Business Email Writing 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.

Download the Outline

Learn the details of this course to see how we can help you or your team become a stronger email writer.

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Well-written emails save time. They allow the recipient to clearly understand the task at hand and respond appropriately. Effective emails reduce confusion and increase productivity. And, they’re much faster to write.

Fortunately, this communication skill can be transformed with the right training and tools. We have tested processes and resource materials that professionals were able to apply directly to their daily writing. These clearer emails improve business communication and productivity.

This course will teach you how to harness the power of a truly effective email. Learn an easy-to-follow process to consistently write emails that elicit action. Discover how word choice and formatting will increase response rates. Then, put these skills into practice, receiving detailed instructor feedback and guidance on your email writing.

You will be supported by valuable tools that you can continue to use after the course to strengthen your email communication.

INDIVIDUALS

$645

Online self-paced course available for individuals.

GROUPS

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

Skills gained in this course:

  • Write consistent, professional emails.
  • Increase response-rate.
  • Reduce email writing time by 25% and reader time by 40%.
  • Use email clarity to increase productivity.
  • Leverage grammar and formatting in email preparation.
  • Effectively manage email volume.

Expert feedback for every student

Individual feedback from an instructor takes this online course to the next level. To truly improve writing habits and create strong writing skills, both course instruction and feedback on actual skills 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 email have a clear purpose and objective?
  • Is the email based fully on the reader's perspective?
  • Does the reader have the content needed to achieve the business objective of the email?
  • Will the conclusion elicit the action you want?

Subjective feedback:

  • Is the tone too blunt or too timid?
  • Is word choice clear and strong?
  • Can you cut any unnecessary words, eliminate jargon, clarify technical terms, and engage your reader?
  • 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 exercises, break down emails 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 emails, deep dive into individual writing concerns, edit a complex email, 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 completion certificate after finishing this professional email writing 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 email writing course is split into several detailed lessons and includes online resources.

Getting Started

An Introduction and Self-Assessment

The beginning of the course will introduce you to the value and importance of well-written business emails and effective email communication.

You will submit your specific course goals and tell us about your email writing requirements and challenges, which will enable your instructor to provide feedback that is most relevant to your email writing.

Lesson 1

6-Steps to Writing the Most Effective Business Email

In the first lesson, we teach you a practical framework for writing business emails. This six-step process helps you understand the strategies needed for clear and effective email writing. This process will allow you to spend 25% less time on every email you write.

Lesson 2

Email Organization

Learn the best practices for email organization and email structure including openings and closings based on types of email. We also teach you how to resolve writer's block.
Lesson 3

Writing Email Efficiently and How to Deliver Bad News

See the optimal approach to email writing illustrated with examples and a case study. Also, learn two techniques to help you deliver bad news to a reader without alienating them and still receive the response you want.

Lesson 4

New Email Considerations

The speed and volume of business emails require up-to-date strategies to manage them properly. Learn current techniques and considerations, how to attach documents most effectively, avoid embarrassing email pitfalls and specific sloppy habits, and manage email volume.

This lesson will demonstrate the latest email etiquette and style guidelines based on various types of email. Discover what should be in your email signature and how it varies between devices. Avoid mistakes when sending sensitive emails. Stay ahead of the curve by learning modern email practices.

Lesson 5

Emails to Clients and Customers

What does a good, concise email sent externally look like? What makes a bad email ineffective?

Understand how to craft engaging openings when writing clients and customers. Email closings are very powerful opportunities. It's in the conclusion that you can elicit the response you want. Learn to write persuasive and visually appealing headings.

Understand the good, the bad, and the ugly in business email writing in this lesson. Real emails will be analyzed to determine how well they work. You’ll also learn how to benefit from email templates, without making common mistakes.

Lesson 6

Emails that Report Information

Many emails send very important information. In essence, they function as mini-reports so they need to be accurate, clearly organized, delineate information well, and help a reader easily understand what matters. This lesson helps you summarize complex information into a clear, easy-to-digest email.

Lesson 7

Format for Easy Understanding

Email formatting is not automatic. Thoughtful use of basic formatting tools will greatly increase your read and response rate. Proper formatting is also an indicator of professionalism. Learn how to harness its value with effective white space, headings, bullets, subject lines, and line spacing in this lesson.

Lesson 8

Clarity

Learn how to cut bloat and write clear, engaging sentences in your email message. Did you know that two sentence-level techniques applied well can eliminate 80% of bloat?

Applying these techniques will ensure your emails are succinct and crisp and a pleasure to read.

Lesson 9

Confident Professional Tone

Email tone can be interpreted in different ways. This lesson will help you write with the right tone for your audience. Write with an active voice for a lively, engaging tone. Connect to your reader with empathy techniques and avoid any insensitive language. 

Lesson 10

Grammar and Syntax

Grammatical mistakes can make a great email look unprofessional. Avoid common mistakes and improve your syntax. You’ll also learn how to proofread effectively to ensure you can feel confident when you click ‘send'.

View the full course outline and list of resources

What will writing look like after this training?

clarity-icon
Complex information is conveyed clearly.
time-icon
Email writing time is significantly reduced.
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Only well-organized, relevant content is included.
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Designed and formatted to be easy to read.
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Negative and bad news emails are professional.
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Writer’s block is avoided through planning.
readability-icon
Tone and readability is 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

KatieAlmeidaSpencer
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 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 academic proofreading, professional proofreading, business writing, and non-native writing.

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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 Cuddy

Grace has extensive experience in Instructional Solutions' online business 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 a keen sensitivity to global writing and the ins and outs of email etiquette. 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.

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Haley Larsen

Haley is a professional writer and content strategist with years of teaching experience. She is currently completing her doctoral dissertation in English from Purdue University, and earned her M.A. in Literature and Culture from Oregon State University. 

She has experience teaching academic research methods, college writing, and business writing — and loves them all. She enjoys helping learners from all industries improve their writing skills and find their voice.

When she's not reading, you can find her doing yoga, watching football, or hiking the mountain trails above her home in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Course feedback and testimonials

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The course offered a precise method of application and a straightforward process for producing better business emails.

Membership Services Coordinator
UIDP
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I manage 40 remote people, so nearly all communication occurs via email. Already, I’ve seen a big improvement in communication.

Manager
Aramark Corporation
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The business e-mail course has broadened my skills and understanding of proper methods to draft and develop business e-mails. This is a course that has changed me for the better.

Construction Manager
Alston Construction
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I now have the confidence to convey relevant information in my emails instead of filling in the blanks with fluff to sound passive or intelligent.

Senior Labor Relations
Pacific Maritime Association
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So much information and so many useful tools. The best part is that it is personalized to the user.

Associate Director of Finance and Accounting
The Navigators
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I thought this was great training! I really enjoyed Grace. She was thorough and engaging.

Assistant Human Resources Manager
B. F. Saul
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Very useful class! I will apply all of the planning strategies to my email immediately.

Portfolio Administrator
Holland Capital Management
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Email writing is more than 50% of my job and I see now where I was missing opportunities to clarify the impact. Great insights!

Customer Service Manager
Intelligent Imaging Systems
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Impressive course to learn skills in business email writing.

Engineer
ISCO

Become a better email writer.

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

INDIVIDUALS

$645

Sign up today and start learning how to become a better email writer.

GROUPS

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