Business Writing Excellence – 2 Day Workshop
How do you define good writing? In this multinational corporate world, excellent writing skills are the pillar to good communication. Through this highly interactive two day seminar, you will learn the five keys to making your writing excel above the rest. Whether it be writing a key memo to a customer, an internal e-mail to your staff, or simply a note to a colleague, your business writing will reach a new pinnacle.
Course Outline
DAY 1
THE PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE REPORT WRITING
- Channels of communication
- 5 C’s standard for professional writing
- Case Study
- Revealing gap between knowledge and application of those principles
PREPARING TO WRITE YOUR DOCUMENT
- Identifying your purpose and your readers
- Planning & organizing techniques – mind mapping & brainstorming
- Grouping information into paragraphs
- Common email structures
- The importance of the closing paragraph
- Cultural approaches to writing
STYLE IN WRITING
- Analysis & development of writing styles – formal v neutral
- Writing in a neutral style
- Passive v active voice in writing
- Writing in a formal style
- Analysis and discussion of extracts from reports
COHERENT WRITING
- Techniques for writing for emphasis – sentence structures, placing important information early, reformatting etc.
- Focus sentences for impact
- Review of linking words and how to use them
CONCISE WRITING
- Improving clarity of expression – Techniques for concise and clear writing, and application
- Using clear, familiar words & expressions
- Avoiding wordy expressions & redundancy
WRITING PRACTICE AND FEEDBACK
DAY 2
TONE IN WRITING BASICS
- What is tone
- Considering your relationship and the situation with a customer – determining the tone to suit the audience – offering help, showing concern, apologizing, demanding, etc.
- Functional language for different tones
- Use of modal verbs to determine tone
- Sounding decisive and tentative
TONE IN WRITING ADVANCED
- Creating good tones and avoiding negative tones
- Avoiding flattery, bragging, accusation
- Developing sincerity, confidence, positivity
REPLIES
- Review of structure and layout of these functional e-mails
- Relevant language for e-mails replying to customer enquiries & requests
- Replying in a positive and negative way – tone in writing
REPLIES TO JUSTIFIED COMPLAINTS
- Stages for dealing with complaints – apologizing, offering a solution etc.
- Tone in writing – achieving a positive tone and understanding the needs of the customer
- Relevant language for dealing with justified complaints
WRITING WORKSHOP – NEGATIVE FOCUS MESSAGES
- Direct v indirect approach to writing bad news messages – organising ideas logically and effectively
- Expressing negative news while preserving the relationship with the audience – considerations – selecting an appropriate tone
WRITING PRACTICE AND FEEDBACK
