Training & Presentations

Teaching Approach

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, 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.

Signature Curricula

Core Courses Developed & Taught by Merrill

Courses that have trained hundreds of journalists, editors, and corporate communicators.

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Writers Without Editors

How to Edit Your Own Work

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.

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Clarity & Organization

Becoming a More Effective Writer

Mastering the architecture of complex information. Focuses on organizing massive amounts of research, choosing the right structural model (Inverted Pyramid vs. Martini Glass), and ensuring seamless narrative transitions.

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ACES In-Depth & Advanced Editing

Professional Certification Series

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.

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Business Editing in Depth

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.

Methodology

Key Structural Frameworks in Merrill’s Seminars

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The Inverted Pyramid

The quintessential news structure: placing critical takeaways and crucial context upfront, followed by supporting evidence, nuance, and background in descending order of urgency.

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The Martini Glass Model

Ideal for narrative features and longform pieces: an engaging, wide opening hook and nut graf, narrowing into a chronological narrative stem, and concluding with a wider, reflective base.

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Boxes & Questions

A method for organizing vast investigation notes into thematic boxes based on specific reader questions, avoiding chronological sprawl and keeping the piece focused on reader value.

Venues & Audiences

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)

Newsrooms & Media Outlets

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 & Academic Press

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
Columbia Scholastic Press Association
College Media Association (CMA)
The New York Times Student Journalism Institute
Mohonk Mountain House "Wonderful World of Words"