About us
What we do
The Professional Training Company delivers superior communication training and consulting to professionals—especially engineers and scientists—and to executives of professional organizations.
On-site corporate training
We deliver most of our programs as tailored, on-site seminars, enrolling 8-15 participants. We also make instructional presentations to large groups. All seminars and projects are led by principals or associates who are experienced, educated, and entertaining.
Distance learning
The Writing by Design™ series is available as distance learning courses.
Consulting and special projects
We consult in many areas, including management team-building and strategic communication. Our strategic communication plans help organizations align their documents and interpersonal practices with their missions and goals.
We groom executives and key professionals for media interviews and other stressful public presentations. We develop performance support products, including usable policy and procedures manuals and corporate style guides.
Whom we serve
Our distinguished clientele includes national laboratories, electronics manufacturers, government agencies, medical equipment manufacturers, biotechnology laboratories, and universities.
Who we are
We are subject matter experts with superior platform skills.All principals and associates possess advanced degrees in their fields and decades of training and consulting experience. Our classes are both engaging and entertaining. Participants learn valuable skills and enjoy the process. They routinely give us the highest ratings on feedback sheets.
Principals
Helen Moody, Principal
Training and Consulting Specialties:
Scientific and Technical Writing; Team-Building for Scientists and Engineers; Leadership Training for Scientists and Engineers; Presentations Training.
Other Services:
Instructional
Design; Process improvement; Website Design; Online Documentation Design; Speech Writing.
Helen Moody, PhD, applies the lively learning of the humanities
to problems faced by science and engineering. Since 1980, her company
has served a distinguished clientele that includes national and
federal laboratories, research and development organizations, utilities,
and manufacturers. She has created hundreds of publications, Web sites,
and training programs — including Presentation Strategies for Scientists and Engineers; TeamWork in Action™; the Writing by Design™ series; Good Grammar, Good Style™; and PowerEditing™.
Before founding her company, Dr. Moody taught at San Jose State University and at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned her doctorate, in English. Past President of the New Mexico Chapter of the International Society for Performance Improvement, she is a member of the Medieval Academy of America and a senior member of the Society for Technical Communication, as well as President of the Society's Kachina Chapter.
Richard Borthwick, Principal
Training and Consulting Specialties:
Executive Presentation and Media Coaching; Presentations Training.
Other Services:
Keynote Speaker; Special Event Speaker.
A professional actor, director, and drama coach, Richard Borthwick helps executives craft their public presence in business and politics. He shares the expertise acquired through 20 years in the British theatre, film, and television industries with leaders who represent their organizations—whether in the media, at corporate events, or before legislative committees.
In addition, Mr. Borthwick is an entertaining public speaker, whose humorous and thought-provoking topics include Applying the Actor's 5 Questions to Business Decisions and Murder, Mayhem, and Other Management Techniques from Shakespeare.
Before treading the boards, Mr. Borthwick
enjoyed a youthful stint as an engineer,
during which he had the privilege of
working on the new library for Trinity
College, Dublin—the home of the Book
of Kells.
He is a graduate of London's venerable
Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts (now
part of the University of London), where
he studied with Stephen Berkhoff and
other noted actors. He has appeared with
some of England's most distinguished
performers, including Sir
Laurence Olivier and Sir Michael Caine.
He has a Bacon
number of 2.