A synopsis of our training courses (go to the Writing Courses link at top of page for more detail)

Basic Grammar Review

While based on The Gregg Reference Manual, this course uses its own text to cover the basics of grammar, word usage, spelling, and punctuation. Everything covered in this course has a practical application for writers. This course partners well with the one-day Punctuation Skills writing course to provide an in-depth grammar and punctuation review.

• Overview on why we should study grammar.
• Understanding nouns:
• Common vs. proper nouns
• Understanding capitalization of nouns
• Forming plurals and possessives
• Understanding pronouns:
• Antecedent agreement
• Nominative and objective case
• Understanding adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions.
• Understanding verbs and subject/verb agreement.
• Identifying parts of a sentence.
• Using major punctuation marks effectively.

Business Writing in Plain Talk

This course focuses on the writing of letters, memos, notices and other short documents sent to both employees and customers. It builds upon our one-day Writing Documents in Plain Talk class. For those who want a coached writing practice, we can provide an added half-day writing lab to the one-day course.

Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to:

• Meet and greet their real customer.
• Write plainly to any customer on any subject.
• Use shorter words to get to the point.
• Write shorter sentences that stick to the point.
• Write concise paragraphs that say something to the customer.
• Write so the customer can easily scan any document.
• Choose and present the best format for business documents.
• Stay away from addictive writing danger zones.
• Use the Flesch Readability Index and writing teams to benefit you and your customer.

Clear Business Writing

In this course, you'll use your everyday English as a basis for better writing. You'll also learn to apply 17 practical writing principles that can dramatically increase clarity, conciseness, and persuasiveness in your business writing.

• Building Confidence and "Good" Business Writing:
• Resisting pressures that lead to gobbledygook.
• Spoken English versus a grammar book as a basis for confidence in writing.
• Learning how to serve your reader, not yourself.
• Defining what is "good writing."
• Using practical grammar: setting aside rules that have outlived their usefulness.
• Organizing Ideas Quickly and Effectively:
• Using the "Planning Sheet" and "Shuffle Draft" for any business memo, letter, or report.
• What to include, what to omit in any business document.
• Writing paragraphs to make key ideas easy to spot.
• Learning how to write the "memo report" in place of a point paper or white sheet.
• Building bridges between paragraphs.
• Writing Clearly and Concisely:
• Shrinking sentences to readable size.
• Weeding out meaningless words while writing enough to carry meaning.
• Using the vigorous verb to cut wordiness, add force, and replace passive writing.
• Learning key word choice criteria for any business document.
• Punctuating to prevent confusion-reviewing recent punctuation changes.
• Learning the 7 "word-focus" faults for reviewing and revising.
• Editing techniques that place words in clear order.
• Evaluating Writing Objectively:
• Measuring reading difficulty with the "Fog Index" to ensure 97% readability on anything you write.

Editing and Proofreading Skills Review (also available online)

For everyday writers looking for the next level of skill development, this course will help you acquire needed editing and proofreading techniques for every form of writing. Learn how to edit and proofread the writing of others as well as your own. Consider this a "must have" course for administrative and support staff that edit and proofread on a daily basis.

• Editing to eliminate: wordiness, false starts, padding, stacked nouns, passive voice, adverb intensifiers, prepositional stuffing, imprecise language, and other related problems.
• Editing to keep your tone acceptable.
• Editing major and minor grammatical errors.
• Editing for proper word choices and punctuation usage.
• Editing for spelling problems beyond the spell checker.
• Dealing with the process of proofreading and its accompanying nightmares.
• Editing to keep within a readability measurement for the average business reader.

Editing and Proofreading Techniques for Technical Writers

For those technical and business writers looking for the next level of skill development, this writing course will help you acquire essential editing and proofreading techniques for every form of writing. Writers often confuse editing with proofreading. They're not the same, and both technical and business writers must know the difference.

