Matamata-Piako District Council's district planning team took a proactive step to improve the quality of their resource consent reports, emails, and advisory letters.
The challenge
The team's work often required rewriting to meet clarity standards. This not only took time but hindered the team's growth. The Council also wanted to develop an internal peer review process to share the responsibility of editing.
How we helped
We delivered a tailored business writing workshop focused on clear, concise communication. Training covered simplifying complex language, structuring documents for clarity, and peer review methods to enhance collaboration. We also supported the development of a peer review process that distributed editing responsibilities across the team.
The outcome
The Council team significantly improved their ability to produce clear, reader-focused content. They now handle more of the writing and reviewing independently, reducing the need for managerial rewrites.
"I picked up many tips and tricks from the Clarity Writers course that I will be using in both my professional and personal life."
"Concise writing course that doesn't bog you down with too much information at once. Breaking it up into sections also allows for you to remember things - doesn't make it seem like a massive day-long slog."
"Overall, enjoyed the sessions and learnt good ways to improve my writing through my role at Council. It made me realise that sometimes being overly technical is not the way to go. Will definitely use these writing techniques and resources in my career and daily life."