Course Description

Would you like to improve your report – and spend less time writing it? From Site to Story will show you how. Guided by qualified instructors who have “been there and done that,” you will learn 8 simple steps to writing a high quality environmental report.Writing clear and convincing technical reports is key to an environmental professional’s success, and it requires skill, judgment and good decisions every step of the way.

This webinar series will give you new skills, insights, and confidence for tackling your next technical report and opportunities to practise.

The webinars cover both fundamental aspects of writing a report: the report-writing process and specific writing skills.

You’ll learn to see the writing process as a series of simple steps, including these:

  • Identify your readers and purpose
  • Know your “story” before you start to write it
  • Write the first draft, faster and more efficiently
  • Revise one step at a time

Margaret Shaw, Reidar Zapf-Gilje & Guy Patrick

Margaret Shaw, M.Sc., was a hydrogeologist at Golder Associates for 14 years and wrote many technical reports. She has a diploma in professional writing and 12 years’ experience as a contract writer and editor, writing about technical and scientific subjects for the corporate, government, academic, financial, book publishing, regulatory, and non-profit sectors. She has teamed with others to develop workshops on contaminated sites and other environmental topics, and she wrote the 2011–2013 biennial report for BC’s Land Remediation Section.Margaret is on the committee to establish an annual award for clear communication in BC, served as a judge for the Editors’ Association of Canada’s Tom Fairley Award for editing excellence in 2013, and has been a major contributor to two EAC books. In 2014, she completed a European Union–funded, 10-week course in clear communication. She is active member of the EAC and the Society for Technical Communication and is EAC-certified for her editing skills.

Course curriculum

  • 1

    Session 1

    • Presentation Recording

    • Presentation Slides (pdf)
  • 2

    Session 2

    • Presentation Slides (pdf)

    • Presentation Recording
  • 3

    Session 3

    • Presentation Slides (pdf)

    • Presentation Recording
  • 4

    Session 4

    • Tip Sheet

    • Resources

    • Presentation Slides

    • Presentation Recording