• Editing to keep your writing powerful and your message clear.
• Editing to eliminate: wordiness, false starts, padding, stacked nouns, passive voice, adverb intensifiers, prepositional stuffing, imprecise language, and other related problems.
• Editing to keep your tone acceptable.
• Editing major and minor grammatical errors.
• Editing for proper word choices and punctuation usage.
• Dealing with the process of proofreading and its accompanying nightmares.
• Editing to keep within a readability measurement for technical and non-technical readers.

Effective Writing to Colleagues and Customers

This writing course combines the principles and guidelines of writing general documents in Plain Talk (Plain Language) with the details of writing, some editing, and designing of specific business formats. Note: A more comprehensive, 3-day version of this writing course is also available that includes editing and punctuation.

• Use the seven guidelines to "plain talk" any document.
• Design clear pages of text for hardcopy and the Internet.
• Meet and greet their real customer.
• Write plainly to any customer on any subject.
• Use shorter words to get to the point.
• Write and edit active sentences.
• Write and edit shorter sentences that stick to the point.
• Write and edit concise paragraphs that speak to the customer.
• Write so the customer can easily scan any document.
• Choose and present the best format for business documents.
• Stay away from addictive writing danger zones.
• Use the Flesch Readability Index and writing teams to benefit you and your customers.
• Empower your writing by applying customer "power lists" to all writing projects.

Mastering Training Techniques (Presentation and Curriculum Development)

This course will teach trainers how to meet their participants' learning needs, develop any subject into a training session, write an effective lesson plan, and use activities and learning aids to become the trainer that people will request again and again. Anyone can use this course to discover what works in training, why it works, and how to plan for your next training assignment.

• Learning About Participants and Their Learning Styles:
• Understanding barriers to learning that imprison individual learning styles.
• Using group dynamics effectively to bring about corporate learning.
• Learning About the Trainer: Who You Are and What You Do:
• Motivating participants to learn and retain information/skills.
• Building trainer self-confidence that lasts.
• Correcting distractive trainer techniques.
• Responding to other's comments and actions while training.
• Learning How To Put a Training Package Together:
• Choosing an effective design approach and evaluation process.
• Incorporating application and behavioral objectives into training.
• Mastering steps in developing a training session from A to Z.
• Adapting "off-the-shelf" and computer-based training packages.
• Developing online curriculum.
• Learning How To Train by Doing:
• Completing one impromptu and one extemporaneous presentation.
• Completing one 8-minute, video-taped training session with lesson plan.

Punctuation Skills (also available online)

Based on the latest Gregg Reference Manual with its many recent changes, this writing course provides practical application for business and technical writing.

• Knowing How and When to Use End Marks:
• Periods
• Question marks
• Exclamation points
• Knowing How and When to Use Pause Marks:
• Commas
• Semicolons
• Colons
• Knowing How and When to Use Paired Team Marks:
• Dashes
• Single and double quotation marks
• Parentheses
• Brackets
• Knowing How and When to Use Odd Ball Marks:
• Hyphen
• Apostrophe
• Ellipsis
• Asterisk
• Diagonal

Technical Writing Techniques for Engineers, Researchers, and Scientists

This writing course will give you new techniques, shortcuts, checklists, pointers, and practical applications to ease your writing workload.

• Assessing your audience and their biases.
• Managing your preparation process.
• Writing statements that captivate.
• Reviewing grammar usage to remove: redundancies, imprecise statements, jargon, passive writing, negativity, and technical clichés.
• Avoiding vagueness, generalizations, and subjective statements.
• Using direct active writing style.
• Writing sentences and paragraphs in "Detail Clear" order.
• Writing report, contract, and proposal transmittal letters.
• Writing the "Memo Report" for management.
• Writing 13 different types of scientific articles for publication and the editorial query letter.
• Writing executive summaries, abstracts, scientific and technical papers.
• Reviewing types of specifications, general formatting, and the 8 steps of specification preparation.
• Writing and reviewing functional types of technical directives.
• Using technical visuals effectively.

