Getting started with paired writing: the secret to inclusive, collaborative content

Collaborative writing as culture change

Many charities talk about collaboration but find it hard to practice. Subject experts often know what they want to say; comms people know what audiences are looking for. Getting them to meet in the middle can feel like a battle of perspectives.

Paired writing changes that dynamic. Instead of one group briefing the other, both sit together for an hour or two to make something real such as a web page, blog or campaign message. It’s a fast way to move from abstract debate to shared understanding.

By co-creating a piece of content, both sides see where the other is coming from. The session becomes less about polishing words and more about clarifying purpose.

Using the core model to guide the conversation

The core model provides a simple but powerful framework for these sessions. It asks five key questions.

1. What are the user’s tasks?
2. What do we know about their wider context?
3. What is the organisation’s goal?
4. What content will help meet both?
5. Where has the user come from and where will they go next?

Starting here keeps everyone grounded in audience needs rather than internal preferences. It shifts focus from “what do we want to say?” to “what will people find useful?”.

This method also encourages participants to think beyond the single page or campaign to the wider journey a user takes. It’s a natural fit for teams trying to embed more human-centred design into everyday work.

Breaking old patterns

Traditional content discussions can drag on for weeks, stuck in cycles of review, disagreement or silence. Paired writing helps to break that pattern. When people are together, decisions that once took months can be resolved in an afternoon.

Paired writing also helps build more inclusive teams. By bringing different voices and lived experiences into the content process, it levels out hierarchies and creates space for everyone to contribute. Even if a session feels awkward at first, the format encourages openness. People are invited to explore ideas without fear of being ‘wrong’.

Practitioners who use this approach often notice that:

• projects move forward faster
• teams understand audiences better
• comms and programme staff start to speak a shared language

These outcomes ripple outwards, improving collaboration on other projects too.

Making it work in your organisation

You don’t need special tools or long workshops. Start small.

• Pick a live topic: a web page, campaign, or internal guide.
• Invite one subject expert and one comms person: for example you might have a grants manager or a cancer nurse work with a member of the comms team.
• Set up a quick pre-session chat: plan, share insights, prepare and answer any questions.
• Block out time: 60 to 90 minutes.
• Use the core model questions to frame your discussion.
• Draft together: write live, talk through decisions and note what you learn about each other’s assumptions.

End the session with a short reflection: what surprised you, and what would you change next time?

Facilitating effective paired writing

Whether in-person or remote, a little facilitation goes a long way. Setting up pairs in advance, sharing source material, and offering lightweight templates helps participants focus on the user not the logistics.

In our sessions, we encourage pairs to be in the same room when possible, and we check in to support their discussions rather than lead them. The result is a fast-moving, collaborative experience that gets people past the blank page.

From content to culture

Paired writing isn’t just about making better content, it’s about shaping better conversations. When people co-create, they stop seeing ‘comms’ as a service function and start recognising it as a partner in impact.

By focusing on users, purpose and quick experimentation, teams develop a shared understanding that helps them move faster and think bigger.

Try it on your next project. One short session might be all it takes to unlock a new way of working.