Now's the time to invest in written communication!
Margot Lester
let's tell better stories. writing coach | brand journalist | health/science, innovation & climate comms | certified interpretive naturalist and environmental educator
If any or all of these is true, message me!
I’ve got a handful of coaching and workshop openings through 15 December of this year and am booking for the first half of 2025. Let’s get something on the calendar before the 2025 rate increase kicks in. (Prices here are effective through 15 December and exclude fees for travel and accommodations.)
Group Workshops
Revisions: Easy Fixes with Big Impact
My most popular group workshop, this session combines research on the 6 Traits of Good Writing with road-tested revision strategies that produce an immediate and positive impact on writing quality and effectiveness. We review the criteria, practice tactics to boost effectiveness and reduce cycles. Perfect for internal teams and/or external vendors and individual writers.?Run time:?90 minutes. Fee: $1000. Can be combined with Feedback & Reviews or Humanizing & Differentiating for a half-day workshop at a discounted rate.
A Saner Approach to Feedback & Reviews
The review and approval process is frequently full of friction and frustration. This workshop introduces a more effective and sane approach. ?We begin with a brief discussion of your current approach to requesting and giving feedback to identify what works and what doesn’t. Then we review an alternative to that streamlines the process and supports growth and development. Participants exchange pieces of their own work for a 10-minute practice round asking for and giving feedback using the 6 Traits of Good Writing. Ideal for content producers, editors and reviewers inside and outside the organization. Run time:?90-120 minutes. Fee: $1500. Can be combined with Revisions or Humanizing & Differentiating for a half-day workshop at a discounted rate.
Humanizing & Differentiating AI-Generated Content
One of the reasons generative AI content doesn’t resonate is its lack of humanity. The content and writing are decent, but there’s always something a little off, even if we can’t articulate it. This workshop focuses on voice and tone and showcases writing and revision strategies for infusing a human element. We how to use sentence fluency and word choice to humanize text quickly and effectively without losing the productivity wins technology delivers. We use real AI content your team generates to practice techniques. Most useful for groups using generative AI or preparing to. Run time:?90-120 minutes. Fee: $1500.Can be combined with Revisions for a half-day workshop at a discounted rate
Time & Priority Management
This half-day workshop begins with a review of your organization’s current process for scoping and estimating tasks and projects and assessing competing priorities. We workshop some options to identify and streamlining bottlenecks and friction to create a new approach that eases tension, reduces stress and meets deadlines and benchmarks. Then we discuss strategies to order priorities and limit conflict, introduce a tactic for estimating time required for projects and a framework for managing time more efficiently. Finally, we explore a more efficient way to ask for and give feedback and suggest ways of communicating with clients. Participants leave the workshop with a sense of agency and skills to help them produce high-quality work, deliver exceptional customer service and avoid overwhelm. Designed for agencies and internal teams that serve multiple clients and prioritize both customer service and employee wellbeing. Run time: 4 hours. Fee: $3000. T&P can be combined with one or two of the above workshops to create a full-day training opportunity at a discounted rate.?
Strategies for Climate Storytelling
Research from the Yale Program for Climate Change Communication shows that personal narratives from “people like me” are the most effective way to change minds and spur action. This session operationalizes the research with four workshops that outline the traits of effective climate communication; introduces tips for blending data, examples and explanations to avoid anxiety and overwhelm; guides you in identifying and crafting personal and/or organizational climate connection narratives; and advocating effectively for your position. Most appropriate for organizational teams writing about climate and environmental issues as part of the organization’s mission or ESG initiatives. It’s also effective for environmental educators and interpreters. Run time: 5 hours. Fee: $4000.
Add 30-minute individual coaching sessions to any of the above workshops for $200/person.
领英推荐
Staff Onboarding Writing Workshop
You’ve got standards for content, but they often aren’t articulated clearly enough to expedite getting new hires up to speed. This workshop solves that problem. Ahead of the session, I use samples you provide to identify traits of “good writing” at your organization. Then I develop a playbook combining those models with proven strategies to achieve the quality you desire. I introduce these alongside pre-writing and planning tools, revision tactics and feedback practices. Participants apply the techniques to work in progress and provide feedback on each other’s writing. Next we review project time estimation to help them meet deadlines and improve internal and external customer service. We end with a rapid-fire troubleshooting/Ask Me Anything session. It's a great choice for a small group of new hires or as part of cohort onboarding. Run time: 6 hours or 2 3-hour sessions. Fee: $5000
I have had the privilege of working with Margot for over 15 years. I first met her when I attended one of her workshops and was impressed with her approach to writing, editing and publishing. I have since hired and worked with Margot on corporate training for all staff to improve their writing skills as well as hired her as an individual coach for many of our employees. Her approach resonates with her students, as she allows each individual to develop their own writing style while giving them the tools to be more effective in telling their story with a purpose. She has developed a writing playbook that has become the gold standard for our organization including such fundamental tools as her People-Information-Goals Strategy. One of Margot’s strengths is her outgoing personality and her candidness in fostering open communication with her students while providing constructive feedback. - Josée Rheault, Retired Executive Vice President of Operations for Assuris
Individual Coaching
Big Project Support
Let’s get you ready for the spotlight. Whether it’s a big presentation or a major report, I can coach you through the process with actionable feedback and strategies at regular intervals. Project coaching is a solid investment for assignments that stretch your abilities or test your self-assurance. Directors and managers choose this option to scaffold employees on high-profile work. Our work includes:
You emerge with a solid work product and more confidence. Time frame: 4 weeks maximum. Fee: $1500.
Writing Assessment
Discover what you need to do to a better writer. For this engagement, I assess your writing based on up to 5 samples and suggest strategies and tools you can implement on your own. This is a good option if you want to write more effectively but don’t have the budget for a longer-term coaching contract. Time frame: 1 week to produce the assessment, plus one 30-minute call to review. Fee: $750. If you end up booking a longer engagement, you can apply this fee.?
Coaching Package
Level up your writing with an assessment and a set of four one-hour coaching sessions. The package is a solid choice for people who want to quickly address issues in their writing or need to produce a cover letter or letter of interest. Time frame: 5 weeks maximum. Fee: $1500.
While I consider myself a competent writer when it comes to everyday writing (emails, etc.), I’ve always struggled with writing well for my business, whether it be my website, executive summary, or other marketing documents. Using the straightforward strategies I learned from Margot, I immediately found the courage to tackle projects that had been looming on my task list. Thank you for the great techniques! - Howie Rhee, Director of Business Development, ScholarAI
Message me here or email [email protected] to discuss options and lock in the best rates!