The Anatomy of a Grant

In this writing course, you'll learn some practical grant writing steps and how to approach the right funders for the dollars you need. We will look at writing federal, state, and foundational grants. You will review the Executive Summary and Business Plan, as well as write part of a grant during the class. Our live instructor will review your work and give you pointers for successful submission.

• Starting with a reality check of your organization or agency before you think "proposal."
• Quick review of 12 existing proposal types:
• Grants vs. contracts.
• Learning how to market your proposal by:
• Identifying potential funders.
• Targeting proposals to funders.
• Choosing funder markets.
• Appealing to funder interest.
• Packaging and evaluating your proposal:
• Writing in a personal, active style.
• Meeting specific criteria for success.
• Reviewing essential proposal sections from cover letter to your budget sheet.
• Writing the abstract or executive summary.
• Writing the business plan.
• What about the "Mini-proposal" or "Inquiry Letter"?
• Locating funding sources:
• From foundations to federal grants.
• Starting to write your own proposal:
• Purpose or goal statement.
• Program objectives or aims.
• Qualitative and quantitative statements.
• Limitations of existing related program statements.
• Evidence of demand statements.
• Need statements.
• Related activities and evaluation methods.
• Terms you must know to succeed in the process.

The Professional Approach to Electronic Messaging (also available online)

This one-day writing workshop gives writers professional tools for electronic messaging. It will help you gain key skills in handling email, text messaging, and instant messaging or "live chat." You will learn the Plain Talk approach of electronic messaging and provide the right tone for your customers that saves you from embarrassing, costly, or legal mistakes.

• Starting on the same page: terms, netiquette, why email is hard to write correctly.
• Being mindful of your email's anatomy: the "to" line, the "Cc" line, the "Bcc" line, subject, attachments, flags, content, and signature block.
• Writing a professional email: following specific pointers.
• Managing your email bone yard: goals, long-term strategy, immediate response strategy, management tools to purchase, legal issues.
• Practicing text message etiq8: use, composition, etiquette, organizational concerns.
• Attacking the IM/"live chat" monster: popularity, concerns in the office, management strategies, business manners.
• Respecting your international customer: following policy, putting the customer first, Plain Talk.

Tricks of the Trade in Technical Writing (also available online)

This writing course will help you join the ranks of growing technical and business writers who want to write effectively and move on to the next task.

• Assessing your audience: active to secondary readers.
• Managing your preparation process: from mental shaping to tricks in outlining.
• Reviewing grammar usage in technical and business writing:
• Removing redundancies and imprecise words.
• Removing jargon, noun clusters, and trite business phrases.
• Removing passive, indirect writing styles.
• Removing technical clichés and vague word choices.
• Removing all doubt on miscellaneous technical writing issues.
• Writing statements that captivate:
• Tricks to making good sentences.
• Tricks to writing productive paragraphs.
• Choosing descending order for reports.
• Using email as an electronic tool in writing.
• Writing technical letters and reports:
• Tricks to writing transmittal letters: report, contract, and proposal.
• Tricks to writing the "Technical Memo Report" as well as, procedure, information, request, reply, and confirmation memos.
• Tricks to writing direct, indirect, and oddball technical reports.
• Writing directives: traditional vs. functional.
• Working in writing teams and the tricks to making them succeed.
• Using visuals effectively.

Writing Documents in Plain Talk (Plain Language) (also available online)

This writing course covers the general principles and seven guidelines of Plain Talk as it applies to writing instructions, announcements, publications, and other documents.

As a writer or editor for a federal, state, or municipal agency, you should write and design your document so a customer can read it once and understand it. Writing in Plain Talk gives people easy access to their agency or business and allows it to excel at what it does best.

• Plain Talk principles, an introduction.
• Writing in a common language.
• Writing in a logical sequence.
• Using words your customers use.
• Writing in active voice.
• Using personal pronouns.
• Keeping sentences and paragraphs short.
• How to layout and design clear pages.

