To improve your skills as a writer you need effective writing training.
But with so many companies offering writing courses, how do you know which to choose?
To help you make the right choice we’ve created this simple checklist. Here are seven vital questions you should ask before you invest in your next writing course.
If your training provider can answer 'yes' to all seven, you can be confident you've found a provider of effective writing training.
Question 1
Will the trainer speak to all delegates before the course to find out what they want from the training?
Many people enrol on a course only to discover that the first time the trainer speaks to them is on training day. That never happens at Strawberry Training.
We take the trouble to learn about you in advance and so avoid wasting your valuable time. On the day of the course we get straight down to business, focusing only on those topics we know will be relevant to you.
We do this with all our training. One example of this can be seen in our How To Write A Newsletter course.
Question 2
Is the training tailored to your industry or sector?
Most writing courses are offered as off-the-shelf options. Whatever sector you work in you get more or less the same content every time.
We think a course that tries to cater for everyone, ends up helping almost no one. At Strawberry Training we make it our business to adapt our courses to your business.
Before you pick your next course, check to see if the provider is offering a general purpose or bespoke course.
To see how Strawberry Training rises to this challenge take a look at our Business Writing course.
Question 3
Is the trainer an experienced professional writer, able to draw on a wealth of real-life writing experiences?
Effective writing training is only possible with high calibre trainers. At Strawberry Training we demand a lot from our trainers, not least those who specialise in writing.
Each person must have at least 20 years’ experience as a professional writer and have been a trainer for at least five years. This ensures they have the breadth of writing and training experience to be of real value to the people who attend our courses.
The expertise of our trainers is a key part of all our packages, not least our Writing Feature Articles course.
Question 4
Does the trainer offer a constructive critique of your written work, either during the course or afterwards by phone?
We believe there is no better way to understand the principles of good writing than to be shown how they apply to something you have written.
That’s why our writing trainers will always ask you to send them examples of your work.
They will then offer a constructive review, highlighting strengths and pointing out aspects which they feel could benefit from further development.
For an example of a course that uses this approach check out our How To Write A Case Study course.
Question 5
Is the course full of helpful tools and techniques which you can apply to your everyday work?
Many writing courses seem weighed down with theory and jargon. Hardly a recipe for effective writing training.
We take a different approach. Our aim is to pack as many practical hints and tips as we can into the day. In each course we give you a complete set of tools you can take away and start using immediately.
Our Writing For An Intranet course is just one of many training packages we offer that adopts this approach.
Question 6
Does the training provider offer the course in a variety of forms to suit different needs?
Many training companies seem inflexible when it comes to courses on writing. They only offer three or four fixed dates a year and the training is often available in only one form.
At Strawberry Training we think you deserve a wider choice. That’s why most of our training packages - including most of our writing courses - are available throughout the year in a number of forms. These include:
One of the many courses that offers such flexibility is Develop Your Skills As A Brochure Copywriter.
Question 7
And finally, most important of all. Do people who have attended the courses react positively to them?
Like all good training providers, we ask delegates to give us their honest opinion of our courses, at the end of each session.
In the early days, we admit, we made some mistakes - mostly because our courses weren't tailored enough. And this was reflected in the comments we received.
But once we had sorted out the bugs the responses changed dramatically and the positive comments came pouring in.
Today, delegates typically say what a stimulating experience they have had, how practical and relevant our courses have been and how their eyes have been opened to powerful new ways of writing.
But perhaps the greatest sign that people value our courses is the number of times we are asked back. A significant proportion of the writing courses we now deliver are to companies and organisations we have trained before.
Many return again and again because they know our tailored approach ensures a successful outcome. They know we will deliver effective writing training that is tightly focused around the needs of those attending.
One example of a training package that has been highly rated by clients is our Tailored Web Writing course.
Other writing courses
So there you have the seven vital questions you need to ask when looking for effective writing training.
If you'd like to know what else we offer in the way of writing skills training, please take a look at our complete list of writing courses.
Where we train
If you are based in the UK or indeed any other part of the EU, we can bring our training courses direct to where you work.
Our trainers have worked in every region of the United Kingdom and in most other major European Union countries.
However, you may prefer to escape from the office for a day and come to us instead. Our Surrey training centre is located just 30 minutes by train from central London.
Contact details
If you have further questions or wish to make a booking for you or your colleagues, please call: 020 8669 8730.
Or email: david.gabriel@strawberrytraining.co.uk