Customized, On-Site Workshops

Our customized, on-site report writing workshops are designed to help professionals write well and efficiently.  Designed for criminal justice, police, fire service, public safety, correctional and private security officers, the workshops provide hands-on, realistic practice in writing.  The worksheets are customized using actual examples from writing of those within the department.  Participants readily recognize their own “goofs” and become eager to correct them. 

Most workshops are seven hours long and stress the following objectives.
Participating officers will:

• Write more accurate, objective, well-structured narratives.

• Write more clearly and concisely.

• Avoid common errors in spelling, punctuation, capitalization and grammar.

• Identify their own writing problems and learn how to eliminate them.

• Use the style guide and format developed for the department.

Participants are presented with key concepts by means of cartoons and jokes—never lectures—and are then given exercises to complete in small groups.  They then share their results with the entire group, usually resulting in lively interchanges.  Officers are also given scenarios from which to write reports, evaluated during the lunch hour by the workshop facilitator.  From this evaluation they can readily see their own strengths and weaknesses to use in developing a writing plan for further improvement.

The workshop facilitator is our lead author, Dr. Kären M. Hess.  She brings 30 years’ experience to the workshops as well as a widely recognized sense of humor and an ability to draw all participants into active involvement.

Comments from participants in response to anonymous evaluations:

• I enjoyed the jokes.  They were always pertinent to the topic and helped me remember what NOT to do.

• It is a joy to take part in a workshop that is beautifully planned and executed.  Thank you.

• Working in groups made it fun to learn.

• The exercises and worksheets forced us to use the concepts to write naturally.

• Because it was informative as well as entertaining, Dr. Hess kept my attention the entire day.

• I’ve been to many other workshops covering report writing and learned more today than in all of them combined.

• Audience involvement makes it easier to remember and more meaningful.

We also offer customized on-site workshops through Copwrite.