Practical Communication Workshops for VCSE Organisations

Your clients will notice and appreciate your new way of speaking.

Language should not be a barrier to accessing your services

Practical training for VCSE organisations that helps you speak clearly, write accessibly and work safely with interpreters so that even those with a low English level can access your support.

We've worked with

SOUND FAMILIAR?

You are committed to supporting migrants, but language creates barriers

You don’t want to rely on the excuse that some communities are just ‘hard to reach.’ You want your whole community to access your services, but those who speak English as a Foreign Language face additional barriers.

Front-facing staff and volunteers want to help migrants, but not everyone feels confident overcoming the language barrier. Even when there is a budget for interpreters, things don’t always go smoothly. Informal interpreters sometimes help out, but is this a safeguarding risk? When you look at your website and leaflets through the eyes of someone new to the country, you wonder how much sense they make.

You want to feel confident that non English speakers can participate in activities and access your services, and you worry that you are falling short.

What a migrant may be experiencing

For a migrant, finding your organisation can be a huge relief and a moment of real hope. Especially if their needs have gone unmet by statutory services, your support may feel like a lifeline.

Now imagine the disappointment if your website or leaflet makes little sense, even with machine translation. Or the frustration if, at their first appointment, conversations move too quickly, or the interpreter is unskilled.

BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY

With the right communication strategies, your organisation can:

Make your services easier to understand and access
Increase referral accuracy and reduce confusion at first contact
Run safer, more efficient interpreting sessions
Strengthen safeguarding conversations through clearer language
Engage a wider range of communities with confidence

When you train staff to use Global English, communication becomes more accessible and people from all language backgrounds feel included.

And that's exactly what you'll learn in these workshops!

HI, I'M SHELLEY PURCHON

I spent 25 years teaching English to people from around the world, including refugees, asylum seekers and migrants navigating complex UK systems.

I saw first-hand how capable adults can be excluded by language – when information is delivered too quickly, too densely or with cultural assumptions built in.

Over time, I became highly skilled at communicating in clear, dignified Global English. I saw the relief on learners’ faces when they understood me.

Since 2018 I’ve been sharing these skills with staff who need to be understood by speakers of English as a Foreign Language.

Small changes made a big difference:

Replacing idioms with clear language
Simplifying referral pathways
Structuring conversations for interpreters
Reducing complexity in forms and websites

Again and again, organisations discovered that when they improved linguistic accessibility for migrants, everyone benefitted.

This unique training is practical, realistic and grounded in lived experience.

Imagine your services becoming easier to access for everyone

Your website uses clearer, more accessible language
Your referral pathways are simpler and more accurate
Interpreting sessions are efficient and safe
Staff feel confident speaking to people with limited English
Beneficiaries feel relief rather than confusion

Introducing…

Our Communication Workshops for improved Equality Diversity and Inclusion

Book all 3 workshops, or choose the ones you need most.

Practical details

✔️ Each workshop lasts 2 hours.

✔️ Up to 20 participants per session.

✔️ Face-to-face or online

✔️ VCSE discount available

✔️ Prices for groups range from ~~£600~~ £525 to ~~£800~~ £700 depending whether a consultation to develop bespoke training is required.

✔️If it’s just for you, we’ll put you on a waiting list. You’ll receive a notification when the next session is taking place.

5 Star feedback

This Is For You If

You volunteer or work in the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector.

Not just for migrant or refugee charities but also for-

Advocacy organisations
Law centres or advice services
Community organisations
VCSE health and care providers
Arts Organisations
Community gardens

Case study

Our work with Connected Voice Advocacy

As well as Advocacy services, Connected Voice provides VCSE infrastructure for Newcastle and Gateshead. They have been a valued customer since 2019. They saw the impact of our training immediately and started to recommend us to VCSE organisations in the network.

Over the years all front-facing staff have attended the 3 workshops, in group sessions or by purchasing tickets for our open sessions.

In 2025 we worked collaboratively to improve their referral pathway, Mission Statement, course descriptions and leaflets.

“Since updating the ‘Work With Us’ button and improving the referral pathway, we’ve seen a clear reduction in incorrect referrals and a more efficient process overall. It has made our referral form more accessible, helping people access advocacy easier, and ensures that we receive the right information from the start. This allows us to begin supporting them sooner.”
Connected Voice Duty Administrator

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to some of our most commonly asked questions below

How long is the training?

All our workshops are 2 hours long.

Can you hold this training in-house?

Yes. We can deliver the workshop online or in-house. Depending on your location, in-person training may incur a small additional cost.

Who delivers the training?

Workshops 1 and 3 and delivered by our founding director, Shelley Purchon. Workshop 2 is delivered by leading interpreter Marta Leigh.

Is this just for groups?

No, we also deliver training to individuals, who can book on to mixed-group sessions. These sessions don’t focus on health and social care research, the tips are more generalised to staff in a wide range of roles. To find out more, request a mixed group session when you click on ‘Enquire now.’ In our reply we’ll let you know which workshops we have coming up, and we’ll add your name to the waitlist if nothing is scheduled already. Prices start at £60 per person.

Is there any follow-up?

Yes. Bespoke workshops include a consultation before and after the workshop.

Is this training just for organisations that support migrants?

No, it’s also for community gardens, advocacy providers, youth organisations, arts organisations etc. All organisations that want the non-English speakers in their community to participate more will benefit.

Can this training help us communicate better with volunteers whose first language isn’t English?

Yes, the workshops on how to speak and how to write will help you recruit and communicate with diverse volunteers.

How does this training support safeguarding?

First of all, untrained interpreters present a safeguarding risk, because their interpreting is unsafe. The workshop on how to work with interpreters will help you avoid unsafe interpreting. Secondly, safeguarding is a UK-specific term and poorly understood by many migrants. Therefore extra care is required when explaining that in the UK, data can be shared without consent to protect someone from harm. Our training on how to write and how to speak can help.

We already attended training on how to write accessible Comms. How is yours different?

It has an added element which others don’t have: insights into what’s confusing about the English language for the global majority. Some of the vocabulary recommendations made by the Plain English campaign don’t actually work for a global readership. We explain this in workshop 3, and provide guidelines to help you write Plain English that’s easier for everyone, not just for those who grew up speaking English.

Is the workshop accessible for staff with different learning styles?

Yes. The session is interactive, visual and practical, with plenty of examples, opportunities to try techniques and space to ask questions.

Can small organisations attend open sessions?

Yes. Upcoming sessions are available via Eventbrite for individuals or small teams. You’ll be joined by participants from a range of fields.

Do you offer a VCSE discount for tickets to open sessions?

We always offer a VCSE discount for group bookings, and sometimes for open sessions. Email us to ask if a discount is currently available for the ticketed session you are interested in.

Do we have to book all three workshops?

No. You can book the ones most relevant to your organisation. If you’re not sure where to start, request a discovery call when you fill the enquiry form.