Writing Minutes and Meeting Notes

In this writing course, you'll discover how to condense meeting hours to minutes—minutes that meet the needs of today's reader-in-a-rush. Topics will include preparing to take notes, gathering and organizing the raw material, writing clearly and concisely, formatting the final draft, and indexing minutes for quick recovery. With guidance from the instructor, you will think through and create your own unique tools for these tasks.

• Before the Meeting:
• Identifying your readers.
• Defining the purpose of your meeting notes.
• Predicting what information your readers will need.
• Designing note-taking aids.
• During the Meeting:
• Boosting note-taking speed.
• The note-taker's proper role: just seen, or seen and heard.
• Recognizing group decisions without motions.
• What about tape recorders?
• Handling digressions.
• How to participate and record simultaneously.
• After the Meeting:
• Selecting final content: how to decide relevance.
• Presenting material in a readable format.
• Verbal shortcuts for repetitive idea patterns.
• Increasing readability.
• Retrieving key information with easy-to-maintain indexes.

Writing Policies, Procedures, and Tasks (also available online)

Completing this writing course prepares participants to think through policies, procedures, and task outlines (desk manuals) more effectively, and to write them in a more readable style. Learn the most popular format for policy/procedure writing in Washington State—adopted by various state agencies, correctional facilities, counties, cities, and corporations.

• How To Write a Policy in "Headline" Format:
• Using the policy planner worksheet as a thinking guide.
• 10 steps in writing readable policies.
• Identifying revisions, simply.
• 7 checksteps for revising draft policies.
• How To Write a Procedure in "Playscript" Format:
• Planning a procedure with the Procedure Planner worksheet.
• Handling exceptions.
• Creating the playscript layout.
• Building in a cross-reference system.
• 9 checksteps for revising draft procedures.
• How To Write a Task in Parallel "Cookbook" Format:
• Getting organized with the "Task Outliner" worksheet.
• Pointers on the effective use of the cookbook format.
• 7 checksteps for revising draft task outlines.
• Adopting a Workable Numbering System:
• Identifying main categories for an operations manual.
• Creating policy-procedure-task "families" for easy reference.
• Numbering items without using decimal points.
• Practical Tips for Manual Writers and Managers:
• Using the "Priority Rating Scale" to help decide when to write and what to write.
• Trimming the manual to a size that encourages use.

Clients served over the years.

Washington State agencies/boards/offices/commissions:

• Attorney General's Office
• Community Trade and Economic Development
• Department of Corrections
• Criminal Justice Training Commission
• Department of Fish and Wildlife
• Department of Transportation
• Department of Ecology
• Department of Employment Security
• Department of Health
• Department of Financial Institutions
• Department of General Administration
• Higher Education coordinating Board
• Industrial Insurance Appeals Board
• Department of Informational Services
• Office of Insurance Commissioner
• Department of Labor and Industry
• Capstone Program
• Department of Licensing
• Liquor Control Board
• The Lottery
• Department of Natural Resources
• Department of Personnel
• Department of Retirement Systems
• The Office of the Secretary of State
• Department of Social and Health Services
• Aging and Disability Services
• Child Support Division
• Children and Family Services
• Office of State Patrol
• Office of the Superintendent of Public Instructions
• Department of Transportation
• Utilities and Transportation Commission

Washington State Municipal and Academic Groups:

• Association of Clerks of the Court
• Association of County Treasurers
• City of Bellingham
• City of Edmonds Community Services Department
• City of Everett Planning Department
• City of Mount Vernon
• City of Port Angeles
• City of Seattle
• City of Tacoma
• City of Tacoma Public Works/Environmental Services/Science & Engineering Division
• City of Vancouver
• Clallam County Department of Personnel and risk Management
• Clark College: Business & Industry Training
• Clark County Department of Community Development
• Everett Community College
• Gray's Harbor County
• Jefferson County Commissioners
• King County
• King County District Court
• Kitsap County
• Lacey Fire District Three
• Lake Washington Technical College
• Lewis County Administration
• Pierce Community College for federal GSA contract
• Pierce County Fire District #5
• Pierce County Planning and Land Services
• Pierce County Public Works and Utilities
• Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County
• Seattle Health Care Authority
• Seattle Housing Authority
• Seattle Human Services Department for Aging and Disability Services
• Washington State District and Municipal Court
• Washington State Main Street Programs Executive Directors
• Auburn Downtown Association
• Bainbridge Island Downtown Association
• Ellensburg Downtown Association
• Historic Downtown Kennewick Partnership
• Port Townsend Main Street Program
• Puyallup Main Street Association
• Downtown Walla Walla Foundation
• Wenatchee Downtown Association
• Washington State University Center for Professional Education Conferences and Events (Richland)
• Washington State University Master's Program (Vancouver) — summer sessions
• Western Washington University Equal Opportunity Center
• Whatcom County

