Here is a selection of the most popular editorial courses David Worsfold offers. All of them are intensely practical and are tailored to the specific needs of the participants. All of the courses can be adapted for non-journalists who find they have to write or edit as part of their role. They can all be adapted for online delivery to meet the challenges of remote working.

Please don’t hesitate to contact David if you don’t see exactly what you are looking for here as he has a wealth of experience and knowledge of editorial skillsets.

News Reporting

Aimed at: This course is intended for journalists who are relatively new to news reporting (ie less than 18 months), especially if they have had no prior training.

Course Outline

• How to be a good reporter
• What makes a good story?
• Putting the words on the page and screen
• Structure
• Style

Outcome: participants will be equipped with a wide range of news gathering and news writing skills enabling them to be an effective reporter

NEW! – Advanced News Reporting course for experienced journalists who want to take their news reporting to the next level, create greater impact and stand out from the crowd. Advanced News Reporting

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Features Writing

Aimed at: This course is suitable for new starters, journalists with some experience, news writers or technical writers looking to branch out into the wider areas of feature writing.

Course outline

There are four basic modules, which can be adapted to suit the experience and abilities of the participants.

Module 1: Interviews and personality profiles

Module 2: Technical/in-depth features

Module 3: Product and market reviews

Module 4: Creating a style

Outcome: A full understanding of the demands of a wide range of feature writing

NEW! Advanced Features Writing course for experienced journalists who want to take their features to the next level, create more engaging features and develop a distinctive style. Advanced Feature Writing

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Interview Techniques for Journalists

Aimed at: Journalists who undertake interviews, whether for news, features or commentary pieces. A one day course

Course outline

• Research and interview preparation
• Establishing credibility and building rapport
• How to structure your questions
• Techniques for face-to-face, online and telephone interviewing
• Handling difficult or reluctant people — and getting them on your side
• Establishing the ground rules

• Mock interviews – this can include video recording and playback for analysis

Outcome: A thorough knowledge and understanding of the wide variety of interview techniques and how to use them

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Digital Journalism

What’s the story and how do I write it?

Aimed at: Journalists needing to improve their ability to deliver effective, top-class digital content

Course outline

• We don’t have readers anymore, we have users
• Print consumption was a passive experience, online consumption is an active experience
• Changing the way you think: platform neutral reporting
• Changing the way you write
• The dynamic story
• Understanding how your brand delivers content across multiple platforms
• SEO, tagging and linking
• Transform your articles into a hub of information
• Engaging in the conversation
• Understanding social media
• Engaging with audiences

Outcome: With a comprehensive and rounded understanding of writing in the digital age reporters will be ready to write engaging, search-friendly stories

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Copy Editing

Aimed at: Editors, assistant editors and others who have to edit contributors’ or staff reporters’ copy

Course outline

• Is it good enough?
• Does it meet the brief?
• Does it speak to your readers?
• Structure and Style
• Re-writing v editing
• Ensuring consistency
• Editing techniques
• Checking the facts
• Identifying, standfirsts, pull quotes, box outs etc.

Outcome: Participants will leave with a comprehensive toolkit of editing techniques applicable in a wide range of publishing environments

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Better Headlines, Intros and Standfirsts

 Aimed at: Editors, assistant editors and Sub-editors

Course outline

• What are headlines, standfirsts, subheads and intros for?
• Establishing a style
• The main rules and how to make them work for you
• Getting the headlines right for your publication
• When to be clever
• How to improve coverlines
• Standfirsts and crossheads
• Captions
• Break out boxes
• Making contents pages work

• Understanding search and the internet
• What are keywords and why are they important?
• How do stories appear on websites?
• Making a content management system work for you
• Using metadata effectively
• Captions for video/audio content
• RSS feeds, aggregators, social media: how they pick up content
• Internal and external search: how it works
• Search behavior
• Tagging images

Outcome: Participants will be fully-equipped to write engaging, attention grabbing headlines and accompanying elements that work in print and online.

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Editorial Campaigns

Aimed at: Editors and deputy editors who want to add a campaigning dimension to their magazines and websites

Course outline

• Why campaign?
• Who can campaign?
• Setting objectives
• Creating a campaign plan
• Marshalling your resources
• Multi-media, multi-platform
• Harnessing the power of social media
• Building support and momentum
• Recognising success
• Dealing with opposition
• Creating commercial opportunities

Outcome: Participants will leave with a great set of tools and ideas for creating and running campaigns that make a genuine impact and benefit their brand.

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Proof Reading

Aimed at: Anyone who has to proof read pages, adverts or brochures. An often dry process brought alive in an engaging course

Course outline

• What is proof reading?
• Ensuring consistency
• Doubt and challenge
• The proof reading process
• Marking up proofs – standard marks and how to use them
• Proofing reading on paper
• Proof reading on screen
• The big picture matters too

Includes practical exercises in proof reading.

Outcome: This course will enable people to tackle the tricky, but all-important, task of proof reading with renewed confidence.

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Better Business Writing

Aimed at: experienced business writers to help them take their writing to a new level, create more engaging content and develop a distinctive style

Course outline

• Who are you writing for?
• How to take your writing to the next level
• Planning: structure, intros and conlcusions
• Building a compelling narrative
• Focus on style
• Rising to the challenges
• Business content and writing in the multi-platform era

Outcome: An extended toolkit of techniques to bring business writing alive, ensuring engagement and that key messages are communicated effectively.

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Contact David Worsfold on david@worsfoldmedia.com or 07885 348982 or 01277 221445