Reflections from the Brussels Plain Language Experience 2025
At the Brussels Plain Language Experience
on 7 November 2025, we, Anne Vervier and Greet Angèle De Baets, led a workshop for
trainers, educators, editors, reviewers, team leaders, and internal writing
advisors. Many participants faced the same issue: even good plain-language
training does not automatically create lasting habits. Instead, writers become clearer
through guided practice, especially when they receive constructive
feedback on real texts.
Why Coaching Matters
Our approach builds on thirty years of
working with organisations and teaching writing. People learn to write clearly
not only by hearing the rules, but by applying them with support. Good
feedback helps writers move from understanding to doing. It focuses on three
simple points:
- Know when and how to intervene in
the writing process.
- Give comments that help the author rewrite, instead of rewriting the text yourself.
- Notice and strengthen the author’s positive writing skills.
This way of working supports autonomy,
improves writing skills over time, and helps teams share responsibility for
clear communication.
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| Greet, Anne, and active workshop participants. 📷 Michelle Waitzman |
What Happened in the Room
In the practical part of the workshop, we
worked with short professional texts. We first planned to use documents from the participants’ own organisations. We then chose curated texts instead so everyone could compare approaches more easily, and we could keep the timing manageable.
Participants quickly saw the difference
between comments that correct and comments that guide. Specific, constructive
comments helped authors think, choose, and revise. Even in a short exercise, participants
became more positive, guiding, and helpful in supporting the author.
Several insights stood out. Participants
said:
- Look for the good before revising.
- More peer feedback.
- Edit less, coach more.
- The goal is improvement, not perfection.
Many summed it up like this:
“I don’t always have to rewrite the
text. I can help the author learn instead.”
“I will give positive feedback as well from now on.”
This became the core of our discussion. We
talked about when rewriting is the right choice — for example, when you
are responsible for the final version — and when it is better to guide the author
to revise. Participants also reflected on roles, power dynamics, and how
positive feedback increases motivation to improve.
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| Anne, giving constructive feedback. 📷 Michelle Waitzman |
What Organisations Can Learn
Across the conversations, one message kept
returning: positive and guiding comments create more engagement than
corrective rewriting.
Guiding instead of taking over helps teams,
colleagues, and students communicate more clearly. It also makes the feedback
process more respectful, efficient, and effective.
 |
| Greet, explaining why genuine learning requires effort, not comfort. 📷 Michelle Waitzman |
A Collegial Approach
Throughout the workshop, we promoted
coaching as a shared activity. It is not about correcting from above, but about
supporting from beside. Participants said this change in perspective helped
them rethink how they review texts and advise colleagues.
We are grateful for the engaged,
multilingual group who joined us and for the insights they shared. If you want
to explore feedback-based coaching or introduce these strategies in your
organisation or educational setting, we are happy to continue the conversation.
Greet Angèle De Baets is a part-time lecturer and researcher in organisational and intercultural communication at Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium. She has
over 25 years of experience teaching business and professional communication in
English, German, and Dutch, with a strong focus on clear and effective
language. Her background spans academia, administration, and industry,
including roles as translator, trainer, manager, and communication consultant
in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Germany. She is the author of a Dutch-language book on clear writing, Helder schrijven (2014, 2016). With great passion, she conducts research into experiential approaches to professional training, and provides training in companies and organisations.
Anne Vervier
is a professional trainer with over 30 years of expertise in plain language
training in French-speaking contexts. Based in Brussels, she trains writers in
clear communication for the Belgian federal and regional administrations,
European institutions, and a wide range of public and private organisations in
Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. She is passionate about developing practical
and accessible training methods for both occasional and professional writers.
Anne is the author of two French-language books on clear writing: Rédaction claire (2011) and Courrier clair (2017). Since 2020, she has also
served on the language policy council of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.
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