Business English Writing for Non-Native English Speakers

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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Course Overview

English has emerged as the leading language of business. Today, 1.75 billion people speak English at a useful level. Being able to command the English language has become a valuable and necessary professional skill. 

The simple truth is many non-native business professionals struggle to present their ideas through written text effectively and with confidence. The secret to having great English language skills is the ability to refine complex ideas and express them concisely. This course will help you or your team to develop these professional writing skills.

They help with collaborative projects, business negotiations, and presentation skills, and result in positive professional and career outcomes. Effective English skills are one of the most important aspects of personal and organizational success.

INDIVIDUALS

$645

Online self-paced course available for individuals.

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GROUPS

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

Customize for Groups

This Course Includes:


  • Ten interactive lessons on the fundamentals of effective business English writing including both substance and syntax.

  • Downloadable resources and class materials to maintain the practical skills learned throughout the training.

  • A list of tools and resources to continually hone writing skills.

  • Detailed, individualized written instructor feedback on real-life business scenarios.

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Skills gained in this course:

  • Reduce time writing by at least 25%, and become a more professional 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, English vocabulary, and punctuation to create polished and professional documents.

Individual written feedback for every student

Personal feedback from an expert instructor takes any English communication skills 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 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 business 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 you cut any unnecessary words?
  • Are there any grammar errors?

Flexible Delivery Methods to Match Your Needs

Online course for individuals or groups

This Online, self-paced Business English Writing Course 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 countries to all receive the same training.

Virtual instructor-led course for groups

Virtual training allows for highly engaging instruction, exercises, and discussion in a professional setting. English 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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Course Certificate

Participants will earn a personalized certificate after finishing this Business English 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

This English business writing course is split into several detailed lessons including video lessons and online resources.

Getting Started

An Introduction and Self-Assessment

This module outlines the necessary foundation for writing better content and process.

Share specific learning goals that you want to achieve by the end of the course. This will help us to define your specific skill gaps when writing for an English business audience.

Lesson 1

The 6-Steps to Effective Business Writing

Learn our step-by-step process to write more effectively for a business English audience. After this module, you will be able to synthesize complex technical concepts clearly and convey them through written text. You will be able to organize better and help your reader respond accurately.

The ability for you to communicate complex information logically is a huge competitive advantage for an international career. 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, like professional emails. Better business 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 English 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 to communicate professionally with business executives and in any business setting.

Lesson 5

Email Use and Structure

Email writing now accounts for over 25% of our time in the workplace. In this lesson, we show how to save time and better manage high email volume. Learn how to structure and write grammatically correct and effective emails on business topics that get results.

Lesson 6

Structure and Strategy for Reports

Report writing can be a daunting task if you do not have a strategy or understand the business concepts. 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 additional lesson, we share the best tips for organizing and presenting information. Clear writing ensures your reader understands your main points.

Learn how to format documents depending on their purpose. A clear format will guarantee work looks complete, professional, and engaging to your reader.

Lesson 8

Clarity and Word Choice

Is choosing the right words in English a challenge? Natural word combinations, or even correct business abbreviations, are an important part of writing a clear document. In this lesson, we focus on improving clarity through word choice. We teach how to craft sentences that are both correct and succinct, to support the goals of the document. The instructor will identify errors and provide a customized correction strategy.

Lesson 9

Style and Tone

Style and tone may change vary across types of business communications. Also, the correct tone encourages engagement and also ensures the writer is viewed as a professional by using a competent, polished, confident tone.

Imagine all documents are written in a natural English style and tone. The tone is a reflection of the English course writer, reflects business qualifications, and affects how the reader will receive the information.

Lesson 10

Grammar and Syntax

Grammatical mistakes or incorrect business terms can make a great email look unprofessional. Avoid common mistakes, improve syntax, and learn how to proofread effectively to improve English skills and ensure documents are correct every time.

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

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

Meet the Mentors of Business English Writing

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Grace Cuddy

Grace has extensive experience in Instructional Solutions' online English courses and also works with individuals and groups from several international companies across Europe as a business writing coach. She is an expert in business English writing and loves to help students improve their English 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.

Read more >>

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Bailey Lang

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

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.

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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 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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Course feedback and testimonials

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If you want to reduce your stress level at work, take this course! You will be able to respond faster and confidently to urgent emails.

