WRITING WITHOUT FEAR OR PAIN

For leaders, staff, and associates of organizations that rely on frequent, high-quality written communications and for whom the writing process is laborious, painful, or less productive than you would like!

This half-day session covers:

• How to jump-start your writing process with a combination of organizational and creative tools that will make writing easier than you ever dreamed
• What the most important piece of information is when you begin any writing project (and how you must agree on this piece of information if you're writing in a team)
• How to avoid the most common mistakes and bring your writing alive
• "House style" — how to create one (or steal one), and why grammar, punctuation, tone and style matters

For information about scheduling and pricing, contact Muddy Dog Media here.

HOW TO CREATE A GREAT STORY IN PRINT, ON THE WEB, OR ON A VIDEO

For anyone who knows that good stories reach audiences far more effectively than "messages" do. In this half-day session, attendees learn how to:

• Interview for terrific anecdotes (techniques that help you get "the" story)
• Introduce emotion legitimately and credibly
• Structure a story in print or video to keep your readers reading and your viewers watching
• Develop characters who your readers and viewers care about
• Tips on how to write in magazine features style (i.e. what is a lede; a nut graf; good description; entry points; etc.)
• How to write your way toward a satisfying ending
• How to add a call to action when it's appropriate
• And more

For information about scheduling and pricing, contact us.

CUSTOM-DESIGNED WORKSHOPS FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION

Together, we plan communications workshops that address your most pressing needs. We can mix and match from the above two workshops, and/or add lessons from the list below, or address communications needs unique to your organization. Consider:

• How to plan team-writing projects (like reports, policy papers, Web sites, etc.) and use a process that keeps things moving swiftly, effectively, and consistently. This seminar is particularly useful for organizations that produce infrequent but important written projects that require collaboration and may have outside approval processes associated with them. Follow-up, including a process outline, an organizational chart unique to your team's writing projects, and some email support is included.
• How to write press releases that editors will read — and follow up on
• How to write a great customer case study for your Web site, collateral material or to place in a magazine
• How to create an effective communications strategy (particularly useful for organizations that don't have a full-time communications director); includes follow-up email support
• Hands-on work on new or ongoing projects

For more information about custom-designed workshops, contact us.