Editing skills

Develop your editing skills and learn to make any copy sharper, clearer and more effective. Five live workshops that build the editorial judgement to turn a rough draft into writing people want to read.

Every piece of copy involves several decisions. Which point to lead on. What to cut. When to rewrite a line, and when to leave it alone.

A good editor knows the difference and can make the call quickly. These live online editing skills masterclasses will help you develop that judgement.

Led by Martin Lloyd, former BBC writing standards editor, the sessions are practical, hands-on and delivered in small groups.

AI can be a useful editing tool, but using it well requires good editorial judgement. You need to recognise what works and what does not: what to keep, what to cut, which point the piece turns on and when something needs checking. These sessions will help you develop that judgement – from finding the right angle and structure to getting the punctuation right.

Who are the workshops for?

The workshops are ideal for:

Editors, news editors, sub-editors and proofreaders
Marketing, social media, PR and communications professionals
Executives and managers who want to communicate more effectively

Session one: Proofreading and punctuation

Read a laid-out page like an editor. AI can help check the words, but effective proofreading means looking at the whole page
Spot the misleading statistic that may be written correctly but does not add up
Punctuate with judgement, knowing when a mark earns its place and when it gets in the way

Session two: House style and spelling

Develop the right tone and keep it consistent
Spot the wrong word, spelled correctly, sitting in a sentence that otherwise reads perfectly
Cut clichés and jargon and replace them with clearer, sharper language

Session three: Engaging your readers

Take a dense, tangled sentence and make it land in one read – simpler words, fewer of them, meaning intact
Cut the deadwood without losing the sense, using your judgement to decide which words carry the meaning
Match the words to the people reading them, recognising what an expert may understand immediately but a general reader may need explained

Session four: Story structure and grammar

Build a story that keeps the reader with you, learning what to lead on and how to order what follows
Think beyond the first paragraph and learn how the headline, standfirst and opening work together
Use active language and spot grammatical problems that can obscure or change your meaning

Session five: Writing for the web, SEO and headlines

Write for the way people read online – scanning, skimming and looking for the information they need
Write content that can be found through search without compromising the reader experience
Write headlines that work for search and encourage people to read

Choose the session that addresses the skills you want to develop, or take all five to develop your editing skills across the board.

The sessions can also be delivered as bespoke training for a single organisation, online or in person, and tailored to your team’s needs.

Alternatively, the editing skills lunch and learn series covers the essentials in 45-minute lunchtime sessions.