As you read this, a miracle is happening. Your eye is detecting dots and squiggles on the screen in front of you and your brain is translating them into a voice in your head. Just glancing at your phone or clicking a link in an email is enough to fire up an...
Writing Matters
Welcome to the blog – advice, opinions and musings on how to make words work
From the blog
Latest
How to get what you want by changing how you write
A while ago (OK, quite a while ago), I announced that I was starting a research project on the science of written communication, with a view to...
Writing to engage – for learning and development leaders [webinar recording]
As a learning and development professional, you'll know only too well the wide range of documents, updates, posts and messages you have to write in...
Everything you need to know about our bespoke in-company business-writing training
You may or may not be tempted to visit a tailor the next time you want to buy a suit. But you probably know that if you did, you'd end up with...
Editing and proofreading – what’s the difference?
The first draft of a document is usually something like the proverbial first pancake: a less-than-ideal shape, a little thin in some parts and...
How to handle post-presentation questions
Presentations are known for striking fear in the hearts of many. But, for some, the terror of presenting is surpassed only by having to field...
Expert advice to your inbox
Our newsletter Writing Matters will help you to get your point across, supercharge your writing and make sure you stand out from the crowd. We've helped over 80,000 professionals achieve their goals.
Why do we keep our course group sizes small?
We cap our small-group training at ten delegates per course. Eight is even better. But these limits may seem a little stingy at first – especially...
Are our courses suitable for non-native speakers of English?
An estimated one billion people in the world now speak English as a second language. That number will only grow. Meanwhile, some big international...
Are big words clever? Finding fluency in your writing
What do you want your writing style to say about you? What impression do you hope the things you write at work leave on those who read them? We know...
We’re on the LPI’s top learning-provider list for the third year running
Training is only worthwhile if it works. It needs to do far more than simply let you tick a box. That’s why we’re proud that the Learning and...
Remote learning versus e-learning versus webinars
If your learning options are limited to the digital, you actually still have a range of possibilities to choose from. But what are they, how does...
Why you need to practise good information hygiene too [research]
I didn’t sleep well last Thursday night. The media images of the previous few days had been playing on an endless loop in my mind, so what little...
Learning in lockdown: 5 lessons from over 10 years in the virtual classroom
Our consultants reveal how they make remote courses every bit as engaging as those in the real world. 2020 is changing us. Working from home,...
Screen blindness and the $331 million typo
No matter where you are as you read this, you spend most of your time living in the same place as I do: in your screen. We all live in our screens...
Why we get more angry in email (according to science)
You know the story. An innocent chat over email or instant messaging turns fraught and ends, if not in tears, then in a tense exchange that leaves...
Why we neglect the #1 skill in business
What is the one activity that unites all desk-based jobs? Here’s a clue: you probably do this as soon as you get into the office (if not before). In...
Is Jacob Rees-Mogg right about writing?
It's not every day that a style guide becomes worldwide news. Word of the guidelines that Jacob Rees-Mogg – the newly appointed leader of the House...
The communication secrets that put a man on the moon
Fifty-seven years ago today, three men were sitting on top of a missile, hurtling up into the inky void, travelling the 240,000 miles (384,400...
Knowledge Hub
In-depth guides and actionable advice – whatever you're writing
Your go-to guide to better writing
Get your own PDF copy of The Write Stuff, the definitive guide for everyone who writes at work.

