Research

Writing Projects

At Words at Work we’ve worked on the full spectrum of business documents, or very close to it. Some times we write them from scratch, other times we edit existing content and then write to fill in the gaps. Writing projects have included:

• Articles
• Annual reports
• Brochures
• Business letters
• Business plans
• Communication plans
• Community information collateral
• Funding or grant applications
• Instructions
• Investor proposals
• Manuals
• Marketing collateral
• Medical reports
• Minutes
• News releases
• Policies and procedures
• Presentations (strategic and informational)
• Proposals
• Requests for proposal
• Reports (technical reports, research reports, board reports)
• Scripts
• Strategic plans
• Website copy

Clients we’ve worked for:

Prince Rupert Airport Authority, Pacific Northwest LNG, Nova Bio Rubber, SMIT Marine, Prince Rupert Port Authority, Math Help Services, Okanagan Intervention Pain Clinics, Opera Kelowna, MDG Engineering, Power ‘n Passion, and Seaquest Explorations, among others.

Editing: Business Documents

Given that our clients are all experts in their fields, it’s not surprising that Words at Work does a lot of editing, working with client content, rather than writing from scratch. Our task is to ensure our clients’ content communicates effectively. While every project has different needs, editing generally involves a multi-pronged approach.

We edit to align a client’s objectives with readers’ needs, checking for:

• arrangement of the information
• flow and logic
• tone
• consistency
• grammar

Editing Projects

From technical to marketing to corporate communication documents, recent editing projects have included:

• Business letters
• Manuals:
  • Health, safety and environmental
  • Electrical (for contractors)
  • Operations (Airport; following Ministry of Transportation specifications)
• Reports:
  • More than 40 medical-legal reports
  • Academic research reports
• Website content
• Proposals:
  • Grant applications
  • Business proposals
• Document templates and formatting
• News releases
• Membership collateral for non-profit organizations
• Resumes and LinkedIn profiles
• The book Staying Safe on Our Roads: The Small Margin for Error, by Brian Denton

Education Materials 

Project: Natural sciences and physical education materials for a Montessori organization

Description

The project involved writing about 600 pages of new material and editing about 700 pages of existing material, including background information, student activities, charts, tables, and graphics.

Project tasks

• Translate complex technical concepts into engaging language, accessible for non-scientists.
• Apply plain language principles.
• Follow and contribute to an extensive in-house style guide.
• Edit, fact-check, and update two natural sciences manuals.
• Research topics for botany, zoology, microscopic studies, and physical education.
• Write teaching manuals.
• Create student-based activities to meet curriculum requirements.
• Develop graphics, charts, and tables to illustrate concepts.
• Create a glossary and a resource section of print, web, and audio-video material for teachers and students.