Effective Business Writing Techniques Course

Available for groups as a self-paced online course, instructor-led virtual or instructor-led onsite training, and for individuals as a self-paced online course.

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Learn exactly how we structure this business writing course to help you or your team quickly become better professional writers.

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Effective business communication is one of the most important skills for personal and organizational success, and the simple truth is that most professionals struggle to convey their written ideas effectively.

This course helps turn weak writing into powerful writing. It teaches how to apply our proven business writing process to a broad range of document types and includes instructor feedback and downloadable resources to ensure newly developed skills are solidified and long-lasting.

It includes powerful tips for structuring and organizing ideas, and tried-and-true techniques such as using plain language, crafting succinct documents, and mastering the art of clarity. 

INDIVIDUALS

$645

Online self-paced course available for individuals.

Enroll now

GROUPS

Online self-paced and instructor-led training can be customized. Group discounts apply.

Customize for Groups

Skills gained in this course:

  • Reduce time writing by at least 25%, and become a more productive writer.
  • Eliminate back-and-forth and rewrites to minimize frustration.
  • Improve clarity by using succinct, engaging, and correct language.
  • Eliminate bloat and highlight only the information that matters.
  • Use correct grammar and punctuation to create polished and professional documents.

Turn weak writing into powerful writing.


Ten detailed lessons on the fundamentals of effective business 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 documents.

Individual written 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.

Objective feedback:

  • Does the document have a clear purpose and business objective?
  • Is the document based on the reader's perspective?
  • Does the reader have all the content needed (and none that is not needed) to achieve the objective of the document?

Subjective feedback:

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

 

Flexible training to meet your needs.

Online course for individuals or groups

Online, self-paced classes allow individuals and teams to train on their own schedule with 24/7 access to the course. This method has flexible deadlines for busy professionals and groups across different time zones to all receive the same training.

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Virtual instructor-led course for groups

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

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.

Schedule a call to find out more about group training options
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Certificate of Completion

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

What is included in this course?

This business writing course is split into several detailed lessons and includes online resources.

Getting Started

An Introduction and Self-Assessment

We outline the necessary foundation for the principles of business writing.

We ask for specific learning goals and challenges to help provide even more personalized writing feedback.

Lesson 1

The 6-Steps to Effective Business Writing

Learn our step-by-step process to become a stronger business writer. After this lesson, business writing skills will already be improved simply by gaining a deep understanding of the basic principles of an effective writing process.

Lesson 2

Importance of Organization

Learn how to organize your documents for clarity. Nothing is worse than getting a document that is difficult to understand due to poor organization. This lesson includes tips and tricks on how to organize the beginning, middle, and end of your document and make it quick to scan for effective communication.

Lesson 3

Internal Documents

Better communication inside your organization can lead to fewer meetings, higher productivity, and less chaos. A poll by The Economist found 83% of employees report that poor business language skills have resulted in an adverse impact on their organizations. This course will help strengthen internal communication skills.

Lesson 4

Letters and External Documents

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.

Lesson 5

Email Use and Structure

Email now accounts for over 25% of our time in the workplace. In this lesson, we show you how to save time and better manage high email volume. You will learn how to structure effective and persuasive emails to get the results you want.

Lesson 6

Structure and Strategy for Reports

We will provide you with an overview of the components of a report and teach you to write more clearly. You will learn how to drastically improve your report's or white paper's effectiveness by learning how to write a comprehensive executive summary.

Lesson 7

Organization and Presentation

In this module, we share the best tips for organizing and presenting information. Clear writing ensures a reader-centered message. You will also learn how to format documents depending on their purpose.

Lesson 8

Clarity and Word Choice

In this module, we focus on improving clarity through word choice. This will help you to eliminate unnecessary jargon and bloat. You will learn how to choose language that is focused on achieving the goals of your document including persuasive writing.

Lesson 9

Style and Tone

Style and tone may change depending on the type of document. Also, the correct tone and sentence structure encourages engagement and also position you as a professional. In this section, we teach how to write with a competent, polished, confident tone.

