Words into Ploughshares

Developing Clarity and Autonomy

Even skilled researchers and passionate advocates sometimes struggle to write convincingly. We teach you how to communicate more clearly. And, because good writing and good thinking are inextricably intertwined, we help you think more incisively.

Turning Words into Tools for Change

Policy-makers and donors need to understand why your cause matters. We offer workshops, individual support, and coaching to improve your team’s writing and sharpen their analytical skills.

Our approach uses the act of writing itself to deepen thinking. As your staff learns to craft clear, compelling arguments, they engage more deeply with ideas, develop new insights and gain greater intellectual autonomy. The result: better advocacy, greater effectiveness, and a team of confident, independent thinkers.

Sharpening Minds

We can help your staff to:

• Identify their audiences and determine how to best to reach them
• Construct compelling, evidence-based arguments
• Distill complex ideas into clear, accessible language
• Anticipate and address potential counterarguments
• Identify and eliminate logical flaws in their reasoning

As your team hones these skills, they’ll tackle complex issues with growing confidence. Their ideas will be clearer, their arguments stronger, and their writing more persuasive, which will in turn help you make your case to policy makers, donors, and the general public.

I know because, for twenty years, I’ve taught university students in the US, Australia, and Canada to conduct rigorous research, marshal evidence effectively, and write clear, concise, and engaging prose.

I’ve supervised more than three dozen theses; many of these earned honors.

I’ve helped countless students find their voices. I can do the same for your staff.

I offer custom workshops, in-person or online, tailored to your staff and their needs; focused editorial and writing support to help you and your staff produce polished, persuasive work; and intensive one-on-one coaching for staff who want to become better writers, researchers, and advocates.

Get in touch with me. Let’s talk about how we can work together to make your staff better writers.

Writing isn’t just a tool to persuade others.

It is also a crucible for testing ideas and a tool for intellectual development.

What does this mean? High-level writing compels us to organize our thoughts, clarify our arguments, and consider our audience. But it also makes us think differently than we did before we set pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard).

When we start to write, we have an idea of what we’re writing about and we usually have a pretty good notion of what we think our piece will look like when we’ve finished. As often as not, though, the finished product looks a lot different from what we imagined.

Why? Because the act of writing is an act of disciplined reason.

It’s hard work, but writing clarifies our thought. And the better we get at writing, the better we get at thinking; the better we get at thinking, the better we are able to change the world for the better.

Get the most out of your staff. I can help your staff gain the confidence to write well, which is good for them—and good for your cause.

Writing well is empowering. By investing in your staff’s communication skills, you not only give your organization a stronger voice: you also demonstrate your commitment to your staff’s development.