High Impact Business Writing Skills

Duration: 2 Days

Introduction

This course will help you learn to organize your writing so the process of composing a business letter, email or report is smoother and faster.

Learn how to choose the best format for your message, organize the information so it's easy to read. Practice crafting a clear response to a complex email and writing a persuasive cover letter.

Course Objectives

At the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Learn how to compose effective business letter, memo, email and report
• Structure business documents effectively
• Avoid common grammatical mistakes
• Write in a clear, concise style
• Organize and structure ideas logically and with appropriate language structures to convey the ideas with clarity

Key Content

Module 1: General principles of writing

• Clarifying your objectives
• 6 Questions to clarify your thinking
• Who is going to read your document?

Module 2: Writing sentences and paragraphs

• Topic sentence
• Paragraph and sentence length
• Paragraph linking and coherence
• Maintaining consistency of tense
• Using active vs passive voice
• Using non-sexist language
• Using jargon and technical terms

Module 3: Writing emails

• Written communication
• Write with the YOU attitude
• Use a positive tone
• Focus on the reader and benefits to reader
• 7Cs of writing
• Organizing your writing

Module 4: Writing memos

• Memos
• Characteristics of successful memos
• Writing style and tone
• Types of memos
• Format of memos

Module 5: Good writing techniques for business correspondence

• The best sequence of delivery
• Structuring your text
• How to ask for things
• How to give bad news
• Responding to complaints
• Writing complaint emails
• Do's and don'ts in email

Module 6: Editing your work

• Top down approach to improve text
• Effective transitions
• Tips to maximize impact
• Proofing your work

Module 7: Report writing

• Clarifying purpose
• Analysing audience
• Designing structure
• Selecting information
• Drafting and laying out text
• Editing and proofing your draft

Target Audience

All participants that are required to write internal or external emails and business letters on a regular basis.

Participants that are required to write standard reports and are looking to improve their business writing proficiency for a range of documents.

Methodology

Participants will practice and learn through group discussion, exercises and working on real examples of business documents.