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Opportunities for Evanston-serving organizations
Thanks to our partnership with the Evanston Community Foundation,
Literacy Works currently has free coaching opportunities available for Evanston-serving organizations!
Writing for understanding
Training Information and Common Questions
About this training
Writing for Understanding is an intensive, hands-on training that teaches you how to apply plain language strategies in a supportive environment.
Each cohort includes:
Before the first Zoom session, you'll complete a short self-paced lesson. This helps make sure we're all on the same page day 1.
Pre-work
about 1 hour
We'll meet on Zoom for 3 live training sessions. Each session is 2 hours and includes:
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Sample texts
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Group discussion
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Breakout room activities
Zoom sessions
3 hours
Between sessions, you’ll complete reflection and practice activities that will help you apply what you're learning in a practical way.
Homework
1-2 hours total
After our 3 live sessions, sign-up for one-on-one plain language coaching. This is your chance to showcase what you’ve learned and receive individualized feedback.
1-on-1 Coaching
1 hour
We have two levels of this training:
Writing for Understanding
Level 1
Level 1 is for folks who are relatively new to plain language and want to communicate more effectively with their community, colleagues, or other professionals.
Joining a cohort can help you:
✅ Develop your knowledge of plain language and information design practices
✅ Identify ways to prioritize cultural humility, accessibility, inclusivity in writing
✅ Review your own public-facing or internal documents in a supportive space (if you'd like!)
✅ Connect with others, including other professionals who are passionate about systems change
Participants work in a variety of sectors and roles, from marketing to programming and administration. Whether you're creating content on a daily basis, or just want to advance social justice in communication, this training could be a great fit!
Writing for Understanding
Level 2
Level 2 is for folks who enjoyed level 1 and want to expand their plain language skills. We focus on more advanced writing and grammar concepts, applying plain language to long-form documents, and systems change strategies.
Joining a cohort can help you:
✅ Reflect on where your communication is meeting your audiences’ needs and where there are gaps
✅ Hone your skills applying plain language strategies to materials from your work
✅ Build confidence providing plain language feedback to others
✅ Develop plain language strategies for your organization
We ask that participants complete Level 1 of Writing for Understanding or an equivalent course before registering for Level 2. Not sure if you meet this prerequisite? Email Sarah at sarah@litworks.org
Training cost
We have sliding scale options for this training. When you register, you can pick from one of the options below.
Here’s the most important thing to know about these rates:
We want you to attend this training, so choose what’s best for your situation. These recommendations are guidelines. We don’t review who pays what, and we won’t follow up with any questions.
Picking the highest rate you or your organization can reasonably afford allows us to offer free and reduced fees for those who need it most, increasing access for everyone.
Training Rates
Redistribution Rate
$450
We recommend this rate if either:
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Your organization has an annual budget of $5 million or more, or
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You feel like you can afford this rate and want to help keep reduced rates available.
Full Rate
$325
We recommend this rate if either:
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Your organization has an annual budget between $1 million - $5 million, or
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You’re paying for this training yourself, and you can comfortably afford this price.
Solidarity Rate
$200
We recommend this rate if either:
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Your organization has an annual budget below $1 million, or
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You’re paying for this training yourself, and you can comfortably afford this price.
Reduced Rate
$75
We recommend this rate if either:
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Your organization has an annual budget below $200,000 and focuses on social justice or advocacy work, or
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You’re paying for this training yourself and are a full-time student or earn a limited income.