Programs & Courses

The Basics of Business Writing

Develop your writing confidence and boost your credibility in the workplace. This intensive two-day workshop will teach you how to write well-organized, effective emails and letters as well as other basic business documents. You’ll learn that writing is a business process, one best mastered in five essential steps. As it covers these five steps, the course will teach you how to plan your communications, structure and present your texts, make your ideas flow, and get your messages across with clarity and impact.

The Basics of Business Writing workshop involves lecture and hands-on exercises, offering you ample opportunity to practice what you learn and receive immediate feedback from your peers and the instructor.

  • Topics
  • Audience
  • Instructor

  • Understanding the five-step writing process

  • Understanding what readers want

  • Organizing ideas to make the reader's job easier

  • Selecting proper openings and closings

  • Getting the reader’s attention—and keeping it

  • Overcoming writer's block

  • Composing and placing key messages and emphasizing important information

  • Helping readers understand your meaning

  • Constructing effective paragraphs

  • Establishing flow with transitions

  • Writing good-news emails and informative emails

  • Capitalizing on layout to convey meaning and simplify the reader’s task

  • Adopting proper tone and vocabulary

  • Editing and reviewing business documents

  • All persons who wish to write effective basic business correspondence
  • Anyone who wants to tackle a variety of business-writing tasks with confidence and to generate results

Graham Young, MBA, is an independent writer, editor, and consultant with more than 30 years’ experience in business and government communications. He has delivered some 600 business writing and presentation skills workshops since 2000 and taught Business English at the University of Ottawa. His lively, informative professional-development workshops instruct participants how to communicate effectively on the job. In addition to his teaching experience, Graham also has a Teachers and Trainers of Adults certificate.

“I will be able to apply all of these techniques in my writing at work and at home.”

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Select a session
The Basics of Business Writing
February 11, 12, 2019
9:00 - 16:00
$520.00
Full
The Basics of Business Writing
March 21, 22, 2019
9:00 - 16:00
$520.00
Full
The Basics of Business Writing
May 9, 10, 2019
9:00 - 16:00
$520.00
The Basics of Business Writing
July 23, 24, 2019
8:00 - 15:00
$520.00

Certificate in Workplace Writing

This workshop is part of our new Certificate in Workplace Writing. Learn how to get started.

Group Training

Our courses and certificate programs, delivered exclusively to your employees, offer different levels of training customization to meet your organization’s specific requirements.

To discuss your training needs, please click here to submit a request for a group training.

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