We all know it: most policy communications is written in a really boring way. It’s not often you get people like Lord Pack talking about “the accumulation of sludge on the statute book”, i.e. a phrase that actually gets us interested in what the person is saying.

Most policy language retreats into the blandness of ‘delivery vehicles’ or ‘pathways’. These words and phrases that used to mean something tangible (like a van that delivers something) but now exist purely in their abstract form.

That process of things turning from tangible to abstract is what Orwell meant when he talked about the death of language. Don’t be part of it!

How to write effectively is a course that treats writing as a practical skill to be learned. We’ll go through the principles of writing well, provide the opportunity to practice those skills, and give you the confidence to make these changes in your professional life.

The course combines insights from dons like Stephen King and Sam Leith, with advice on how to adapt your writing for emerging digital platforms, and how to best use LLMs (and what pitfalls to avoid).

The course is led by Alex Wilson, a copywriter and communication strategist with over a dozen years’ experience. Alex has ghostwritten for entertainers, sportspeople, corporate executives and governments. He’s also worked on communications projects for some of the biggest brands and companies in the world like Adidas, General Electric, Innocent, Molson Coors, Natwest, P&G, Puma and Tinder.

Course outcomes

By the end of this course, you will…

• Know which sentence structure works best in English, and why they really matter to making your writing understandable

• Understand when and how to use LLMs to help you write, and when to avoid them like the plague

• Start introducing character and flair into your writing, in a way that feels comfortable to you (like ‘sludge on the statute book’)

Who this course is for

This course is designed for people at all levels of seniority, and all practice areas (policy, communications, influencing). Please note that this is not an English language course—you will need fluent English to get the most out of it.

Course structure & commitment required

This is a 5-week course. There are 5 online modules to work through, each with a mix of content and exercises for you to complete (each module is approximately 2 hours work).

There are three live, one-hour teaching sessions as part of this course, designed to consolidate learning, explore examples and facilitate discussion.