Lesson 10

Grammar and Syntax

Editing content of any business document is an important final step. Whether collaborative editing or individual proofing is a part of the process, this lesson teaches the major principles to ensure correct English grammar and cohesive sentences every time.

View the full course outline and list of resources
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What will writing look like after this training?

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Complex information is conveyed clearly.
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Writing time is significantly reduced.
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Well-organized, relevant content is included.
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Designed and formatted to be easy to read.
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Disagreements and bad news are professional.
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Writer’s block is avoided through planning.
readability-icon
Tone and readability are considered.
persuasion-icon
Persuasion is clear and effective.
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Competent, clear, and professional.
grammar-icon
Grammar errors are identified and corrected.

This course’s expert instructors

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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.

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.

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Katie Almeida Spencer
Katie Almeida Spencer

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

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. 

When not teaching or creating courses, she can be found doing something (anything!) outside with her little family.

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Grace Cuddy

Grace supports Instructional Solutions' online courses and also works with individuals and groups from several multinational companies across Europe as a business writing coach.

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 is bilingual in English and Spanish. She enjoys yoga, travel, and dance. She splits her time between New York City and Madrid.

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Kara Latz

As a multilingual American, Kara has a unique perspective of the English language. She is an instructor and specializes in business writing, technical content, and generalized marketing.

Kara has an Emory B.A. degree, Mercer University MBA, and a 20-year career in corporate America.

  Kara resides at Lake Oconee, GA with her husband, three children, and two dogs. She is an active volunteer with the local Boys and Girls Club and high school Career Coaching.

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Course feedback and testimonials

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The instructor's feedback was timely and helpful! My instructor pointed out a few things that I commonly miss (that I'm catching as I review my other writings).

State Administrative Manager
State Government
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Completely changed the process that I use for writing anything. This course also helped me with techniques for overcoming writer's block.

Supervisor of Quality Assurance and Product Manager
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The instructor's comments were to the point and spot on. She gave me precise criticism. This gave me the perspective and knowledge I needed.

Account Manager
Nouryon
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I would say that this course is extremely beneficial whether you are a beginner writer or you think you are an expert. This course provides something for everyone.

Principle Licensing Specialist
ClearEdge Partners
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Thank you so much for your guidance throughout the course. I have tons of notes and I am truly thankful ... I will add the resources to my notes and continue to brush up on these every day!

Training Coordinator
American Society of Hematology
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The course provides amazing guidance when it comes to proper writing.

Consultant
Defense Trade Solutions
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This course has given me confidence and tools to use moving forward. I definitely feel like a better business writer.

Communications Coordinator
Hagerty
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It is worth it to learn these skills for more efficient and effective business communication.

Anonymous
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This course improved my writing, which improves my relationship with my coworkers.

Enterprise Development Manager
Atlassian
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My business emails look much more professional, and I found the resources to improve my writing skills.

Director, Customer Success
Aegis Industrial Software Corporation
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This course offered an outstanding refresher in grammar, clarity, and executive tone.

Sales
Mark43
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This is a beneficial course worth taking. It polishes all of your required writing skills for all ventures in life.

Supervisor - Suspense Clearance
National Social Security Fund
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My writing is more concise as a result of the training. I’ve received strong tools, ongoing support, and knowledge.

Business Analyst
USAA
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I will apply my new skills to all of my business writing - emails, proposals, executive summaries, etc.

Sales
Mark43
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I will take these lessons into account during every business communication I write: Reports, emails, presentations, etc.

Senior Business Analyst
Bank for International Settlements
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My instructor was so helpful. Her detailed comments about my writing exercises helped me see where my writing can have more impact.

Sales Representative
FedEx
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Everyone in business should attend this training.

Tax Services
Ernst & Young
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Everyone can learn from this course. Great tips.

Director of Sales
Sun Pharmaceuticals

Become a better business writer.

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

INDIVIDUALS

$645

Sign up today and start learning how to become a stronger professional writer.
Enroll now

GROUPS

We offer customized online, virtual, and onsite courses, workshops, and trainings that match your organization's needs. 

Schedule a call