COMM B7530 - Business Writing that Works
Course Description
Good business writing is critical to your success and your company’s image. Writing well is a key business skill at all levels of an organization. To be effective you need to be able to recognize and correct problems, avoid redundancies and define your communication goals. Effective communication requires employees to learn the critical skills needed to write clear, brief, and to the point emails, letters and documents. Participants will practice writing effective business correspondence and learn writing and editing techniques through group discussion and exercises.
Course Outline
Course Overview
- Get to know the participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop
- Students will have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives
Why Write?
- Help participants identify the value of writing
The Four C’s
- Four C’s of writing: clear, concise, complete, and correct
- Participants will practice each C through writing exercises
Word Agreement
- Participants will explore word agreement through a brief lecture and a writing exercise
Active and Passive Voice
- Active vs. Passive Voice
Sentences and Sentence Types
- The structure of sentences and paragraphs
o Participants will apply this knowledge to a writing exercise
Readability Index
- The Gunning Fog Index, also called the readability index, determines the difficulty level of a written piece
o Participants will apply the index to a sample and to their own work
Manners and Courtesy
- Participants will examine and rank several business letters, helping them explore their own style and preference
Practical Language
- It is important to use words that best reflect what you are trying to say
o Students examine some common dilemmas (such as fewer vs. less) and suggested solutions
Inclusive Language
- Political correctness
o Participants will have an opportunity to re-write some exclusive terms to make them inclusive
Sentence Construction
- Two basic rules for constructing sentences are: use construction that makes meaning clear and keep construction parallel
o Participants will re-write sentences that don’t follow these rules
Punctuation
During this session, participants will work in teams to develop a series of test questions for other teams. We have included some key points that you can use to debrief the test.
Writing Business Letters
- Steps for writing a business letter, types of letters, and the parts of a business letter
o Participants will then examine samples of business letters to determine the type and the parts of each letter
Writing Effective E-mails
- Tips on writing effective e-mails and managing mail
Spelling and Proofreading
- Identify common spelling errors and practice proofreading skills
Writing Memos
- Examine memos through a brief lecture
Reviewing Your Writing
- Participants will customize a checklist to help them ensure that each document is the best that they can do.
Writing Challenges
- Participants will work in small groups to identify some possible solutions to the ten most common writing challenges
Workshop Wrap-Up
- Students will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan
Learner Outcomes
At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:o Understand the value of good written communication.
o Write and proofread your work so it is clear, concise, complete, and correct.
o Apply these skills in real world situations.
o Understand the proper format for memos, letters, and e-mails.
