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Custom Training

Technical Writing for Government and Business
Intensive 2-day program

Does your staff craft technical documents? Or, are they tasked with making technical information understandable to a non-technical audience?

This program offers a variety of techniques that will improve writing at all levels. Your staff will learn how to:

  • Reduce large amounts of information and condense quickly

  • Introduce new concepts to non-experts

  • Compose reader-friendly sentences

  • Layer information in a report

  • Use storytelling and narrative in technical documents

  • Write about statistics

  • Use plain English

Materials include a writing manual.

A specialized version of this custom training program is also available for agency staff who write congressional correspondence: Writing Congressional Correspondence. Also see our Writing To Persuade program.
 

More Information
Sample
Agenda
Audience
Level
Course
Materials
Fee Related
Training
Related Resources

 

  Custom Training Information

Sample Agenda
Sample 2-day program

Lunch and breaks scheduled as appropriate
 
Day One

Welcome

Discussion: Critical Thinking and the Writing Process
- The Rhetorical Triangle
- Keys to Effective Communication

Discussion: How Persuasion Works
- Persuasion as Identification
- Substance and Style
- Networks - Purposes, Activities, Documents
- The Writing Process in Your Office

Research for Persuasive Writing
- Researching the Audience
- Developing Persuasive Strategies

Writing Clear Prose
- Sentences and Paragraphs
- Sentence Style
- Active and Passive Voice
- Choose the Best Word and Eliminate the Redundancies
- Exercise

Condensing Information and Editing for Conciseness
- Strategies for Reducing Large Amounts of Information
- Prioritizing the Most Salient Points
- Identifying and Articulating Results

Writing Reports
- Organizing Elements
- "Layering" Information in a Report
- Exercise

Clarity with Topic Sentences
- Transitions
- Exercise

Techniques for Explaining Technical Concepts to Non-Technical Audiences
- Introducing New Concepts to Non-Expert Audiences
- Writing About Statistics
- Exercise

Storytelling
- How to engage your audience
- Communicating results and their relevance
- Exercise

Day Two

Writing Summaries and Short Documents
- Getting to the essentials
- Visual design
- Exercise

White Papers
- How white papers are read and used
- Internal and external audiences for white papers
- Developing main points and structuring the position
- Techniques for sharpening or softening your message
- Exercise

Writing for the Web
- Blogs
- Twitter
- Visual Design
- Exercise
 

Other Modules Available
Course Sponsors can also select from the following modules. Each module can range from 30 to 90 minutes, depending upon the amount of faculty discussion and hands-on exercises.

Writing Clear Prose
- Techniques for producing clear, understandable prose in plain language

Condensing Information
- Strategies for reducing large amounts of information

Editing for Conciseness
- Editing your work to get rid of deadwood that dulls the message

Softening and Sharpening Prose
- How to turn the volume up or down on your prose, making its meaning softer or making it "pop"

Writing about Statistics
- Report numerical data so readers can easily process the numbers and get the point

Using Visual Design to Reinforce Content
- Simple, easy-to-implement guidelines for creating a format that helps readers process your message

Writing for the Ear
- Tips for writing that will be heard, not read

Understanding Persuasion in Writing
- How persuasion works with content, style, and design; and strategies for maximizing credibility and building relationships with readers

Types of writing
- Short reports and memos
- Reports
- One pagers
- White papers
- News digests
- Oral testimony
- Action alerts
- Social media, blogs, Twitter
  


All custom training is tailored for each organization and audience. Topics from this program can be combined with topics from our other programs and with topics from your existing training programs.
 

Audience Level This program is designed for those who craft technical documents and those who make technical documents understandable to a non-expert or lay audience.
 
Audience Size This program is most effective for up to 10 attendees.
 
Previous Clients Variations of this program have been presented for federal agencies.

Our selected client list includes clients who have purchased custom training, sent staff to our public programs, and who have purchased our publications.
 

Course Materials Materials include writing manual.
 
Length and Location

Requires 1 to 3 days.  

