We offer courses on developing your writing style and techniques aimed at academics, medics and researchers.

Why did we develop this course?

All researchers and academics, in all disciplines, need to be able to write clearly, accessibly and convincingly.

As a researcher or academic, you have to communicate with funders, with peers, with the general public andwith journalists. In order to do that, you need to be able to do two things:

  • Put the right words on the page
  • Put the words into the right structure.

It sounds very simple, but it’s often very
difficult to achieve to your best satisfaction.

You might be :

  • Looking for ways to structure your thesis or dissertation: get it within the right length, and/or convey your arguments effectively and succinctly
  • Wanting to write for specialist academic or professional journals but not be sure where to start
  • Exploring ways to disseminate your work more widely, either in consumer print or digital media

Whichever it is, you already know your subject. What you need is the skills of how to get this across to your readership. That’s where Aveta comes in.

We are trained journalists and editors, who have written and edited for a very wide range of publications; from newspapers to popular magazines to very specialist journals published by associations and professional bodies. In addition, we’ve also worked extensively with universities and with individual researchers.

We have:

  • Identified the ‘news points’ in new research
  • Helped structure and edit PhD theses
  • Produced publications summarising research across whole institutions
  • Edited research reports from international collaborations
  • Taken complex scientific research papers and written news stories for the national media

We know the pitfalls that many people fall into when they are writing about their own research. We also know how to support you – by showing you how you can select the points you need to focus on, how you can organise your work into a structure and how to keep to length.

ONE DAY COURSE

This course will teach you to:

  • Identify your readership and tailor your writing accordingly
  • Convey your specialist points across to a less specialist audience
  • Improve your own basic writing skills..
  • With a combination of exercises, discussions and practical demonstrations

We’ll take you through:

  • Some of the basics: the words on the page
  • Structure and length
  • Readership and journals
  • Writing for people who don’t know anything about your work

TWO DAY COURSE

This day builds on Day One with a second day which continues to practise writing skills but also focuses on structure and organisation.  This is a crucial area for many researchers (at all stages of their careers), for whom it can feel seemingly impossible to cut their work down to a set length.

It is even more difficult when they are writing for external publications – especially more popular ones.

This course will teach you to:

  • Write a structure for an article or longer piece
    of writing
  • Cut to length, so that you are working to a
    specific word limit
  • Think about different types of publication, and what you might be able to offer them.

We’ll take you through: 

  • Key issues in writing ‘Long-Form’.
  • Argument and structure
  • Specialist Journals
  • Popular Magazines

MEDIA TRAINING COURSE

These days, people working in academia and charities are often called upon to discuss their work with the media. Our Media Training course will help your spokesperson handle media interviews confidently and assist them in conveying the salient points of their work or research. Taught by journalists, this course shows you what to expect in different settings, from radio phone-ins to live news shows. We also teach you how to be (and look) your best if you are being interviewed remotely during Covid.

With both practical lessons and workshops, you’ll soon be learning how to keep to your point, be assured and come across as friendly and engaging. You’ll soon be the person the media come to for informed comment!

CRISIS MANAGEMENT TRAINING

Building from our Media Training course, you’ll learn how to cope with fast-moving situations that require thinking on your feet. This course helps you learn how to avoid falling into traps journalists might set and to get across your facts without getting flustered.

PRESENTATION TRAINING

You may be asked to speak at a conference, apply for funding for research or pitch for new business. These all require a good presentation style, a confident manner and a flair for getting across complex information in a succinct and engaging style. Our Presentation Training course gives you the skills you need with practical sessions and tips and tricks for honing your style.