Why Attend
A simple email or letter can resolve a complex situation. This advanced business writing skills course emphasizes how a clear and concise message is the key to having powerful impact in today’s business world.
In this course, we start by outlining good practices in business writing. We then experiment with writing to address complex business scenarios and deal with difficult people. We explore the particularities and risks associated with business writing for social media platforms. Finally, we describe the interplay between the technical, emotional and political elements of a message.
Course Methodology
This course uses a variety of learning tools including writing activities, story-boarding, controlled experiments and videos. The course also provides participants with complex situations which require written interventions.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Write effective emails, memos and letters
- Use rules for organizing content in a clear and concise manner
- Match writing complexity to the modern business environment
- Apply advanced structuring techniques in writing that yields a desirable response
- Identify and talk to their reader’s interests
Target Audience
All individuals with responsibilities requiring extensive business writing in the form of emails, memos and letters
Target Competencies
- Written communication
- Business writing etiquette
- Structured thinking
- Assertiveness
- Ability to address complex situations
- Reading between the lines
Course Outline
- Advanced techniques for effective writing
- Defining effective writing
- Characteristics of effective writers
- Understanding the hallmarks of effective communicators
- Elements of written communication
- Writing in a business context
- Understanding your audience
- Setting a purpose for your writing
- Understanding sources of miscommunication
- Tips for business writing
- Organizing content
- The 3 forms of communication
- Using simple and specific language to avoid confusion
- Using positive language
- Applying rules for bullet points
- Maintaining an impersonal style
- Avoiding repetitions
- Using active verbs to promote a response
- Writing style
- Adding a personal touch to business writing
- Organizing paragraphs effectively
- Using varied sentences
- The 6 Cs of effective writing
- Recognizing clichés and jargon
- Applying the gunning fox index for writing complexity
- Using visual aids to support text
- Going the last inch: proof reading your work
- Logical sequencing of ideas
- Building your key message
- Organizing the introduction, body and ending
- Structuring ideas from the bottom up
- Refining the flow from the top down
- Drawing impeccable conclusions
- Summarizing ideas effectively
- Responding to complex situations through writing
- Building rapport with your audience
- Managing expectations: responding to bad news
- Managing expectations: saying no
- Effectively handing difficult individuals
- Hostile: responding assertively
- Pessimist: sticking to facts
- Nagger: setting the rules
- Know-it-all: staying focused
- Egoist: getting descriptive
- Manipulator: taking the initiative