Environmental Engineer

Dept of the Navy
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It's a lot more about personal development than writing huge essays. Super easy and very fluid. Easy to grasp concepts that are simple to apply to daily work.

Senior Application Developer and Administrator

KLD Engineering
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I think it is a great course to improve your business writing in English for everyone. Especially for those who have not identified the ways to improve your writing yet.

Accountant

Novo Nordisk
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I was impressed with Grace's kind and warm feedback on my writing assignments and course goals/challenges. Thank you so much!

Accountant

Novo Nordisk
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As a non-native English speaker I was able to identify and correct common errors in grammar, text structure, and word choice. I found this training very useful!

Public Affairs Executive

DuPont
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The major benefit is that I can use these techniques in all of my daily work. The grammar corrections helped me identify my typical errors.

Regulatory Affairs Manager

Novo Nordisk
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My instructor was so helpful and her detailed comments about my writing exercises showed me where my writing can have more impact.

Sales Representative

FedEx
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My writing is more concise as a result of the traing. I’ve received strong tools, ongoing support and knowledge.

Business Analyst

USAA
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One of the benefits is to understand how efficient business writing is crucial. This course helped me to write effectively.

Anonymous

MPI

Become a better business English writer.

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

INDIVIDUALS

$645

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

What is the Business English Writing Course for Non-Native Speakers?

By taking the Technical Report Writing course, you will develop the skills needed to create clear, concise, and effective technical reports tailored to your audience. You'll learn how to:  

- Structure technical reports logically and professionally.  

- Write with clarity and precision to convey complex information effectively.  

- Use visuals, charts, and data to enhance comprehension.  

- Follow industry-specific formatting and reporting standards.  

- Edit and proofread for accuracy and professionalism.  

- Adapt content for varied audiences, from technical experts to non-technical stakeholders.  

These skills will enable you to produce reports that drive informed decision-making and showcase your expertise.

What are the benefits of the Business English Writing Course for non-native speakers?

No prior writing experience is required to enroll in the Technical Report Writing course. 

The course is designed to accommodate participants at all skill levels, providing comprehensive instruction and personalized feedback to enhance your technical writing abilities. Whether you're a beginner or looking to hone your advanced skills, this course will guide you through the process of creating clear and effective technical reports.

How long is the Business English Writing Course, and what is the format?

Yes, the Technical Report Writing course can be fully customized to meet the specific needs of your organization! 

We can tailor the content to align with your industry, company guidelines, and the types of technical reports your team produces. Customization options include:  

- Incorporating your organization's templates, styles, and branding.  

- Focusing on specific report types, such as engineering reports, scientific studies, or compliance documentation.  

- Addressing industry-specific terminology and standards.  

- Including real-world examples or projects relevant to your team.  

Customized training ensures participants gain practical skills that directly impact their day-to-day work and reporting abilities. Learn more about our customization process.

Can this course be customized for my organization?

We recommend that participants allocate eight hours to the self-paced online course.

Instructor-led group training requires seven hours of total training time, which can be delivered incrementally.

Can our team access the course materials after completing the course?

Yes, upon completing the Technical Report Writing course, you will receive a personalized digital certificate of completion. This certificate can be displayed on your LinkedIn profile, downloaded for printing, or mentioned in your résumé, showcasing your enhanced technical writing skills.

How do we enroll our team in the Business English Writing Course?

For groups, please book a meeting to discuss your specific documents and needs.

For individual enrollment, please click here to enroll now. The enrollment button is also at the bottom of this page. 

What support is available if our team has questions during the course?

In the Technical Report Writing course, you will learn to write reports that match the documents you write at work, so you will learn to write the most important documents for your position!

Group training is customized to the team’s document requirements. Individual self-paced courses follow a practicum model in which participants plan, draft, and edit an actual work report. Therefore, the documents that participants learn to write are varied but relevant to their work. Typical technical reports include:  

- Feasibility studies

 - Research reports

 - Progress and status reports

- Specifications for proposals 

- User manuals and instructional guides 

- Process documentation 

- Data-driven reports with visualizations, such as charts and tables.  

- Executive summaries and technical briefings.  

The course is designed to equip you with the skills to produce professional, audience-appropriate documents that clearly communicate technical information.