Business Letter Writing Course

Our Business Letter Writing Course is designed to help professionals master the art of crafting clear, concise, and effective business letters. This course covers everything from proper formatting and tone to structuring letters that achieve your objectives, whether it’s for formal communication, requests, or client relations. Learn key strategies for creating letters that leave a professional impression and drive results.

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Course Overview

Our Business Letter Writing Course provides professionals with the essential skills to write clear, concise, and well-structured business letters. The course covers the fundamentals of proper formatting, ensuring letters have a polished, professional appearance. Also learn how to strike the right tone, whether you’re writing a formal letter, a request, or a customer response.

The course delves into the strategy behind writing letters that achieve specific objectives. Discover techniques for crafting persuasive messages, handling sensitive communications, and addressing clients or stakeholders confidently and clearly. Practical exercises help you apply these techniques to real-world scenarios, ensuring letters are both effective and appropriate for any audience.

By the end of our Business Letter Writing Course, you'll have mastered the art of writing impactful business letters. You’ll be equipped to create professional correspondence that leaves a positive impression, builds relationships, and drives results, regardless of the situation or industry.

INDIVIDUALS

$645

Online self-paced course available for individuals.

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GROUPS

Online self-paced course and instructor-led training can be customized to match your needs. Group discounts apply.

Customize for Groups

This Course Includes:

Ten detailed lessons on the fundamentals of effective business letter writing, including both substance and syntax.
Downloadable resources and training materials to maintain the practical skills learned throughout the training.
A list of simple tools and outside resources to continually hone writing skills.
Detailed, individualized written instructor feedback on actual business letters.

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Skills gained in this course:

Write clear, tailored letters to external and internal readers.
Convey sensitive information in business letters with tact and clarity.
Improve clarity by using succinct, engaging, and correct language.
Eliminate bloat and highlight only the information that matters.
Learn correct grammar and punctuation.
Reduce time writing by at least 25%.

Individual written feedback for every student

Receive detailed, individualized written feedback on your business letter writing from an expert instructor.

Our feedback includes both subjective and objective feedback, a personal grammar diagnosis, and additional helpful resources.

Objective feedback:

Is the business letter based fully on reader's needs and perspective?
Is the business letter logically organized?
Does the reader have all the information needed (and none that is not needed) to achieve the objective of the letter?

Subjective feedback:

Is the proper use of active voice or passive voice being used?
Is word choice clear and strong?
Can you cut any unnecessary words?
Are there any grammar errors?

Flexible Business Letter Writing Course Deliveries to Match your Needs.

Online course for individuals or groups

This online, self-paced business letter writing course allows individuals and teams to train on their own schedules. Students have 24/7 access to the course, a dedicated instructor, and also receive instructor feedback.

This video will illustrate the course and instructor feedback. (It's based on another course, but the model is the same.)

Virtual instructor-led course for groups

Virtual training allows for highly engaging instruction, exercises, and discussion in a professional setting. Learners complete activities in breakout rooms with fellow students, break down documents individually and are encouraged to participate in conversations and ask questions about these essential skills.

Onsite instructor-led course for groups

In-person training is highly interactive, with many individual and shared activities. Groups work together at your location to deconstruct documents, deep dive into individual writing concerns, plan an upcoming document, and more.

Who Should Enroll in Our Business Letter Writing Course

Business letters are used in any situation that requires formal, documented, and professional communication between businesses, clients, vendors, or employees.

Any Role that Writes Formal Communication with Clients or Customers

Business letters are used widely in many roles when formal, documented and professional writing is required.

Vendor and Procurement Roles

Business letters are often used to negotiate terms, place orders, confirm deliveries, or resolve disputes with vendors and suppliers.

Human Resources

HR departments use business letters for job offers, promotion notices, termination letters, and policy communications. These are often sensitive letters, open to litigation, which require finesse and skill.

Legal and Contractual Roles

Legal teams use business letters to send demand notices, confirm contract agreements, or communicate legal obligations and clarifications.

Accounts Receivable and Finance Roles

Formal letters are used to remind clients of overdue payments or to negotiate payment plans, maintaining professionalism and legal protection.

Leadership and Sales

Businesses and professionals send thank you letters to clients, partners, or employees to express gratitude for business, partnerships, or contributions.

Certificate of Completion

Participants will earn a personalized digital certificate after finishing this business letter writing course. This can be displayed on a LinkedIn profile, downloaded to print and hang, or mentioned in a résumé.

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Course Structure

Our Business Letter Writing Course is structured to guide participants through the essentials of crafting clear, professional, and effective business letters.

Getting Started

Introduction and Self-Assessment

Review the objectives and breakdown of the course content. Share specific course goals, and tell us about the typical business letters you write.

