Training

Effective Business Writing Techniques

"The ability to organize and express ideas verbally and in writing is the single most important skill for all employees...the letter, the report or memorandum, are essential tools of the employee."
 - Peter Drucker

Effective Business Writing Techniques consists of 10 lessons, and includes detailed instructor review of your writing.

Course Goals:

• Reduce reader time by 50% and writer time by 25% by employing proper organizing strategies.
• Know the steps for planning and organizing thoughts and ideas.
• Recognize unnecessary and confusing words and phrases and eliminate them
• Get started writing more quickly and finish faster.
• Write more clearly with reader understanding and action as the goal.
• Be able to define the exact purpose for each piece of writing.
• Possess the skills necessary to project a competent and friendly image in letters, memos, e-mail and reports.

Course Outline

1. Introduction and Self-Assessment
   • Lesson Objectives
   • Write As If Your Career Depends On It. It Does!
   • Basic Ingredients: Content and Process
   • Assess Your Business Writing
2. 6-Steps to Effective Business Writing
   • Lesson Objectives
   • Introduction: Preparing to Write
   • The 6-Step Process for Effective Business Writing
   • Step One: Analyze Audience and Determine Purpose
   • Step Two: Generate Content: Concept Mapping, Brainstorming, Free-writing, Outlining
   • Step Three: Categorize Information and Organize Information
   • Step Four: Sequence the Concepts
   • Step Five: Write First Draft
   • Step Six: Edit
3. Ready, Fire, Aim: The Importance of Organization
   • Lesson Objectives
   • Overview of Organization
   • Inductive and Deductive Arrangement
   • Summary Statements
   • Openings and Closings
   • Critical Elements
   • Avoiding Writer's Block
   • Organizing the Information
4. Memos: Structure, Tone and Tactics
   • Lesson Objectives
   • Introduction to Memos
   • Memo Writing Techniques
   • Memo Format
   • Using Direct Techniques to Deliver Bad News
   • Using Indirect Techniques to Deliver Bad News
   • Practice Exercise
5. Letters: Structure, Templates and Customary Formats
   • Lesson Objectives
   • Effective Letter Writing
   • Letter Templates
   • Letter Structure
   • Using Headings in Letters
   • Practice Exercise (instructor feedback of your writing)
6. E-mail: Structure, Use and Conventions
   • Lesson Objectives
   • E-mail Considerations
   • E-mail Techniques
   • E-mail Structure
   • E-mail Use
   • E-mail Language
   • Practice Exercise (instructor feedback of your writing)
7. Reports: Structure and Strategy
   • Lesson Objectives
   • Overview of Reports
   • Order of Elements in a Formal Report
   • Breakdown of Element: Front Matter, Body, and Back Matter
   • The Executive Summary
8. Style: Organization and Presentation
   • Lesson Objectives
   • Headings and Sub-headings
   • Using White Space
   • Using Sidelines
   • Using Tables, Graphs and Illustrations
   • Overall Considerations
9. Style: Word Choice
   • Lesson Objectives
   • Active Voice vs. Passive Voice
   • Eliminate "Deadwood" and Using Straight Talk
   • Don't "Smother" Verbs
   • Reader-Focused Wording
   • Quiz
10. Style: Tone
    • Lesson Objectives
    • Gender Language
    • Overall Tone Considerations
    • Quiz

Wrap-Up

• Evaluate Training
• Receive Certificate of Completion and Skill Improvement Measurements

Contact us for more training information. Fee is $325.

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