Members only

It will guide participants through the process of writing a high quality plain language response that will meet the needs of the organisation and the customer. A plain language response uses words well, at a level the audience will appreciate, and its tone is human and direct. Overall it’s easy to read and designed to deliver information effectively. This type of response can help to maintain a positive relationship with customers: it’s a practical way to put your values (and policies) into action.

Before the course our trainer will get to know your complaints policies and procedures as well as your organisation’s values and communication goals.

She will then read and analyse examples of current responses to complaints. This will enable her to tailor the course to your organisation’s needs and clearly explain to participants how to apply the ideas in the course to their own documents.

Course content

The course contains many practical exercises and examples to build on participants skills, including how to:

• Use the active voice and strong verbs
• Write shorter sentences that deliver more
• Get rid of waffle and jargon
• Empathise and apologise well
• Develop a letter structure that works.

Who should attend?

Everyone who wants to improve the quality of their written responses to complaints including managers, team leaders and executives.

Caroline Oubridge started out making community programmes for BBC local radio before working in press and communications for national charities for over 15 years. She’s a strong believer in straightforward communication and now specialises in training and advising organisations on how to explain who they are, what they do and why it matters. Caroline always delivers training that is informative, enjoyable and practical.