Business Writing Course

Creating the Right Impression

What do your messages reveal about you and your company? There is pressure to communicate clearly, concisely and consistently.

Clarifying Purpose Before Writing

All writing should have a purpose. Review your written document and identify what you would like your audience to think, feel, do, decide or know.

Audience, Intention and Response

Audience. Intention. Response.

Analysing Your Audience

What do you know about your audience? How and what can you find out? How can you get the information you need? Name of one person to represent the audience. What role do they have? How long have I known them? How receptive will they be? How much knowledge do they have? Likely questions? What’s in it for them? What do you want the reader to do, decide or know.

Defining Your Writing Intention

Why are you writing? Inform or explain, stimulate ideas, humour, motivate, create dialogue, change opinion, repair relationship. The purpose of the correspondence affects style, content, layout, tone and formalities.

The Business Writing Process

There are a number of steps in writing documents: thinking and planning, writing the first draft, editing and proofreading.

Thinking and Planning

Simple and quick. Easy to apply. Non-linear. Can come up with hundreds of possible ideas, then identify the most important. Nothing essential is forgotten.

Drafting with the Seven Cs

Seven Cs of writing: clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete and courteous.

Editing for Impact

Accuracy, punctuation, fewer nouns than verbs, grammar, paragraphing, active not passive, spelling, linking words, tone, consistency, content and clarity.

Effective Proofreading Techniques

Work on paper, not on screen. Always leave time to proofread your work. Avoid distractions. Try reading aloud. Have regular breaks to improve concentration. Use a ruler to guide your eyes. Make a conscious effort to stare at every word. Leave a gap between finishing the work and proofreading. Double-check facts, figures and proper names. Use a dictionary. Create your own proofreading checklist. Ask for help.

Structuring Business Documents

Beginning: grab the reader’s attention, make it interesting, say what you will include. Middle: the body of the document containing main information. End: summarise or conclude, repeat key points and call for action.

Using the AIDA Model

Attention: the opening. Interest: the body of the writing. Desire: fanning desire. Action: securing agreement or prompting action.