High-Impact Business Writing

In this first Module of High-Impact Business Writing, you will learn the necessity and utility of understanding your audience for a business document. You will learn how to write with clarity and brevity as well as how to make appropriate language and word choices for that audience. This module also addresses the structure and important considerations for the most frequently used document types for business applications.

Module 2 is focused on the frequently mistaken or overlooked aspects of impactful writing. Common spelling errors, incorrect word usage, and judicious word selection that are important for business writing will be highlighted. Subject-verb and noun-pronoun agreement as well as verb tense and common rules of punctuation are reviewed. This module concludes with some rules of sentence structure and paragraph development to aid in the creation of universally understandable, cogent documents.

In Module 3, we study some of the more common message types: positive messages, negative messages, and persuasive messages. Each type of message will be characterized and strategies for common forms of documents within each of these message types will be presented and practiced. This module also includes best practices for email use, including when email is the preferred choice, creating effective subject lines, and pertinent content choices.

The final module of this course begins with an overview of report preparation, including structure and content considerations. The three forms of review for a document: editing, revising, and proofreading are explained in detail and their purposes explained. This module also includes some best practices for writing in a virtual and shared virtual environment as well as recommendations regarding the visual appeal of documents, both on paper and online.