You Will Learn How To
- Write clear and concise documents to accomplish business objectives
- Compose targeted messages using a structured business writing process
- Adapt your writing to your audience's needs
- Fine-tune language to improve persuasiveness and impact
- Enhance e-mail communication by creating clear and specific messages
- Write an effective Executive Summary to communicate key issues in your documents
Course Benefits
An essential aspect of communication is writing clear, concise, targeted and persuasive text. Achieving the results you want from your e-mails, proposals, recommendation reports, and other business documents depends on your ability to grab your audience's attention and persuade them to act on your ideas. In this course, you develop effective writing skills that convey a credible message and project a professional image. Through practical hands-on exercises, you create compelling and powerful business documents and reports.
Who Should Attend
Professionals at all levels who want to improve their business writing skills. Proficiency with the English language is assumed.
Hands-On Training
Extensive exercises provide practice in building solid business writing skills. Exercises include:
- Identifying your audience
- Drafting for clarity and revising for conciseness
- Constructing successful e-mail communication
- Mapping out the seven steps of proposal generation
- Writing an effective Executive Summary
- Producing a report using an end-to-end writing process
Course Content
Why Good Business Writing Matters
- Key benefits for the business
- Increasing your business effectiveness
- Identifying key communication problems
Supporting Business Objectives
The benefits to the writer
- Enhancing your professional image
- Improving career choice
The business writing process
- Breaking writing down into a clear process
- Scheduling tasks for completion within a realistic time frame
Planning for Your Audience
Adapting to audience needs
- Contextualising your writing
- Identifying and eliminating barriers between you and your readers
Leveraging different communication styles
- Deciphering clues to style preferences
- Responding and relating well to your readers
Structuring Your Documents
Identifying the macro structure of business documents
- Handling the business document paradox
- Classifying different types of business documents
Employing the micro structure template
- Recognising key topics
- Structuring raw material
- Organising information to highlight gaps
Writing Reports that Address Business Problems
Recognising the business impact
- Writing statements of the problem
- Identifying the business impact of the problem
- Demonstrating the value of confronting the situation
Recommending solutions
- Conducting effective research
- Analysing evidence
- Applying decision-making criteria
- Tying your recommendation to the organisation's mission
Highlighting Benefits to Your Readers
Facilitating your reader's understanding
- Managing paragraphs
- Avoiding synonyms
Ordering your information
- Writing effective headings
- Reducing inferential load
Producing Winning Proposals
Implementing the seven-step proposal development process
- Organising to meet customer requirements
- Bolstering your proposals with content from subject matter experts
Ensuring your competitive edge
- Spotlighting your technical strengths
- Countering opposition
Honing your writing to improve persuasiveness
- Tying your writing to the decision-making process
- Making credible claims
- Avoiding over-simplification
- Substantiating your arguments
- Influencing your audience to value your ideas
- Creating an effective Executive Summary
Saying What You Mean in E-mail
Writing clearly
- Prioritising your subject
- Differentiating between active vs. passive voice
- Eliminating pronouns and modifiers
- Optimising word choice
Writing concisely
- Choosing a style appropriate for audience and context
- Revising to heighten impact
- Drafting and revising
A professional approach to e-mail
- Respecting readers' time, interest and ability to focus
- Extinguishing flame wars
- Increasing your e-mail response rate
- Crafting subject lines that ensure your e-mail won't be ignored
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