senior Administrators interested in further skills development.

Training Methodology

This pragmatic, results-oriented program appeals to a broad range of learning styles. It incorporates short inspiring facilitated discussions with structured lessons from the learning manual; captivating PowerPoint slides with stories to enhance learning.

Relevant case studies will be shared and participants will have the opportunity to work through various examples of how other organizations approach the challenge of writing specific policies and procedures. Ample time will be made available for structured group discussions, with a Q & A session. All of this adding up to create an enjoyable and purposeful learning environment.

Program Content

Day 1: The Essential Components of Well Written Company Policies & Procedures

• Science or art? – Defining excellence in policy and procedure creation
• Indications that an unofficial or unrecorded policies & procedures are not appropriate
• The importance of consistency and discipline in document creation.
• Applying tried and tested techniques for continued success
• The case for developing written policies and procedures

Day 2: Respecting the Detail

• The importance of detailed critical research
• Minimising writer’s block
• Tips, techniques and tools to help simplify a multistage process
• Writing effectively and with purpose under pressure
• Developing an assertive approach
• Creative tools to problem solve and innovate

Day 3: Developing your Personal Style of Writing

• Comprehending “clarity” adopting it as a new habit
• 20 Top Tips for writing policies and procedures that are concise and precise
• With brevity comes clarity
• Avoiding the style of influence through fears and rules
• Dismissing the words and phrases that add little or no value

Day 4: Demonstrating an Inclusive and Compliant Writing Style

• The legal requirements for including disclaimers and attributing intellectual ownership
• The avoidance of colloquialisms and unnecessary text
• Developing competent job descriptions and person specifications
• 10 more tips for staying on the right side of legal compliance
• Proactively avoiding discriminatory language
• Managing our ‘Unconscious Biases’ in writing

Day 5: Striving for Perfection – Legibility and Clarity is King

• 10 Visual Presentation blunders to avoid
• Differentiating between visual simplicity and visual confusion
• Demonstrating consistency at all times
• Checklist: Can users locate all of information they need easily and swiftly
• Checklist: Is your document designed for readability?
• Formatting documentation – left aligned, centralised, right aligned or justified?