Writers are everywhere — in fact, there are so many people who think of themselves as writers that it can be hard to walk through a room without spotting a few.

Unfortunately, not all of these writers are cut out for prime time and even fewer have the skill it requires to manage a successful corporate writing seminar. If it’s your job to find a writer to aid in professional development at your company, the job’s a tough one, but your efforts will be rewarded if you make sure your candidates have the following characteristics:

Comfort with public speaking. This should go without saying, but many times it’s assumed that writers who offer themselves as corporate trainers are easy and comfortable speakers. It’s just not always the case. Writers can tend to be introverts who jealously guard their privacy, so before you contract with one make sure you’ve got a chance to see them in action.

A long and varied writing portfolio. Plenty of writers make their living as a one-trick pony. There are tons of blogs to be written, catalog items to be described and technical documents to prepare, after all. When you’re looking for a corporate trainer, though, you want someone who has engaged in a number of different writing styles — this way you can be sure your writer can train your workers in exactly the skills they need.

Training experience. There are excellent speakers and excellent writers, but even someone who is the best of both worlds may not be excellent teachers. Teaching requires both patience and an attention for detail that many simply don’t have. If your corporate trainer has experience with students, training writers for various projects or is simply a natural, your workers will get an education like no other.

By bringing in the right corporate writing trainer, your employees will learn a better way to write that improves communications, reduces lost time spent trying to decode email messages and increases your bottom line. There’s little in the world of business that clear, efficient communication can’t improve — when you’re ready for some serious training efforts, bringing in an outside writer may be just what your company needs.