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Essentials Of Business Writing
Enhance effective writing skills for producing business documents (such as reports, memos, letters, and meeting minutes) that have clarity and impact.
In this course you will:
- Learn to overcome mental blocks, especially those due to fear and anxiety
- Avoid common mistakes of punctuation, grammar, and usage
- Develop skills to present ideas logically and persuasively
- Command of the most up-to-date rules of layout and design
- Understand the writing, review, and editing process
Course Structure
The workshop will consist of six one-week sessions, each of which includes online lectures as well as creative and practice exercises. Each session, you’ll submit an assignment to the instructor for private review. Optional writing assignments will be posted for group review and feedback. You will be able to evaluate your own progress with online, self-graded “tests.” Throughout the workshop, you will be able to participate in asynchronous lecture discussion. That means that you don’t necessarily have to do it at any specific time, purely when it’s convenient to you. You will be encouraged to take advantage of ongoing informal discussions and self-directed writing exercises. You will receive personalized feedback from the instructor every week. (1.2 CEUs)
| Workshop length: |
6 weeks |
| Textbook(s) to purchase: |
Business Writing: What Works, What Won’t, Revised Edition, by Wilma Davidson, Ed.D. (St. Martin's Griffin) |
| Course Developer: |
Wendy Hart Beckman |
| Tuition: |
$225.00 |
Select a class below and click "ADD" to add the course to your registration.
* Late fees may apply to registrations submitted after class start date
Workshop Outline
Session One: Quick Review of Grammar and Style
- Learn the common business writing mistakes and how to avoid them.
- Review style guides, especially those used in business writing.
Session Two: Writing and Editing Style
- Learn business style in general; it’s not as pompous as many seem to think.
- Learn how to edit and proofread — your own work as well as that of others.
Session Three: Formats and Functions, Part I
- Learn how to create the most common business documents: the memo, letter, and e-mail.
- Learn the easiest type of business writing, as defined by purpose: goodwill messages.
Session Four: Formats and Functions, Part II
- Learn some more challenging types of business documents: news releases and reports.
- Learn the second purpose behind business writing: to inform.
Session Five: Formats and Functions, Part III
- Learn the most challenging types of business documents: proposals, collection letters, grant applications, and sales and fundraising letters.
- Learn the third purpose behind business writing: to persuade.
Session Six: Working with Other People
- Learn how to work most efficiently with groups of people.
- Become comfortable with editing the work of others, such as when you need to compile and issue a document that sounds as if it were written by only one person.
- Learn how to efficiently and cooperatively collaborate with other writers.
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