Training & Presentations
Customized, engaging workshops and webinars that empower writers and editors to produce their clearest, most compelling work.
Transforming the Writer’s Mindset into the Reader’s Perspective
Great writing isn’t just about grammar rules — it’s about structural clarity, empathy for the audience, and disciplined self-editing.
For decades, Merrill Perlman has designed and delivered landmark training courses for institutions like The Poynter Institute, ACES: The Society for Editing, The Weather Channel, and Rotary International, as well as national newsrooms, corporate communications departments, law firms, and universities.
Her workshops are renowned for being practical, humorous, interactive, and directly relevant to participants’ daily writing challenges.
Core Courses Developed & Taught by Merrill
Courses that have trained hundreds of journalists, editors, and corporate communicators.
Writers Without Editors
How to Edit Your Own Work — The Poynter Institute
A 4-week flagship program developed from scratch. Teaches reporters, content managers, and writers how to step back from their drafts, spot logical gaps, tighten syntax, and self-edit from the reader’s point of view before publication.
Clarity & Organization
Becoming a More Effective Writer — The Poynter Institute
Mastering the architecture of complex information. Focuses on organizing massive amounts of research, choosing the right structural frameworks, and ensuring seamless narrative transitions.
ACES In-Depth & Advanced Editing
Professional Certification Series — The Poynter Institute
Co-developed with ACES: The Society for Editing. Deep-dive masterclass covering the art and science of editing, nuance, tone calibration, cross-checking facts, and management of sensitive editorial disputes.
Business Editing in Depth
Bespoke Online Training — Reynolds Center for Business Journalism
“10 Things You’d Better Know” — self-guided and instructor-led training tailored to business reporters, financial writers, and corporate communicators handling numbers, earnings, and economic trends.
Where Merrill Has Presented & Keynoted
Professional Journalism Societies
- ACES: The Society for Editing (Annual presenter & panelist)
- Dow Jones News Fund
- The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education
- Unity: Journalists of Color
- National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)
- National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ)
- Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA)
- Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication (AEJMC)
- Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA)
- College Media Association (CMA)
Newsrooms & Media Outlets
- Alaska Press Club
- The Weather Channel (Atlanta, GA)
- Fox News / FoxNews.com
- SmartBrief Digital Newsletters
- Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)
- The Baltimore Sun
- The Denver Post
- Sarasota Herald-Tribune & The Gainesville Sun
- The New England Newspaper & Press Association
Corporate, Law, & Organizations
- New York Public Library (“A Night in the Day of a Copy Editor”)
- Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
- Pryor Cashman LLP
- Gladstone Place Partners & West End Strategy
- Mohonk Mountain House “Wonderful World of Words”