Workshop

From Good to Great: a Reader-Centric Approach to Clear Technical Writing

Learning to write well-written technical documents is key for clarity with both internal and external stakeholders in the workplace. This is an online, instructor-led course. The course offers you an opportunity to learn about and practice reader-centric concepts and apply them to your own writing.

Overview

Course Info

Overview

Session Dates:

The workshop will consist of four, 90-minute sessions taking place from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM MT on each of the following dates:

June 3, 2025
June 5, 2025
June 10, 2025
June 12, 2025

This is an instructor-led online course. Using great tools, reference materials, examples, and strategies for success throughout four 90-minute sessions, this workshop will cover the following:

Reader-centric communication.
Technical document purpose comparison.
Strategies to overcome obstacles when writing.
Revision and editing tips and tricks.
Referencing – why, how, and when to reference.
Generative AI – the risks and opportunities when we use it to help us write.

What’s Included:

Four live interactive virtual sessions with group discussions, take-home materials and resources, and more.
Opportunity to network and connect with professionals within the industry.

This course is ideal for:

Entry-level and new graduate environmental professionals wanting to learn how to turn their academic writing into professional report writing.
Mid-level environmental professionals who want to brush up on their technical writing skills (such as those transitioning from field to office).

Course Info

Facilitator: Beth Burrows
Founder of Writing Well, Trainer, Advisor and Professional Engineer

Beth believes writing well is worth it! She believes that what we write as technical people is just as important as the technical work that we do. As an engineer turned technical communicator, Beth helps scientists and engineers simplify complex information and deliver documents readers can understand. She loves to teach technical people how to write effective documents and encourages them to think differently about their writing. Before starting her business, Writing Well Technical Communications, Beth worked in both the private and the public sectors. She was the subject matter expert for ECO Canada’s Technical Writing Essentials online course. Beth has over 30 years of experience in environmental engineering and business and works with many consulting sectors, including civil, water resources, environmental, transportation, structural, and electrical engineering, as well as the forestry, ecological, geomorphic, environmental, and sustainability sectors. Beth has been a Professional Engineer in Ontario since 1993. She earned a Master of Business Administration from Wilfred Laurier University in 1997 and a Certificate in Technical Communication from Simon Fraser University in 2016.

Session 1: Make It Relevant - June 3, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM MT

Define reader-centric communication and why it is important.
Identify your audience and determine what the reader needs.
Compare different types of technical documents and their purpose.
Identify steps to draft a document’s structure.
Review writing tips for getting started.

Session 2: Make It Clear - June 5, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM MT

Practice effective brainstorming.
Discuss obstacles and strategies to overcome them when document writing.
Establish methods to write your story, think beyond the information and present it in a way your reader can understand.

Session 3: Revise, Revise, Revise - June 10, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM MT

Identify and prioritize strategies for revision.
Practice editing for conciseness, clarity, and plain language.
Practice proofreading for quality and overall cohesiveness of the message.
Compare methods to format for visual cues.

Session 4: Give Credit Where Credit Is Due - June 12, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM MT

Review why, how, and when to reference.
Compare formats for referencing technical documents.
Practice identifying opinions and interpretations.
Notice absolutes, certainty and, ultimately uncertainty.

Get Started

Regular Price:

$395

EP Member Price:

25% off

Course Length:

6 hours (four 90-minute sessions)

Career Stage:

All Career Stages, Entry Level, Medium Level

Not yet an EP Member?

Click here to learn more!