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Plain Language Writing for Public and Client Audiences

Policies, notices and client letters often fail because they were written for the department that produced them. Rewriting that work in language a reader can act on is a learnable skill. Delegates practise on real documents, including notices that must be understood by people reading in a second or third language.

What you will be able to do

  • Identify the words, sentence patterns and structures that make official writing hard to follow.
  • Rewrite a policy or notice so the required action is obvious in the first paragraph.
  • Replace legal and technical phrasing with everyday wording while keeping meaning intact.
  • Design documents with headings, spacing and lists that guide a scanning reader.
  • Adapt written material for readers using English as a second or third language.
  • Test a draft with real readers and act on what the test shows.

Course outline

  1. 01Why official documents lose their readers
  2. 02Sentence length, voice and vocabulary
  3. 03Leading with the action required
  4. 04Layout, headings and visual structure
  5. 05Writing for multilingual readerships
  6. 06Forms, notices and application material
  7. 07Reader testing and revision

Who should attend

Communications officers, policy writers, customer service managers, municipal and departmental administrators, and marketing staff responsible for public notices, client letters or service information.

Dates, venues and fees

DatesVenueDaysFeeCalendar
17 to 18 Aug 2026Lusaka2US$1,100
24 to 25 Aug 2026Kigali2US$1,100
31 Aug to 1 Sep 2026Nairobi2US$1,100
7 to 8 Sep 2026Durban2R10,000
14 to 15 Sep 2026Johannesburg2R10,000
28 to 29 Sep 2026Mauritius2US$1,100
5 to 6 Oct 2026Dubai2US$1,100
12 to 13 Oct 2026Lagos2US$1,100
19 to 20 Oct 2026Harare2US$1,100
26 to 27 Oct 2026Kampala2US$1,100
2 to 3 Nov 2026Dar es Salaam2US$1,100
9 to 10 Nov 2026Pretoria2R10,000
16 to 17 Nov 2026Cape Town2R10,000
30 Nov to 1 Dec 2026Online2US$900
7 to 8 Dec 2026Mozambique2US$1,100
14 to 15 Dec 2026Cairo2US$1,100
21 to 22 Dec 2026Accra2US$1,100

Fees are per delegate. South African venues are priced in rand; other locations and online in US dollars. Fees exclude 15% VAT where applicable. Group bookings of three or more delegates from the same organisation qualify for a reduced rate; contact us for a quotation.

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