Course Overview
Every email you send is read by someone who is deciding what to think of you. The ability to write clearly and directly is highly prized in most organizations, and its absence is noticed at every level.
“Effective Business Writing” is an introductory, self-paced online course whose ideas, techniques, and checklists apply to every form of business writing: memos, reports, brochures, proposals, presentations, catalogs, and websites. It defines the four major factors of effective writing, which are clarity, tone, organization, and delivery, and it examines the role of the audience. Formal and informal outlining techniques, ways of overcoming writer’s block, and the dangers of writing quickly all receive attention. Learners will revise for wordiness, unnecessary phrases, redundancy, and jargon, and will learn the appropriate use of email in an organization.
Revising Business Documents for Clarity
A writing tool can produce a smooth first draft in seconds. It cannot know your reader, your purpose, or what your organization is prepared to say. Someone still has to decide whether the draft is clear, whether its tone suits the person reading it, whether it is organized around what that reader needs, and whether it is padded with words that do no work.
Those four judgments are the subject of this course. People who write well can read any draft, their own or a machine’s, and tell what is wrong with it and how to fix it. The course builds that judgment with outlines, revision exercises, and checklists you can use every time you write.
Who Should Take This Course?
You write at work, and you want your writing to help your career. The course is introductory, and reviewers say it serves new graduates, people entering a corporate environment, and experienced staff who want a refresher.
Use Cases
The Draft You Did Not Write. A colleague hands you a document produced by a writing tool. It reads smoothly, and you are asked to approve it. The four factors give you questions to ask: whether it is clear, whether the tone fits the customer, and whether the reader would know what to do next.
The Email That Started an Argument. Your message was meant to be brief, and the recipient read it as curt. Tone and delivery are among the four factors, and the course addresses the appropriate use of email.
The Proposal That Will Not Come Together. You have the information, and the pages sit in the wrong order. Formal and informal outlining techniques give the document a shape before the sentences arrive.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize the difference between ineffective and effective writing.
- List and define the four major factors of effective writing (clarity, tone, organization, and delivery).
- Recognize the role of the audience in effective communication and the importance of understanding an audience’s needs.
- Employ formal and informal outlining techniques.
- List and recognize techniques for overcoming writer’s block.
- Recognize the importance and dangers of writing quickly.
- Revise for wordiness, unnecessary phrases, redundancy, and jargon.
- Write more effective emails and recognize the appropriate use of email in an organizational setting.
- Employ checklists for organizing, writing, and revising.
Course Details
Estimated time to complete: 5 hours
Access time: 90 days
Price: $129 per learner
Credits
- 5 ATD CI Credits.
- 5 HRCI Credits.
- 0.50 IACET CEU Credits.
- 5 SHRM Credits.
- 5 PMI PDUs.
PMI PDU breakdown
- 0.25 Business Acumen PDUs.
- 0.75 Power Skills PDUs.
- 4 Ways of Working PDUs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the four factors of effective writing?
Clarity, tone, organization, and delivery. The course defines each.
Does the course address writer’s block and writing quickly?
Yes. It lists techniques for overcoming writer’s block and explains the importance and dangers of writing quickly.
Does the course include checklists?
Yes. Learners will use checklists for organizing, writing, and revising.
Who is this online business writing course for?
Professionals at any level who want to write clearly and directly, including people entering a more corporate environment.
Does this online course offer HRCI or SHRM credit?
The course offers credit from ATD CI, HRCI, IACET, SHRM, and PMI. The amounts appear under Credits.
Will I receive a certificate?
After logging in, learners can download and print a PDF certificate of completion from their course records page. The certificate remains available after access to the course ends.
Does the course include an assessment?
The course includes an assessment.
What do I need to take the course?
A current browser with cookies and JavaScript enabled, and a broadband connection. Some ad blockers keep course videos from appearing, so turn yours off if a video does not load.