& 
Writing in Plain English eLearning
Online plain English training, writing documents people can read once and act on, instead of twice and still ring you about.
Who it is for
Who this writing in plain english course is for
Unclear writing costs time twice: once when it is written and again when the reader has to ask what it meant. This course is for anyone producing documents, procedures, letters or emails that other people have to act on.
- Anyone writing procedures, policies or instructions
- Customer-facing staff writing letters and emails
- Managers writing reports and briefings
- Health and safety staff writing method statements
- Bid and tender writers
- Anyone whose writing gets misunderstood
Course content
What the writing in plain english course covers
Eight short modules on structure, sentence length, vocabulary and layout: the four things that decide whether a document works.
Why plain English matters
The cost of unclear writing, and who actually reads your documents.
Knowing your reader
Writing for the person who has to act, not the person who wrote it.
Structure
Putting the point first, and organising so a reader can skim and still get it.
Sentences
Length, one idea per sentence, and active rather than passive voice.
Words
Everyday words instead of jargon, and explaining terms you genuinely need.
Layout
Headings, lists, white space and why a wall of text does not get read.
Forms and instructions
Writing steps someone can follow under pressure.
Editing
Cutting what does not earn its place, and testing whether it works
Outcomes
What you will be able to do afterwards
- Write for the reader who has to act on the document
- Put the main point where it will be found
- Use shorter sentences and active voice
- Replace jargon with everyday words
- Lay out a document so it can be skimmed
- Write instructions someone can follow first time
- Edit your own writing down to what matters
Practicalities
How the course works
For employers
Writing in Plain English training for a team
Plain English pays off most where documents are shared, procedures, method statements and customer letters that several people write and everyone has to follow.
- One invoice instead of a card payment per person
- Licences allocated as people join, so induction is covered
- Completion and expiry reporting for your records
- Renewal reminders before certificates lapse
- Bespoke versions built around your own procedures
Spoken and interpersonal communication is covered by that course. See Effective Communication →
Writing in Plain English eLearning: common questions
No, and the course is direct about that. It is about being understood first time. Precision and plain English are not opposites, most jargon is imprecise as well as unclear.
Yes. Method statements and procedures are exactly the documents where unclear writing has consequences, because they are read under pressure by people who are not the author.
Yes. Evaluators score what they can find and understand. Structure and layout are covered as much as vocabulary.
Very. The structure and sentence modules apply directly, and most email problems are structure problems rather than tone problems.
Yes, as a module. Forms and instructions have their own rules because they are followed step by step rather than read through.
About 30 minutes, with no time limit: start it, pause it, and come back whenever suits. The certificate is issued the moment you finish.
Yes. It runs in a browser on any modern phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to install.
Yes. Open a business account and we invoice you for the licences, which you allocate as people need them, with completion reporting included.
Related