About Lorraine
Lorraine Forrest-Turner is a freelance writer and communication skills trainer with over 30 years’ experience in PR and marketing. She has worked on all sides of the words business: freelance journalist, PR consultant, in-house PR manager, ad agency copywriter, playwright, short story writer, proof reader and content editor. She is a member of the PRCA and the CIPR and an associate trainer for Big Fish Training. She is also the author of four published stage plays, one non-fiction book and numerous short stories. Lorraine describes her career as “diverse” and “an excellent foundation for communication skills training”. She started out in audiology with the NHS (where she worked with deaf and hard of hearing people) before studying performance arts, creative writing and journalism. After several years as a freelance writer, she joined Marlow based PR consultancy, the HPS Group. In 1997, she became PR Manager for the car refinish division of Akzo Nobel Coatings and in 2004 she returned to the HPS Group as part time Senior PR Account Director and freelance trainer. Lorraine has a wide and impressive client list that includes Akzo Nobel, BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce, Mazda, NHS, Discovery Foods, The Harley Medical Group, McLaren Construction, Sovereign Housing, Beaufort Asset Management, Berkeley Homes, 3M and BMI Healthcare.
Training Theory
“We never stop learning. We never know where the next new thing will come from – or what we can use from our past. In my media and presentation skills courses, I use techniques I learnt from being an actress and working with deaf people. In my writing courses, I use techniques from my experience in creative writing, journalism and copywriting. And I’m constantly on the look-out for new ideas, new teachings, new case studies and new developments. I’m always updating my training materials to reflect what’s happening in the business now – and how it could affect our work in the future. I’m also very much aware that everyone learns differently so I try to incorporate as many different teaching methods as possible in my courses.”
Specialisms
Having written professionally for over 30 years, Lorraine specialises in all aspects of writing training. She also specialises in personal communication skills (including presentation training, selling stories into the media, and networking) using her experience in audiology and performance arts. While she has worked for many clients in a wide variety of industries, Lorraine has particular knowledge of the automotive, paints and coatings, and healthcare industries.