Method:
• Geared toward middle to top level executives, professionals, and managers
• Emphasis on bottom line guidelines for writing & communication
• Interactive discussions
• Global best practice samples and analysis (right & wrong, do's and don'ts)
• Selected exercises & immediate feedback
• Tangential coverage of English usage
Course Flow:
Morning Session
What Is a Business Letter, Memo, Report, and Business Proposal
The Golden Rule of Business Writing
The 10 Commandments of Business Writing
S.P.A.C.E. for L.O.V.E (Two Top Tips)
A Perspective on Various Kinds of Professional Writing
Bottom Lines for Business (i.e. Practical) Writing
Different Kinds of Messages
The Best Policy: Clarity & Integrity in Writing
Pope and Readability: The Concise K.I.S.S. (Variations of KISSing)
Quick Tips & Exceptions
Sample Verbose Writing & Feedback
The Bilateral Click: The Direct K.I.S.S. (Directness to the Point in Writing)
The Paragraph Revisited
A Practical Paragraph-Writing Formula
Legal Sample: Case Decision as the Conclusion
Business Sample: Bottom Line on Top
Business Correspondence Formulas
for the One-Page Direct Message (Three's Not a Crowd!)
Routine Sparklers for One-Page Neutral Messages
The Three-Paragraph Maximum
Three Options for the Presenting Details:
Paragraph, List, Matrix
KISSES to ABC: Tone in Writing
Dunkin' Work and Gibran: Positive Messages
Word Choice
Words Have Energy
Options: the Objective Tone in Reports,
the Sparkling Tone in Persuasive Proposals
Readership Concerns: the Right Tone for the Boss, the Client, Etc.
Afternoon Session
Not So Fast, Speedy: The Difficult Message and How To Write It Effectively
B.E.A.R the Burden of Bad News (No Messages, Delays, Declining)
Hold Them D.E.A.R. for Demand Messages (incl Disciplinary Memos)
Bring Them A.F.A.R. for Conciliation Messages
Soft-Sell A.I.D.A. for Persuasive Proposals
Email Etiquette
The Long Report
The Big Picture: The Main Parts of Any Extensive Write-Up
Long Reports: Data Presentation & Analysis, Conclusions & Recommendations
Short Ones: Bottom Line Clarity
Spicy Corporate Write-Ups: Style and Tone
Word Pictures for Features
Tabloids To Go for the Corporate Newsletter
Other Kinds of Writing
Free-Wheeling Discussion
Individual Writing Needs Addressed
Of Speed and Secrets for Successful Writing (Outlaw a Law!)
Rewriting, Writing, Reading
Flaming & Threading in the Email: Some Reminders
Avoiding and Managing Flaming in Cyberspace
Threads, Adjusting Subjects, and Other Concerns
Recap of Key Learning Items
The Written Channel in Review (cf. the Spoken Channel)
Writing to Enhance Relationships
The Golden Rule of Business Writing
The 10 Commandments of Business Writing
Integration & Action Steps: Tips for Cascading