CFE
Independent non-profit research organisation CFE reports on social and economic policy in the UK, acting as link between policy-makers and those whom the policy affects. Emphasis helped CFE improve its report-writing skills.
The problem
The issues CFE deal with are complex, so it’s essential that the company has first-class communication skills.
“We deal with subjects that can be a little dry so we need to capture the imagination and attention of the reader,” says James Kewin, joint Managing Director. “Our writing has to resonate and be clear for a layperson.”
But the high-achieving graduate staff tended to write in an academic style that relied heavily on the passive voice. The reports were too long and didn’t have a clear message – which meant senior managers spending time editing them.
“Research is an unforgiving area. You can have the best research that asks all the right questions and feel that the work is fantastic, but if your reports don’t work then it’s all been for nothing,” explains James.
Emphasis solution
Emphasis designed a report-writing course to help all 45 members of staff develop a lucid writing style. The course presented tools for achieving reader-focused, high-impact writing, including effective structure and using the active voice. One-to-one follow-up coaching clinics ensured the teams were putting their new knowledge into practice. The trainer also helped CFE develop an internal house style, with advice on contents and even a template to follow.
The benefits
CFE now has a consistent voice. The coaching sessions showed that the quality of reports had improved and – crucially ¬– that staff now feel confident they are writing effectively.
“What the course did was make everyone aware of what the right way is. It wasn’t prescriptive and it didn’t dictate a particular style but everyone is now aware of what we regard as the right way to write and the right way to do things,” says James.
It’s helped the managers too, as they can now pinpoint exactly what’s right or wrong with a report. “If a head of team receives a report that’s not of the required quality, they say ‘go back and do this the Emphasis way’, which has now become the CFE way,” confirms James.
What the attendees said
“The tendency, especially when you’re busy, is to start writing immediately. What the Emphasis course did was to help us, individually, to think about our audience and be sure that before we start typing away we have a very clear structure. And that we follow that structure through,” explains James.
“The analysis of my own writing was an extremely useful exercise,” adds Tom Fletcher, who also attended the course.
The lasting effects
Having good writing skills has put CFE head and shoulders above other research companies.
“One thing that sets us apart from our competitors is that we articulate complex issues in a straightforward way. Instead of an academic style, our reports are accessible,” says James.
And the improvement in writing is more than icing on the cake. It has become integral to the whole research process.
“If you get into a bit of a pickle with a research project and it’s fallen behind schedule, a good report can help to pull things out of the fire,” explains James. “We would be nowhere if we didn’t have high-quality written output because our reputation is based on quality.”