Simon Hertnon

Simon is a vastly experienced author and trainer-consultant who has been delivering his Writing Essentials course for Wellington Uni-Professional since 2008.

Simon is passionate about the endless benefits gained by humans ‘living wisely’, which is why he specialises in teaching both writing skills and sustainability.

‘Living sustainably and living wisely are the same thing,’ he explains. ‘It’s the ultimate challenge of our age, and it’s why I share my helpful knowledge of sustainability, and why I teach others how to share their helpful knowledge through their writing.’

Simon is also passionate about addressing the negative impacts of incessant information oversupply. Quoting US author, Leo Babauta, who wrote in 2008 that ‘We’re drinking from a firehose of information … It’s stressful and wasteful,’ Simon says, ‘This is why I create short courses and concise guides, and why I teach others how to write concisely.’

Simon advocates for better writing skills training for teachers, and for society-wide adoption of a clear information standard, starting with the public service. He reminds leaders that ‘plain language’ is correctly defined in our Plain Language Act as writing that is ‘clear, concise, and well organised’. ‘This is just good writing,’ Simon says, ‘and everyone should know how to write well.’

Simon is the author of three non-fiction books, including two editions of the Writing Essentials course guidebook, Clear Concise Compelling. He was also the contributing editor and publisher of Strong Sustainability for New Zealand (2009) and, in 2019, he published (as William Henry) his first novel.

Simon has been teaching writing skills in both the public and private sectors since 2002, and is a Victoria University of Wellington alumni. He has been a judge for the Plain Language Awards since 2011.

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