Online plain language courses

Good writing is not just a communication skill – it’s a professional advantage.

These online courses are for competent writers wanting to lift their plain language writing capability. You’ll learn how to:

Craft text people want to read
Get to the point fast
Produce documents that have an impact

Courses for people who write every day at work

Stronger writing skills will make your documents easier to read and more likely to achieve their purpose.

If you write any of these documents, you’ll find these courses helpful:

correspondence, memos and support materials
business cases or proposals
ministerial briefs or advice
policy & procedure
general advice
web text
reviews and assessments
technical reports
consultation documents.

The material in these courses is consistent with ISO 24495-1:2023 Plain language – Part 1: Governing principles and guidelines, but not constrained by it.

Your choice – get all 6 courses now, or complete them one at a time

Enrol in all 6 courses now and save 33%

Enjoy all the content of the Writing well at work. series – the entire content of Think-write’s full-day face-to-face course.

Work through the videos and exercises at your own pace and at a time and place that suits you.

$39.60 - Purchase All 6 courses bundled together

Enrol in the courses you need right now

Click the ‘Preview’ units below for a taste of the content.

Part 1. Writing foundations

Before we get into the practice of plain language writing, we need to talk about principles. Most people think plain language writing means short sentences and simple words. It's much more than that. At its core, plain language means putting readers first — recognising that a writer's job is to serve the person reading. At work, writing isn't just communication. A document is functional asset that must be effective and efficient. Your documents need to do something — persuade, instruct, inform, move people to act. That changes how you approach the entire writing process.

Module 1	Writing as thinking and communication
Unit 1	Preparing to learn 'Writing foundations' - Preview
Unit 2	What makes a document good?
Unit 3	Writing as conversation
Unit 4	The relationship between writing and thinking
Module 2	Putting readers first
Unit 1	Making it easy for your reader
Unit 2	Taking responsibility
Module 3	Review and cashback program
Unit 1	Reviewing 'Writing foundations'
Unit 2	Like to join our cashback program?

$9.90 - Purchase Part 1. Writing foundations

Part 2. Preparing to write

Most writing problems start before a single word is typed. When we dive straight into drafting — which is tempting, especially under deadline pressure — we often end up going in the wrong direction, then backtracking. The document takes longer to write and often misses the mark. Effective workplace writing starts with two questions: What does this document need to achieve? And how is my reader likely to react to it? Without clear answers, you're essentially writing in the dark — producing something that feels complete but doesn't actually do its job.

Module 1	Be clear about purpose
Unit 1	Preparing to learn - How to get ready to write - Preview
Unit 2	Be clear about purpose
Module 2	Know your readers
Unit 1	Know your audience
Unit 2	The value of personas
Module 3	Define the message
Unit 1	State your message
Module 4	Review and cashback program
Unit 1	Reviewing 'Getting ready to write'
Unit 2	Like to join our cashback program?

$9.90 - Purchase Part 2. Preparing to write

Part 3. Generating content

Many documents have a content problem: too much, too little, or the wrong things entirely. Without deliberate thought about what to include — and what to cut — it's easy to ramble, bury the important stuff, or leave out something your reader actually needed. The result is a document that feels complete to you but doesn't work for them. Good content selection isn't just about knowing your subject. It's about balancing two different agendas: what you want to say, and what your reader needs to hear. Those aren't always the same thing — and learning to tell the difference, and judging what matters most, is one of the most useful skills a workplace writer can develop.

Module 1	Exploring content
Unit 1	Preparing to learn 'How to generate content' - Preview
Unit 2	The power of mind mapping
Unit 3	Mind map 1 - your perspective
Unit 4	Mind map 2 - your readers' perspective
Module 2	Selecting content
Unit 1	Deciding what to include
Module 3	Review and cashback program
Unit 1	Reviewing 'Generating content'
Unit 2	Like to join our cashback program?

$9.90 - Purchase Part 3. Generating content

Part 4. Organising content

Documents can fail before a single word is read — because the structure is wrong. When content is organised well, ideas land clearly and readers get exactly what they need. When it's not, even great writing gets lost. This course explores how to structure content so it works for your reader. We cover three practical approaches to organising information, and suggest helpful structures for some of the documents you write most often.

Module 1	Organising for your reader
Unit 1	Preparing to learn 'How to organise content' - Preview
Unit 2	Consider what is going on for your reader
Unit 3	Always for the reader
Module 2	Organising techniques
Unit 1	Chunking
Unit 2	Layering
Unit 3	Point first
Unit 4	Other structures
Module 3	Example templates
Unit 1	Proposals, learnings, assessments and more
Unit 2	Reports, FAQ, templates
Module 4	Powerful headings
Unit 1	Talking headings
Unit 2	Other thoughts about headings
Module 5	Review and cashback program
Unit 1	Reviewing 'Organising content'
Unit 2	Like to join our cashback program?

$9.90 - Purchase Part 4. Organising content

Part 5. Plain language writing techniques

Complex ideas don't require complex writing. In fact, the opposite is true — the more complex the idea, the more your writing needs to get out of the way. These five techniques are the ones effective writers reach for most often. They work across any document, any topic, any level of complexity. And they're genuinely easy to learn and quick to apply.

Module 1	What is plain language
Unit 1	Preparing to learn 'Plain language techniques' - Preview
Unit 2	Plain vs not so plain
Unit 3	Why we need plain language
Module 2	Familiar, simple words
Unit 1	Word choice
Unit 2	Conditional statements
Unit 3	Don't use too many words
Module 3	Active voice
Unit 1	What is the active voice and why do we use it
Unit 2	Some examples of active voice
Module 4	Verbs not nouns
Unit 1	Simple, powerful, action words
Unit 2	Writing with verbs examples
Module 5	Simple sentences
Unit 1	One thought, one sentence
Unit 2	Some other ideas about writing sentences
Module 6	Conversational style
Unit 1	Writing to people
Module 7	Review and cashback program
Unit 1	Reviewing 'Plain language techniques'
Unit 2	Like to join our cashback program?

$9.90 - Purchase Part 5. Plain language writing techniques

Part 6. Refining your document

A first draft is never the finished product. Refining, reviewing, and testing transforms a document that's done into one that works. And ultimately, there's only one person whose opinion about your document actually matters: your reader. Not you, not your colleagues. The real test of any document is whether it does its job in the real world, with the people it was written for.

Module 1	Before it leaves your desk
Unit 1	Preparing to learn to 'Refine your document' - Preview
Unit 2	Read aloud and check readability
Unit 3	Comply with your style guide
Unit 4	Consider layout
Unit 5	Include graphics
Module 2	Internal review
Unit 1	Document review
Module 3	Testing your document
Unit 1	Why test documents
Unit 2	How to test documents
Module 4	Review and cashback program
Unit 1	Reviewing 'Refining your work'
Unit 2	Like to join our cashback program?

$9.90 - Purchase Part 6. Refining your document