Our workshops are designed to help you turn complex information into accessible, understandable communication.
All our workshops are delivered online as half or full-day sessions. For larger groups, they can be run as private sessions online or in person. All workshops come with a certificate of completion and comprehensive take-home notes.
Writing and editing complex content
Turn complex information into clear communication. Perfect for writing about science, health, medicine, environment, data and policy.
Introduction to making accessible documents
Create and style text, images and tables in Word so that your information is available to as many audiences as possible.
Introduction to technical editing
Meet the extra demands of preparing technical and scientific material, including presenting tables, figures, equations, references and more.
Introduction to data visualisation
Present data visually with influence and integrity – learn how to choose the right graph, table or map for your data story, and to design it well.
Creating effective infographics
Create infographics that help audiences grasp key messages and bring complex concepts to life.
Data literacy – understanding data
Select, understand and present data in reports, presentations, recommendations and evidence-based policy.
Writing and editing complex content
Duration: 1 day face to face or 2 half-days online
Learn how to turn complex information into clear communication. This workshop can help if you’re writing about science, health, medicine, the environment, data or policy.
Workshop topics
- Common problems
Examples of typical complex writing from a variety of sources
- Where to start
Questions to ask when first working on a document
- Writing clearly and succinctly
Avoiding pitfalls such as long sentences, overuse of jargon and passive voice
- Improving documents through editing
The stages of editing, from substantive editing through to proofreading
- 'Bare bones approach'
How to use a simple checklist to determine what level of editing a document requires. The checklist is useful in assessing your own work and in giving feedback to others
Introduction to making accessible documents
Duration: half a day
Learn how to create and style text, images and tables to make them accessible for everyone.
Workshop topics
- Why accessibility matters
What accessibility means and how it benefits everyone
- Choosing accessible language
How to write to suit your audiences
- Styling for consistency and usability
Using templates and styles to make your work accessible
- Making accessible tables
Creating and styling tables so they can be read by a screen reader
- Visuals
Using alt text to make visuals accessible
Introduction to technical editing
Duration: half a day
Learn about the extra demands inherent in preparing technical and scientific material. Most writing advice focuses on words but often we’re presenting diagrams, tables, plots of data, references and mathematics (including statistics). In these cases, the text must describe a nuanced chain of reasoning or a series of comparisons clearly and accurately. This workshop looks at these aspects of writing and editing, which have become even more important now that many first drafts are written with the help of AI.
Workshop topics
- Surveying the field
The need for technical editing skills; what we’re trying to achieve and how
- Editing tables
Shaping tables to best effect; presenting the data correctly; getting the details right
- Reviewing visuals
Identifying good and poor figures; reviewing figures and diagrams
- Presenting mathematics and statistics
Knowing the conventions and how to implement them; reviewing material
- Comparing, concluding and confusing
Using precise language; identifying ambiguity; writing clearly and directly
- Finding the best advice
Finding reliable subject-specific advice
Introduction to data visualisation
Duration: 1 full day face to face or 2 half-days online
Learn how to present data visually with influence and integrity. Match your type of data to the correct graph, table or map, and design these visuals to give your ‘data story’ maximum effect.
Workshop topics
- Defining audience and message
Be clear about who you’re talking to and what you want to say
- Understanding the data
Present data in a way that suits its type and avoids misrepresenting it
- Choosing the visual
Match the visual to the message
- Avoiding common errors
Practical advice
-
Designing the visuals, including colour, accessibility and font choices
Creating effective infographics
Duration: 1 full day face to face or 2 half-days online
Learn how to create infographics that help audiences understand key messages or processes and bring complex concepts to life.
Workshop topics
- Types of infographics
Understanding the different types (data, process and message) and their uses
- When to use an infographic
Making sure the effort has the highest impact
- Effective infographics
How to avoid infographic pitfalls
- Identifying the story
Creating a clear story and messaging
- Visual structure and design
Using compelling images to support and explain the story
- Putting it all together and production
Working with a designer to create and produce the final design
Data literacy – understanding data
Duration: 1 full day face to face or 2 half-days online
Learn how to select, understand and present data in reports, presentations, recommendations and evidence-based policy.
Workshop topics
- Defining data
- What data are and what types of data we might encounter
- Where we can find data and how it might be licensed
- Key statistics
- Measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) and when to use them
- Percentages, rates, ratios, probabilities
- Significance, error, correlation and causation
- Describing your data
- Language of evidence, risk and causation
- Biased language
Can’t find what you need?
Contact us to discuss a custom workshop to meet the specific needs of your team. We’ll work with you to curate the right workshop for your team or develop a new one from scratch.