Course Overview This is a one-day workshop for participants who already are good writers. The workshop will be devoted to writing letters of recommendation, of persuasion, of refusal or of action, that reflect current word usage and up-to-date formats. Participants can also become more skilled at writing business cases, proposals, and reports, and learn a bit more about e-mail etiquette.
Detailed Course Outline
Introduction and Course Overview You will spend the first part of the day getting to know participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives. The Three C’s All writing should be clear, concise, and correct. We will look at these three elements in detail during this session and practice each of them. Grammar and Writing Mechanics This session will outline seven easy ways to help participants simplify their writing and ensure their grammar is correct. Participants will also take a close look at the proper length of paragraphs, what a paragraph should contain, and how to order paragraphs. Determining Readability During this session, you will help participants use the readability test (also called the Gunning Fog Index) on their own work. Writing Letters There are twelve important parts to a business letter, and several different styles. We will examine all of these closely. We will also look at the proper way of folding a letter and placing it into an envelope. Dealing with Specific Requests Often people are asked to respond to a request for information or to write a particular letter (of recommendation, for example). We’ll discuss some tips to keep in mind when writing one of these particular documents. 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. Business Documents Another common task is to write a business case, request for proposal, or a formal report. Where would you start? We will provide some guidelines and checklists that will help with these tasks. Workshop Wrap-Up At the end of the day, students will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan. |
Advanced Writing Skills |