What does your business writing say about you?
If there’s one thing that’s clear, poor writing skills will ruin your professional image and greatly hinder your chance of success faster than just about anything else. In fact, top executives say the number one skill they look for in employees is solid writing ability. Think about it. Writing is the most poignant and lasting form of communication — it’s how you represent your ideas, your company image, your abilities, knowledge and much more.
If you spend any part of your job writing — from information pieces to memos — you don’t want to miss this great skill-building workshop. It’s guaranteed to help you become a stronger, more powerful writer — guaranteed!
Take the frustration and stress out of writing and attend this great in-depth 2 day workshop.
If writing doesn’t come easily to you, you aren’t alone. Hundreds of thousands of business professionals struggle with business writing. Take the time to attend this workshop a you’ll learn words you should never use in your writing … easy tips for ensuring your writing is clear and easy to understand … questions you should answer before you start … and much more!
What You’ll Learn:
- What you need to know BEFORE you start writing
- Words you absolutely must avoid when writing and what you can use instead
- Tips on how to align your message with your professional image
- How to trim the fat from your writing without altering your message
- ‘Right’ for the times: Getting away from old-school thinking and writing
- Proven strategies guaranteed to make all your writing clear, to the point and easy to read
Agenda:
Introduction and Course Overview
You will spend the first part of the day getting to know the other participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives.
Why Write?
Many people feel that writing is a burden or something they should be able to delegate. This session will help participants identify the value of writing.
The Four C’s
During the morning of Day One, you will discuss four of the C’s of writing: clear, concise, complete, and correct. Participants will practice each C through writing exercises.
Word Agreement
During this session, participants will explore word agreement through a brief lecturette and a writing exercise.
Active and Passive Voice
Most people prefer to read writing that is in the active voice. We will discuss and practice both voices during this session.
Sentences and Sentence Types
This session will discuss the structure of sentences and paragraphs. Then, participants will apply this knowledge to a writing exercise.
Readability Index
The Gunning Fog Index, also called the readability index, determines the difficulty level of a written piece. Participants will apply the index to a sample and to their own work.
The Fifth C
Courtesy is an important principle of good business writing. During this session, participants will examine and rank several business letters, helping them explore their own style and preference.
Practical Language
It is important to use words that best reflect what you are trying to say. In this session, we will examine some common dilemmas (such as fewer vs. less) and suggested solutions.
Inclusive Language
Another key part of writing is political correctness. Participants will have an opportunity to re-write some exclusive terms to make them inclusive.
Sentence Construction
The two basic rules for constructing sentences are: use construction that makes meaning clear and keep construction parallel. Participants will re-write sentences that don’t follow these rules.
Punctuation
During this session, participants will work in teams to develop a series of test questions for other teams.
Writing Business Letters
This session begins with three lecturettes on the steps for writing a business letter, types of letters, and the parts of a business letter. Participants will then examine samples of business letters to determine the type and the parts of the letter.
Reports
Many people find writing business reports very difficult. This session will look at business reports using a lecture and a small group exercise.
Spelling and Proofreading
Proofreading carelessly can spoil a writer’s best efforts. This session will help participants identify common spelling errors and practice their proofreading skills.
Writing Memos
Memos are another challenge that many writers face. We will examine memos through a brief lecture and a fun exercise.
E-mail Etiquette
These days, e-mail has become a universal method of communication. However, there are many questions of etiquette and few answers. This session will discuss some common dilemmas and our recommended answers.
Writing Challenges
To wrap up the workshop, participants will work in small groups to identify their biggest challenges and some possible solutions.