Queensland Business Writers Conference 2025

12 May 2025

SOLD OUT
Registrations for the conference have now closed as we’ve reached capacity.
See below for details on how to get onto the waiting list.

Queensland’s premier training day for government and corporate communicators is back!

QBWC 2025

Enough talk – let’s get practical!

Since 2012, the Queensland Business Writers Conference has provided a unique training day for government and corporate communicators.

Australia isn’t lacking for conferences, but our point of difference has always been the learning. As communicators, we can debate current issues and best practice until the cows come home. But, at some point, we must put it into practice!

That’s the goal of our 10th Brisbane conference – less ‘what’ and more ‘how’. As workplace writers, we face new challenges and opportunities all the time. Let’s get practical on how to take full advantage of them.

Join us at QBWC 2025 for engaging topics and real-world advice that you can use in your work immediately.

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Who should attend?

If you write content as part of your job, this event is for you!

You work in an area where effective written communication is key, including:

communications
human resources
administration
policy and regulation
sales
finance
information technology
and more!

Whether you’re in government, industry or education, join us for writing training that’s practical, real world and immediately useful.

Speakers

Mel Loy

Hey Mel! Communications & Training

Wayne Aspland

The Content Factory

Lauren Elise Daniels

Brisbane Writers Workshop

Kevin Galvin

me2 Accessibility

Judy Gregory

Judy Gregory Writer

Program

Click on a session topic to read more.

Write it Plain | Write it Easy

Speaker: Judy Gregory

Can’t you just write it in plain English? And maybe we need an easy English version!

Plain English is a concept that’s easy to understand and difficult to deliver. Easy English is like plain English on steroids: very easy to read, but enormously difficult to write.

We all know that workplace writing should be plain and straightforward. Readers need to understand our work and act on it quickly, even if they don’t know much about the topic. Sometimes, we’re asked to write simplified ‘easy English’ versions of documents, specifically for readers with low literacy. But how can we write either plain or easy in workplaces that appear to celebrate complexity?

In this session, we’ll talk about the difference between plain English and easy English. We’ll discuss some practical strategies for turning complex ideas into something that’s plain or easy. We’ll look at case studies and have some fun rewriting complex text (think of it as mental gymnastics for your Monday morning).

Your GenAI journey: From go to pro in a few short steps

Speaker: Wayne Aspland

There’s a good reason why the world has hit the hype button on Generative AI. This new technology can streamline and improve the quality of everything we do – from planning to research to writing to measurement.

But this is just the beginning. GenAI has the potential to reinvent not just our work, but the very fabric of our profession.

Most of us are only at the start of our GenAI journey and still working out what it all means. So, in this session, we’ll answer three of your top-of-mind questions:

~ What does GenAI mean to the communications profession?
~ What’s in it for me?
~ How can I make the most of GenAI in my role?

Selling the dream: Writing for results in government and corporate content

Speaker: Lauren Elise Daniels

We may not always realise it but, as workplace writers, we write to get a result every day. The goals might change and the plans might be simple or complex, but, usually, we want readers to understand, do or feel something.

Whether we write emails, business cases, web content, client correspondence, social media, briefs or internal communications, we need polished persuasive writing techniques to get the required result.

Join us as we lift our writing practice to inspire audiences, rally support and invite partnerships to:

~ make a case or an argument
~ change minds or behaviour
~ inspire action or positive conversation
~ justify resources or budget
~ improve or initiate processes
~ get ‘buy-in’.

Reach and resonate: Change communication strategies that create trust in disruptive times

Speaker: Mel Loy

Whether it’s digital transformation or a complete organisational restructure, the pace of change in our workplaces has never been this fast – and change has never been as big or frequent. With this trend continuing into 2025, demand for clear, trustworthy and empathetic communication has never been greater.

Current employee surveys show that staff feel out of the loop, nervous or just exhausted by change during these disruptive times. As communicators, how can we best engage with these staff and bring them on the change journey?

In this session, you’ll learn how a practical, human-centred framework can help you create communication that speaks to hearts and minds, and creates trust, during times of change.

A few more steps: The writer’s role in creating accessible documents for all

Speaker: Kevin Galvin

Not that long ago, documents couldn’t leave an organisation until editorial experts reviewed, edited and approved them in line with strict guidelines. But those days are probably over.

Due to new technology, tight deadlines and staff under-resourcing, anyone in any business area can create and distribute documents. Which means they’re also responsible for making documents easy to access and use, regardless of a reader’s device or ability.

Accessibility is no longer a nice-to-have – it’s the law. But don’t panic! It’s not difficult (or onerous) to give readers what they need. From the initial Word document to the final PDF, there are simple steps to creating a document that meets accessibility guidelines and user needs.

Don’t know what you don’t know? Join us for this session where we’ll give you the steps and answer all your questions about writing, formatting and publishing accessible documents in 2025.