Professional Business Writing Skills

In this 2 day course you'll learn: Use the five C's of writing; Ensure their writing meets basic grammatical standards, including word agreement, sentence construction, proper spelling, & punctuation; Write business letters, reports, memos, & e-mails.

Course Outline

We all know what good writing is. It's the novel we can't put down, the poem we never forgot, and the speech that changed the way we look at the world. Good writing is the memo that gets action, the letter that says what a phone call can't.

In business writing, the language is concrete, the point of view is clear, and the points are well expressed. Good writing is hard work, and even the best writers get discouraged.

You'll learn:

• Use the five C's of writing
• Ensure their writing meets basic grammatical standards, including word agreement, sentence construction, proper spelling, and punctuation
• Differentiate between the active and passive voice
• Write business letters, reports, memos, and e-mails

Course Outline 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 in-depth 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.

Workshop Wrap-Up
At the end of the day, students will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan. 

Additional Details

Pre-Requisites

Certificates offered

Certificate of completion

Cancellation Policy

A full 5 business days notice is required to change or cancel any course date.

Once payment has been received, a credit will be held in your account if we have received sufficient notice of your cancellation or date change (we do not provide refunds). If insufficient notice is received, the entire fee or Tickets for that course date will be charged.

There is no charge for substitutions. If you cannot attend your course and cannot provide the 3 business days notice, you can send someone else in your place with no penalty.

Course Retake

If you cannot provide 5 business days notice of cancellation, you may take the course at a later date at no further charge with the following conditions.

1. You must take the course within 6 months of the original course date (no exceptions). After that time, the full course fee will be charged again.

2. Registration is on a stand-by basis only. If the course date you select becomes fully booked you will be asked to choose another date, which must be within 6 months of the original course date.

3. If you need to change or cancel your free re-take course, we must receive a full 5 business days notice of the change. If insufficient notice is received, this offer no longer applies and the full course fee will be charged again, should you choose to book another date.

4. This course is not transferable to another person. It must be taken by the same person who was scheduled for the original course.

5. This offer applies to the same course only (same software program, same course level and the same software version as was originally booked).

Map & Reviews

Excel Training Toronto
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North York Training Centre
2 Lansing Square, Suite 505
(Victoria Park Ave. & Sheppard Ave. E.)
North York, Ontario
Canada   M2J 4P8

Reviews

 

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Here are some reviews of the training vendor.

   

Well run, good pace given that all three versions of Project had to be covered simultaneously.

Reviewed by Sandy B. 2012

   

Perhaps give option for 1/2 hour lunch as not familiar with area and just passing time during the break.

Reviewed by Robin M. 2012

   

I think the intermediate course could be taught in 1 day rather than 2

Reviewed by Denise S. 2012

   

The instructor, Katie Geoghan was phenomenal. Her energy and level of expertise were wonderful. This is the best class I have ever attended and I learned so much from it.

Reviewed by Karen C. 2011

   

Too much material to cover, did not really learn what I went for. One hour is way too long a break, especially since you can't work on your own, you need the instructor to be present. We went to learn, not eat.

Reviewed by Charles N. 2011

   

I was extremley impressed with the Instructor, Katie Geoghegan. Katie was very outgoing and easy to talk to. No questions was a "stupid" question. She went thru the course manual step by step. She made sure that everyone understood what they were doing before we moved on. She was very pleasant thru out the day. I walked out of that cours feeling very confident.

Reviewed by Hala M. 2011

   

The course was excellent and the instructor was very helpful and knowledgeable. I am recommending this course to my colleagues.

Reviewed by Gayle L. 2011

   

I had no previous exposure to Pivot Tables and was a bit apprehensive at the start of the course, however the presenter made it really easy to grasp the concepts and made sure I was learning at the same pace as the rest of the class, which I really appreciated!

Reviewed by Ferzin W. 2011

   

recommend you update the content to Exchange SP1

Reviewed by Patrick H. 2011

   

Really enjoyed the course and and Katie G the instructor was absolutely fantastic. I would definately take another course with her for excel in the near future.

Reviewed by Eliscia D. 2011

   

Material covered too quickly. No opportunity for exercises.

Reviewed by Harley S. 2011

   

I had already filled out an evaluation for this course at the end of the course so I am not sure why I have to do it again???

Reviewed by Cathy M. 2011

   

Instructor needs to use breath mints. As to the course, it's understood that there was a great deal to cover in two short days. However, I did feel we didn't have enough time to work with individual elements (through exercises) to get a solid personal grasp. It's one thing to listen to someone talk about a procedure. You do not learn until you have a chance to do it. Also, we weren't given a final exercise of designing a simple page to try to bring together all the material presented.

Reviewed by Terry G. 2011

   

A lot of information to cover in one day. Maybe 2 days would be better to adsorb info and have more for excerises. The handout was not easy to read as it was very small font and the print was too light/faded (almost like it needed a new toner).

Reviewed by Katherine S. 2011

   

Great instructor

Reviewed by Victoria S. 2011