Lesson 1

6-Steps to Effective Business Letter Writing

Learn a practical framework for effective business letter writing. This six-step process helps you understand the strategies needed to write a clear letter. This process will allow you to reduce writing time by 25% on every letter you write.

Lesson 2

Business Letter Planning

Analyzing your audience frames everything about a business letter. It forms the framework for tailored content and organization.

We address the best planning process to generate information and plan business letters to ensure readers receive information tailored to what they need.

Lesson 3

Business Letter Organization

Learn to format business letters to foster clarity, professionalism, and ease of communication. This will help the recipient understand your message more easily. A clean, scannable format also reflects the sender's credibility and helps maintain a consistent, organized approach to formal communication.

This lesson focuses on how to organize and sequence information appropriately.

Lesson 4

Summary Statements

Summarizing the core message in a business letter is important because it provides the recipient with a clear and concise overview of key points, making it easier to understand the purpose and main takeaways.

A well-crafted summary helps ensure that the letter’s intent is quickly grasped, reducing the chances of miscommunication and reinforcing the core message.

Lesson 5

Writing a Business Letter to an External Reader

Learn best practices when writing to external stakeholders.

A writing mistake to a team member may be overlooked, but you can be sure it will be noticed by a new customer, supplier, or regulator.

Considering the target audience plays a role in all external documents.

Lesson 6

Writing a Business Letter to an Internal Reader

Writing a business letter to an internal reader can be challenging because it requires balancing professionalism with the familiarity of workplace relationships. Nuanced issues often present.

Additionally, the writer must consider the reader’s existing knowledge of the subject and ensure that the message is tailored appropriately without over-explaining or omitting crucial details.

Navigating office dynamics, hierarchy, and expectations adds further complexity, as the tone and content must align with internal protocols while fostering effective communication.

Lesson 7

Writing a Business Letter with Sensitive Content

Writing a business letter that conveys sensitive information is challenging because it requires striking the right balance between clarity and tact.

Learn to communicate the necessary details without causing unnecessary alarm, offense, or misunderstanding, all while maintaining professionalism and empathy.

Learn to choose words carefully to avoid sounding too harsh or too vague, especially when delivering bad news or addressing delicate issues such as layoffs, performance concerns, or legal matters.

Lesson 8

Format Considerations

Learn to write a business letter that is easy to scan visually.

Headings, white space, typography, visual structure, and the best graphical representation of information are addressed.

Lesson 9

Clarity and Word Choice

Ensure your business letters are a pleasure to read with clear and concise language by sweeping away bloat. Present your information competently and confidently.

This module ensures that your sentences are accurate, succinct, and engaging.

Lesson 10

Grammar and Syntax

Proofreading and grammar are crucial in business letters because they directly impact clarity, professionalism, and credibility. Little mistakes emote carelessness.

Learn to correct grammar, punctuation, or spelling errors that can lead to misunderstandings, distort the intended meaning, and reflect poorly on both the sender and the organization.

What Will Writing Look Like After This Training?

Complex information is conveyed clearly.

Writing time is significantly reduced.

Well-organized, relevant content is included.

Designed and formatted to be easy to read.

Disagreements and bad news are professional.

Writer’s block is avoided through planning.

Tone and readability are considered.

Persuasion is clear and effective.

Competent, clear, and professional.

Grammar errors are identified and corrected.

Expert Feedback for Every Student

Personal feedback from an expert instructor takes any professional writing to the next level. To truly improve writing habits and create strong writing skills, both course instruction and feedback on actual writing are needed.

Our feedback includes both subjective and objective feedback, in addition to a personal grammar diagnosis and additional helpful resources.

Meet the Mentors of Business Letter Writing Excellence

Elisabeth O'Quinn

Elisabeth has a unique combination of business and business writing acumen, with an extensive background in writing, editing, and content marketing management.

She has supported a wide range of businesses, writing blog articles, white papers, presentations, and editing business documents. She has supported many of our clients with rave reviews of her writing feedback, helping countless participants with their technical report writing skills.

Elisabeth lives in Georgia with her cat and rescue pup. In addition to writing, she loves traveling with her twin sister, learning German, and creating watercolor prints.

Grace Cuddy

Grace provides individual executive business writing coaching to senior and bilingual clients and leads instructor-led group training for our clients. She also supports our instructor training and mentoring program.

She is an expert in business writing and loves to help students improve their technical writing skills.

She is bilingual in English and Spanish and has a keen sensitivity to global writing. She has a strong background in corporate communication and management and successfully developed cross-functional writing and communication processes in a large corporate team.

She enjoys yoga, travel, and dance. She splits her time between New York City and Madrid.

Katie Almeida Spencer

Katie is an experienced Business Writing and English as a Second Language instructor, business English writing coach, and teacher trainer. She taught Business Skills and Academic Writing at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

She is very skilled at evaluating both the substance and language of business documents. Her writing critiques, instruction, and coaching have received stellar evaluations from our clients at Chartis Consulting, DuPont, Shell, Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council, and the World Wildlife Fund.

She holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Rhode Island and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her areas of expertise include business writing and technical report writing, proposal writing, English courses, and syntax and non-native writing.

Course feedback and testimonials

Senior Air Force staff were trained on letters and memos sent to Congress and executive leadership. After this training, it was expanded to the entire Acquisitions team.

View our course evaluation on Survey Monkey.

This course provided me with several tools and resources I didn't know existed. I now have a few techniques to use when writing letters to my attorney general's office or to department directors. I now feel that the caliber of my communication is on par with someone in my position.

State Administrative Manager

State of New Jersey

Mary was an amazing instructor - motivational and informative! Thank you!

Deputy Director, SAF/AQX

U.S. Air Force

Instructor was amazing, extremely knowledgable and engaging.

Acquisition Program Executive Officer

U.S. Air Force

There are many things in this training I will implement immediately, resources like the 6 steps, the proof reading checklist as well as the grammar tools. The most important thing I will take away and use is that I need to dedicate more time to the planning of my writing than the drafting of it.

Principle Licensing Specialist

ClearEdge Partners

Become a better business letter writer

Sign up today or schedule a discussion to become a stronger business letter writer.

INDIVIDUALS

$645

Enroll now

GROUPS

We offer customized and flexible online, virtual, and onsite courses, workshops, and classes that match your company’s needs.

Schedule a call

Frequently Asked Questions

Who should take this Business Letter Writing Course?

This business letter writing training course is ideal for professionals at any level who need to improve their business letter writing skills. It benefits employees, managers, and executives who regularly communicate with clients, partners, or colleagues.

Whether you’re new to business writing or want to refine your skills, this course provides practical tools to enhance your communication.

Procurement professionals, HR, legal and contractual roles, accounts receivable and payable professionals, and leadership and sales professionals all write business letters that are critical to business.

Do I need prior experience to enroll in this course?

Whether you’re new to business letter writing or want to refine your advanced skills, this course provides practical tools and detailed instructor feedback on your writing to enhance your communication.

How long does the Business Letter Writing Course take to complete?

For all delivery options, the average time on task to complete this course is seven hours. All delivery options offer flexible scheduling options.

Will I receive feedback on my writing during the course?

Yes, all delivery options of our business letter writing course include personalized feedback on your writing assignments.

Our experienced instructors review your work, provide constructive feedback, and offer guidance to help you improve your writing style, clarity, and professionalism. This feedback ensures that you gain practical skills that can be applied immediately in your workplace.

View a demo of the detailed, individualized feedback that participants receive in the course.

How can this course benefit my career?

A business letter writing course can significantly enhance your career by developing your professional communication skills, a critical asset in almost any industry. Here are some specific ways it can help:

1. Improves Clarity and Professionalism: Effective business letters require a balance of clarity, formality, and professionalism. Learning to communicate precisely and professionally helps you make a strong impression on clients, partners, and colleagues.

2. Boosts Efficiency: Writing well-structured, purpose-driven letters saves time for you and your readers. With better organization and clear language, you can convey key points quickly, which is appreciated in fast-paced business environments.

3. Enhances Persuasive Communication: Many business letters are crafted to persuade, whether you're making a proposal, delivering a recommendation, or addressing a concern. Knowing how to present ideas persuasively can improve your ability to influence others positively.

4. Strengthens Client and Stakeholder Relationships: Strong written communication fosters trust and builds better relationships with clients, vendors, and partners, helping to ensure that your communications are clear, respectful, and well-received.

5. Increases Career Advancement Opportunities: Solid writing skills can be a differentiator in career advancement. Effective writers are often trusted with more responsibilities, such as managing client communications, drafting proposals, or handling complex situations diplomatically.

6. Expands Job Prospects: Many roles, especially in management, sales, and client-facing positions, prioritize candidates with excellent communication skills. Mastering business letter writing adds a valuable competency to your resume that can set you apart in competitive job markets.

Taking our business letter writing course ensures you gain these skills through practical exercises and expert feedback, giving you an edge in your career.

What types of business letters will I learn to write?

In the standard course, we cover common letter types such as inquiries, proposals, and follow-ups. For group training, we will customize the training to match the types of business letters your team writes.

Our Business Letter Writing Course covers essential skills needed to create effective, professional business letters. You’ll learn how to structure letters logically, use appropriate tone, and apply concise language to communicate clearly.

Will I receive a certificate upon completing the Business Letter Writing Course?

Yes, upon completing our Business Letter Writing Course, you will receive a certificate of completion. This certificate demonstrates your mastery of business letter writing and is a valuable addition to your professional qualifications.

It can be used to showcase your skills in professional communication to current and future employers. Many of our clients showcase this certificate on their LinkedIn profiles.