Effective Business Writing Skills - Intermediate

Introduction

This course will help you learn to organize your writing so the process of composing a business letter, email or report is smoother and faster. Learn how to choose the best format for your message, organize the information so it's easy to read and condense content for the most effective messaging. Practice crafting a clear response to a complex email and writing a persuasive cover letter.

Over this 2 day workshop, participants practice email, business letters, memos and report writing skills.

Course Objective

After completing the training, you should be able to:

• Compose an effecive business letter, memo, email and report
• Structure your business documents effectively
• Avoid common grammatical mistakes
• Write in a clear, concise style
• Get your message across convincingly
• Organize and structure ideas, logically and with appropriate language structures
• Understand style and tone strategies to the audience

Key Content

Module 1: General Principles of Writing

• Clarifying your objective
• Quick and clear messages
• Who is going to read your documents?

Module 2: Writing Sentences and Paragraphs

• Topic sentence
• Paragraph and sentence length
• Paragraph linking and coherence
• Maintaining consistency of tense
• Using active vs passive voice
• Using positives vs negatives
• Using non-sexist language
• Using jargon and technical terms

Module 2: Writing Emails

• Written communication
• Write with YOU attitude
• Use a positive tone
• Avoid 'you' if it suggests blame
• Focus on the reader
• Focus on the benefits for the reader
• Understand human nature
• Avoid objectionable expressions
• Remember 7Cs of writing
• The opening paragraph - introductory statement
• The middle paragraphs
• The closing paragraph
• Choose an appropriate email style
• Complementary closing

Module 4: Writing Memos

• Memos
• Characteristics of successful memos
• Language
• Writing style and tone
• Types of memos
• Parts of a memo
• Memo format

Module 5: Good Writing Techniques for Business Correspondence

• The best sequence of delivery reflects your contents
• Structuring your text
• How to ask for things without starting a long sequence of replies to replies
• How to give bad news
• Responding to complaints
• Writing complaint emails
• Do's and Don'ts in email

Module 6: Editing Your Work

• Top down approach to improving text
• Effective transitions
• Tips to maximize impact
• Polishing the words
• Polishing your grammar and punctuation
• Proofing your work

Module 7: Report Writing 

• Clarifying your purpose
• Analyzing your audience
• Designing your structure
• Selecting your information
• Drafting and laying out your text
• Editing and proofing your draft

Target Audience