Dates:

• 10 - 14 May 2027

• 15 - 19 November 2027

Workshop Overview

Public-sector leaders and managers write to inform decisions, secure resources, demonstrate accountability and maintain public trust. Their work may range from a short email or ministerial briefing to a business case, consultation response, policy paper or major report. Whatever the format, the writing must be clear, proportionate, evidence-led and accessible to its intended audience.

This highly practical programme takes participants through the complete writing process: defining purpose and audience; gathering and testing evidence; structuring a persuasive case; drafting in plain English; using data and visuals effectively; and reviewing work for accuracy, accessibility and impact. It also develops the meeting, project-planning and presentation skills needed to produce high-quality written outputs under real-world time pressures.

Participants work on realistic public-sector scenarios throughout the week and may bring a current piece of non-sensitive work to develop. The course concludes with a short presentation and constructive peer and facilitator feedback.

Who Should Attend

Leaders, managers, policy and operational professionals, programme and project leads, and subject-matter specialists who prepare or approve written material in central, state or local government and public bodies.

Learning Outcomes

• Plan and structure written communication around a clear purpose, audience and decision.
• Produce concise, accessible and evidence-led briefings, reports, business cases, emails and meeting records.
• Turn complex policy, operational and technical information into plain English without losing accuracy or nuance.
• Distinguish fact, analysis, risk, options and recommendation, and communicate each transparently.
• Use data, tables and simple visuals to support understanding and decision-making.
• Prepare agendas, capture decisions and actions, and produce clear, proportionate minutes.
• Plan writing assignments, manage contributors and approvals, and meet deadlines.
• Edit and quality-assure work for logic, tone, accessibility, consistency and impact.
• Present a written recommendation with confidence and respond constructively to challenge.

Key Topics

Purpose, Audience and Public Value

• The role of written communication in public accountability, service delivery and sound decision-making
• Defining the outcome: inform, advise, seek approval, recommend or record
• Mapping audiences, stakeholders and different levels of prior knowledge
• Choosing the right product, channel, length and level of detail
• Applying plain-English, inclusive-language and accessibility principles
• Diagnosing a weak document and creating a focused writing brief

Structure, Clarity and Executive Writing

• Building a logical narrative from context to conclusion
• Front-loading the decision, recommendation or key message
• Writing effective titles, headings, summaries and signposting
• Constructing clear paragraphs and sentences
• Reducing jargon, repetition, ambiguity and unnecessary detail
• Adapting tone for senior leaders, elected members, partners, staff and the public

Evidence, Options, Risk and Recommendations

• Finding, selecting and checking relevant evidence
• Separating evidence, assumptions, interpretation and opinion
• Summarising quantitative and qualitative information accurately
• Presenting options, benefits, costs, dependencies and trade-offs
• Writing proportionate risk, equality, legal, financial and implementation considerations
• Developing recommendations that are specific, justified and actionable
• Using tables, charts and illustrations only where they improve understanding

Meetings, Collaboration and Delivery

• Clarifying the purpose of a meeting and designing a focused agenda
• Listening and note-taking techniques for complex discussions
• Recording decisions, actions, owners and deadlines
• Producing concise minutes and distinguishing a formal record from working notes
• Planning writing tasks: scope, milestones, dependencies, contributors and approvals
• Managing version control, feedback and late changes
• Maintaining quality when working at pace

Editing, Quality Assurance and Presenting with Confidence

• Editing in layers: purpose, structure, evidence, language and presentation
• Checking accuracy, consistency, accessibility and confidentiality
• Using peer review and feedback constructively
• Preparing a concise verbal narrative from a written document
• Presenting recommendations and responding to questions or challenge
• Creating a personal action plan for applying the learning at work

This is week one of The Analysis and Reporting Toolkit.