This program is usually held in Washington, DC. It can be presented anywhere in the United States and in many foreign countries online. 
 

Fee The fee for this program depends on the location, number of attendees, length, and training materials.  Call us for details, or complete our custom program information request for more information.  

Request More Information About this Custom Training Program

What is included in the fee? TheCapitol.Net tailors each program to meet your training and educational objectives. Before we issue a cost proposal, we will work with you to tailor a program to meet your training objectives. 

The program fee includes pre-program development and design, materials for your internal marketing and promotion, all course materials, and faculty chosen for your topic and your audience at the time and location you choose.

Our custom program clients provide the classroom/meeting space, all audio visual equipment, any food and beverages, all registration functions, and travel arrangements for attendees. When the program is held outside the Washington, DC metro area, travel arrangements for faculty can be made by the client or by us. 

We can also provide meeting space, online venue, audio visual equipment, food and beverage, registration, and travel arrangements, though this affects program cost.
 

FAQs See FAQs About Our Custom Training.
 
Payment Payment methods we accept for custom training include checks and EFT/ACH.
 
Related Custom Training
  • Advanced Media Relations

  • Drafting Effective Federal Legislation and Amendments

  • Effective Executive Briefings

  • Preparing and Delivering Congressional Testimony

  • Preparing for Congressional Oversight and Investigation

  • Speechwriting: Preparing Speeches and Oral Presentations

  • Writing Congressional Correspondence

  • Writing To Persuade
     

About Us TheCapitol.Net, Inc., is a non-partisan small business, and a Virginia corporation. We are registered with CCR / SAM. See our Capability Statement and our About Us page for more details.

FEIN: 54-1917701     DUNS: 04-273-5071      CAGE: 1K5S4
 

Related Resources
  • Capitol Learning Audio Courses: Advocacy and Communication TM

  • Common Sense Rules of Advocacy

  • Legislative Drafter's Deskbook

  • Testifying Before Congress

  • The Business Writer's Handbook

Need more information?
  • Phone: 202-678-1600

  • Email: custom -at- TheCapitol.Net

  • Complete our online custom program information request.

    Request More Information About this Custom Training Program

Non-Partisan TheCapitol.Net is a non-partisan firm, and the opinions of its faculty, authors, clients and the owners and operators of its vendors are their own and do not represent those of TheCapitol.Net. 
 

 

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URLs: www.TheCapitol.Net/CustomPrograms/technicalwritingagenda.html

 

Custom Training from TheCapitol.NetRequest More Information About this Custom Training Program

TheCapitol.Net is on the GSA Schedule, 874-4, for custom on-site training, contract GS02F0192X
TheCapitol.Net, Inc.
Contract GS02F0192X

Custom Training, On-Site and Online

All custom training from TheCapitol.Net is tailored for each organization and audience. Topics from this program can be combined with topics from our other programs and with topics from your existing training programs.



Rave Reviews
from our
Writing Courses

"I called my boss during break to tell him this was a great course for clerical staff as well as professional staff in our office."
-- Legislative Specialist, DOL
 

"Great refresher ... with concise tips for improvement."
-- Unit Chief, FBI
 

"I am glad that I took this class. This will be a benefit to me for years to come."
-- Legislative Analyst, Williams & Jensen
 

"Great tips for correcting passive writing."
-- Budget Analyst, Dept. of Treasury
 

"Covered all materials and explained all the topics clearly."
-- Supervisory Paralegal Specialist, FBI
 

See more testimonials about this program.

 

See what some of the attendees at our custom programs say about our custom training.

 

Faculty

An experienced writing instructor teaches this course.

 

Internal Marketing

To help you publicize and market a custom program to your organization's audience, we can provide printed materials and language for your own internal promotion and publicity.

 

Our Clients

Congressional Offices

Federal Agencies

Military

NGOs and Nonprofits

Diplomatic Corps

Fortune 500

Law Firms

Lobbying Firms

Labor Unions

Associations

 

 

 

 
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