Improve your business writing skills in our flagship course. Write faster and more effectively.

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 course to help you or your team quickly become a better business writer.

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The simple truth is that most business people struggle to convey their ideas through written text effectively. This course will help you or your team to develop professional communication skills.

Business writing is one of the most important skills for personal and organizational success. The secret to being a great professional writer is the ability to refine complex ideas and express them concisely.

The good news is that this is exactly what you will learn in this course. This course will help smart, technical, analytical professionals who must communicate and synthesize complex information.

INDIVIDUALS

$645

Online self-paced course available for individuals. Sign up today and learn how to become a better writer.

Enroll now

GROUPS

Online self-paced courses and instructor-led virtual and onsite training can all be customized to match your needs. Group discounts apply.

Customize for Groups

Participants in our Effective Business Writing Course will be able to:

  • Use a proven process to plan and write any document.

  • Write effective internal and external business documents, emails, and reports.

  • Quickly generate and organize ideas.

  • Tailor your writing style dependent on the audience and goals of the document.

  • Write clearer and more concise documents.

  • Communicate more effectively both internally and externally.

Who is this course for?

This course is a great fit for you or your organization if you or your team:

  • You’re in charge of a group or division in your company and looking to improve your team's report writing skills and ability to communicate technical information.
  • You're an individual looking to improve your report writing skills to get a raise, become more effective in your communication, or become more qualified for a new job.
  • You work in an industry that involves technical or financial analytical documents and reports.

The most difficult part of professional communication is effectively writing for your audience and expressing complexity in an easy-to-understand way.

Business writing is an essential skill for every working professional. It is critical that you can communicate with individuals both inside and outside of your organization. Strong writing can minimize confusion, avoid expensive mistakes, and evade 50-thread email chains.

The point is that your company (and your job) depends on clear communication.

Yet so many business professionals continue to make the same embarrassing mistakes and feel overwhelmed when synthesizing and communicating complex information. If you are feeling overwhelmed by reports, emails, meetings, and interruptions then there is probably an opportunity to write more effectively. Our students continually tell us that they did not even realize the mistakes and missed opportunities they had been making every day.

Imagine being able to write more quickly and effectively. Strong writing will make it easier for colleagues, auditors, compliance, executives, or potential clients to understand your message.

Remember – the goal of this course is to teach you frameworks to become a more strategic business writer. This means you will be able to present complex information clearly regardless of the type of document or audience.

Browse all business writing courses here.

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Course Certificate

After completing the course, you will earn a personalized certificate. You can display your certificate in the certification section of your LinkedIn profile, download it to print, or mention it in your résumé.
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Individual written feedback for every student

In this online course, you will receive individual feedback from your instructor on two writing exercises. To truly improve your business writing skills, you need both course instruction and feedback on your actual writing.

After submitting writing exercises, you will receive both subjective and objective feedback from your instructor, which includes a specific grammar diagnosis that tells you what to focus on for the biggest impact, a correction plan, and resources. 

Objective feedback:

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

Subjective feedback:

  • Is your tone too blunt or too timid?
  • Are your word choices clear and strong?
  • Can you cut any unnecessary words?
  • Are there any grammar errors?

 

Instructor-led onsite interaction

Onsite training, shown on the left, is highly interactive, with many individual, peer, and group activities where participants will receive feedback.

Groups work together to deconstruct documents, break down individual writing concerns, plan an upcoming document, and more.

After onsite training concludes, participants can submit a recent document to receive even more personalized feedback from their instructor.

Instructor-led virtual interaction

Virtual training also allows for highly engaging instruction, exercises, and discussion.

Learners complete activities in breakout rooms, break down documents individually, and are encouraged to participate in lively conversations and ask questions.

After virtual training concludes, participants can submit a recent document to receive even more individual feedback from their instructor on their actual writing.

Learn more about our instructor-led training.

Our clients' feedback

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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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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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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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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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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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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
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In this comprehensive writing course you will learn:

  • The optimal business writing process, so you can confidently write any document.
  • Write more efficiently and effectively.
  • Plan, draft, and edit important documents including memos, business letters, reports, and emails.
  • Write with purpose, so there is no doubt what the reader's next action should be.

What is included in this course?

This business writing course is split into several detailed sections.

Getting Started

An Introduction and Self-Assessment

We outline the necessary foundation for writing better content and process.

Share specific learning goals that you want to achieve by the end of the course. 

Lesson 1

The 6-Steps to Effective Business Writing

Learn our step-by-step process to write more effectively. After this lesson, you will be able to synthesize complex technical concepts clearly and convey them through written text. You will be able to create better structure and help your reader take the desired action.

The ability for you to communicate complex information logically is a huge competitive advantage. We will also teach you how to avoid writer's block, write faster, and reduce errors.

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.

Lesson 3

Internal Documents

Learn how to write better 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 you strengthen your 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. It is crucial you can communicate professionally with external stakeholders.

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 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 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 your reader understands your main points. 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.

Lesson 9

Style and Tone

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

Lesson 10

Grammar and Syntax

Style and tone may change depending on the type of document you are writing. An internal memo or email is different from an external letter or report. In this section, we will teach you how to convey confidence in a polite tone.

View the Full Course Outline
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Key skills you will learn in this course:

  • Convey complex information clearly through your writing.
  • Identify and correct your individual grammar errors.
  • Significantly reduce time spent writing documents.
  • Include well-organized, relevant content.
  • Organize and format text to be easy to read.
  • Professionally disagree and persuade through written text.
  • Proofread your work for errors.
  • Plan a document's structure to avoid writer's block.
  • Utilize tools to analyze tone, jargon, and readability.
  • Project competency and professionalism in all documents, including letters, memos, email, and reports.

Includes individual feedback on your writing

This course includes award-winning instructor coaching and feedback and ongoing support.

Effective Business Writing Course Instructors

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Bailey Lang

Bailey is a professional writer, editor, and accountability coach with more than a decade of experience. 

She began her career in marketing communications for a global HR outsourcing company before taking a detour into academia. She earned her MA in rhetoric and writing at the University of Findlay and then completed her Ph.D. in rhetoric and writing studies at Bowling Green State University. Along the way, she wrote and published a book, numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, and more. 

When she’s not writing or editing, you'll find her reading, hiking, or knitting. 

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Elisabeth O'Quinn

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

She has supported a variety of businesses, writing blog articles, reports, 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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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 is bilingual in English and Spanish and has traveled extensively, providing 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 is also a successful blogger and has received rave reviews from her writing critiques and coaching for our work with DuPont, Liberty Mutual, and many other groups. 

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.

Four years ago, backed by an Emory B.A. degree, Mercer University MBA, and a 20-year career in corporate America, Kara endeavored to engage in her true passion to help companies and people bolster their company and personal brand image through writing.

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.

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 better professional writer in English.
Enroll now

GROUPS

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

Schedule a call