Washington State Public/Private Groups and Nonprofits

• Better Government Bureau in Washington State
• Evergreen Freedom Foundation's Faith-Based Welfare Reform Project
• Intercity Transit
• Puget Sound Regional Council
• Puget Sound Clean Air Agency
• Skillings-Connolly Engineering, Inc
• Washington Counties Risk Pool
• Washington Association of Community and Migrant Health Centers
• Washington Conservation Corps
• Washington State Fire Marshalls
• Washington State Transit Insurance Pool
• Yakama Nation Gaming Commission and Tribal Elders
• Yakama Nation Area Agency on Aging

Out of State and Foreign Groups

• American Council for International Studies Conference in Great Britain with pre-set small groups
• American Society of Safety Engineers with breakout groups
• City of Oregon City, Oregon, Division of Community Development
• Educational Fellowship Conferences in several European countries with pre-set small group discussions on art, literature, history, economics, and politics: Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland
• General Services Administration — top level management for breakout groups
• Idaho State Department of Correction, Maximum Security Institution, and Correctional Facilities with breakout groups
• Idaho State Department of Commerce, Division of Community Development with pre-set small groups
• International School Project for the Russian Ministry of Education in Siberia, Russia for one month working with Russian Administrators in daily pre-set small groups
• Overseas Academic Symposiums in Thailand (Chang-Mai and Bangkok) working with relief, service organizations, and academic groups — one-on-one and breakout groups
• Overseas Academic Symposium in Malaysia (Dalat) working with international educators in pre-set small groups
• The Potter's School Online Academic Services — hundreds of one-on-one and small group coaching touching over 40 countries

About Us

Our Company. Write Words: American Writing Services provides instruction and coaching in writing to corporate, federal, state, municipal, nonprofit, and individual clients worldwide. Our services are available onsite in a traditional classroom setting, in person, or online. We promise to provide you with the best and most accurate information and techniques for written communication. We want you to increase your business success and personal growth.

Both our onsite and online programs offer a number of courses to meet various business and personal learning needs. We offer foreign language translation, and a tailored coaching program for those requiring assistance with special project needs.

Owner. Sharon Bridwell, Ed.D., has over 30 years' experience in writing, public relations, and management with various federal, military, educational, public, private, and nonprofit groups. She has taught writing and communication management skills to thousands. As a dynamic and enthusiastic speaker, she consistently teaches practical application and skill development for those wanting more than just theory. She is a published writer and private consultant. Due to the demand for her courses and workshops, a number of highly qualified instructor associates have joined Write Words: American Writing Services to assist with the program.

Vision. By offering highly regarded, practical material, we want to capture the business, technical, and academic markets for onsite and online writing courses as well as provide exceptionally skilled writing coaches worldwide.

Values

• Clients: We value and respect you; therefore, we strive to provide you with the best possible service. We seek your input through the writing process and we request feedback once finished.
• Integrity: We operate with unyielding integrity, adhering to the highest standard of business conduct. We will not tolerate unethical conduct by our sub-contractors and associates. We want to serve you, not gouge you.
• Performance: We work to exceed your expectations. We strive to be the best at what we do.
• Teamwork: We provide you with a team, that works well together through enhanced communications and best shared practices, to deliver world-class instructional services. Our team will perform to its fullest potential.