Our seminars | Opal Affinity

In making a speech one must study three points: first, the means of producing persuasion; second, the language; third the proper arrangement of the various parts of the speech.

— Aristotle, Book III Chapter 1

We all continue to learn and people learn differently. Opal Affinity offers seminars and workshops on selected topics. Communication and readability are some of our key interests.

Learning online

If you want to learn more about coherence – writing clearly and logically, listen to our recent webinar. Go to the online-writing website: http://www.onlinewritingtraining.com.au/webinars/

Remember: in broad terms, coherence covers both the ordering of key points as well as discourse links between sentences. Writing includes planning and logically linking ideas, and using the right words in a good structure leads to a coherent text.

Some of our earlier SEMINARS in Australia

Benchmarking your Board pack from a writing perspective

Workshops in May & September 2015, and July 2016, at the Governance Institute, Hunter Street, Sydney NSW – We discussed setting specific standards for your board papers based on sound writing principles. These standards can provide you with a benchmark to measure writing standards and monitor future improvements. Understanding these standards allows you to produce very readable and effective board packs.

Modelling expertise in written communication for public information documents

Presentation on 14 August, 2014 at the 17th World Congress of the International Association of Applied Linguistics: One world – many languages (Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre). Managers need to understand both writing processes and readability, and seek staff with communicative skills. Our latest research provides insights into written communicative expertise.

Back to basics – the linguistic foundations have not changed.

Presentation at Control Shift – Communicating in a changing world Conference, Sydney, on 26 Oct 2013. iPad or Kindle, laptop or smartphone – technology may have changed the format we read on. However, how we get a message across – the words, phrases and sentences we choose – remains the same. No matter what we read, or how fancy the medium, readability counts.

Time management: clarity in thought and clarity in action

Presentation at Australian VA Conference, Sydney, on 23 Mar 2013. The session explored a range of time-management tools. Key topics included understanding your thoughts, being clear in your conversations, and being clear on your goals.

Public Information Documents: are there practical applications for writers and readers through analysing the textual function?

Presentation at Macquarie University, Sydney, on 14 Feb 2013. The presentation discussed how the textual function can provide insights into a texts’ readability and coherence-creating (or coherence-defeating) resources. We presented a text analysis format and its application to the readability of government information documents.

Public Information Documents: The writing process and the readers’ perspective

Presentation at University of Technology, Sydney, on 6 Dec 2012. The session explored the difference between the writers’ objectives and the readers’ comprehension of regulatory information in Australia. The latest research findings on the readability of government information documents were presented.

Write it like you mean it: how to get your message across and the results you want.

Workshop at Project Management Australia Conference, Melbourne, on 15 Aug 2012. The session explored key principles of engaging your audience, refining your message, and applying clear language principles in the workplace.

Localization and Translation

Lecture at Macquarie University, Sydney, on 28 May 2012. The topic explored the local factors impacting on the English language in Australia, particularly languages used in commercial and government organisations.