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Becoming a More Effective Writer: Clarity and Organization (May 2022)

$429.00

Out of stock

Becoming a More Effective Writer: Clarity and Organization (May 2022)

Build the habits you need to organize your information better and write more clearly in this four-week online seminar.

May 3, 2022– May 27, 2022

Overview

  • Clean up your writing habits with the former New York Times copy chief, Merrill Perlman
  • Connect with your classmates through a weekly group text chat, live video sessions and assignment feedback
  • Receive one-on-one coaching from Perlman

$429.00

Out of stock

SKU: NUOGS04-22 Tag:

Learning Outcomes

Over four weeks, you will learn the basics of good organization, a variety of organization strategies, tips for writing more clearly and tools for staying on track. Specifically, you will learn how to:

  • Recognize the difference between well-organized and poorly-organized writing
  • Use the ‘martini glass’ technique as an organizing tool
  • Use time as an organizing tool
  • “Box” information to make sense of complex or simple stories
  • Identify hurdles to good organization
  • Keep sentences simple
  • Identify flabby writing, passages that don’t support story focus, and unneeded background
  • Drive readers forward, not backward
  • Reduce distraction in your writing
  • Check your own work

$429.00

Out of stock

Overview

  • Clean up your writing habits with the former New York Times copy chief, Merrill Perlman
  • Connect with your classmates through a weekly group text chat, live video sessions and assignment feedback
  • Receive one-on-one coaching from Perlman

Training five or more people?
Check out our custom training.

This course is for anyone who wants to tell powerful, clearly organized stories — on deadline. Whether you write breaking news alerts, meeting summaries, scientific papers or business plans, you’ll come away from this four-week, intensive online course with the tools you need to deliver what your audience wants.

By analyzing your own writing, you will learn how to turn facts and data into compelling stories, write with clarity and power, zero in on potential problems that can lead to fuzzy writing and identify the pitfalls that keep you from writing concisely.

Questions?

If you need assistance, email us at info@poynter.org.

This online group seminar takes place May 3-27, 2022.

Live text chats: Tuesdays from 11 a.m.-noon Eastern time on May 3, May 10, May 17 and May 24

Live video sessions: Fridays from 2-3 p.m. Eastern time on May 6, May 13, May 20, May 27

Here’s what you can expect over the four weeks of the course:

  • Week 1: Basics of Good Organization
  • Week 2: Your Organization Strategies
  • Week 3: How to Write More Clearly
  • Week 4: Keeping Audiences Moving Forward

Much like a traditional class, this seminar has readings, assignments, due dates and discussions. No formal evaluations or grades are given, but participants are provided detailed and individual feedback.

Who should enroll

Writers who struggle with organizing their stories, especially on deadline, whether in print, online or for a broadcast audience. This course is for anyone who wants to tell powerful, clearly organized stories.

Time estimate

The content of this course unfolds over several weeks. There are few scheduled live meeting times. Except for several live discussions, you’ll be able to learn on a schedule that works for you. The minimum time commitment each week is three to four hours.

Cost

Tuition for this four-week seminar is $429. It includes weekly live video sessions, text chats, one-on-one coaching and assignment feedback.

Instructors

  • Merrill Perlman
    Independent writing and editing consultant
    Merrill Perlman spent 25 years at The New York Times in jobs ranging from copy editor to director of copy desks, in charge of all...
    Read More

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