How to Sharpen Your Business Writing Skills
Author: Nan Levinson
Testing Format: multiple choice
Your Price: $159.00
ISBN: 9780761215479
Format: Spiral/Comb/Coil Binding
Overview
An opportunity to update writing skills and excel in today’s e-writing environment.
Packed with practical advice attuned to current business writing and presentation challenges, this self-study course features special strategies to speed online research and guidelines for creating safe and savvy e-mail.
Through interactive, self-directed exercises, you’ll acquire the techniques that professional writers use to research, draft, compose, and edit their work. Examples and checklists will keep you on track as you practice writing better letters, memos, proposals, reports, and e-mail (with its own rules and etiquette). If you struggle to find the words and tone appropriate for given situations, you‘ll appreciate the advice on selecting language that works. There’s also plenty of help with those niggling questions about grammar and punctuation.
Once you’ve completed this course, your writing will be more effective, polished, and direct. It will distinguish you and help you move ahead, whether you’re an administrative assistant or company officer.
Course Objective: Employ techniques to research, draft, compose, and edit professional documents. Follow guidelines for writing an appropriate and effective e-mail and learn to conduct on-line research.
Selected Learning Objective
Selected Learning Objectives
• Identify your audience
• Organize your material
• Write clearly and effectively
• Master the steps of editing and rewriting
• Conduct online research thoroughly and quickly
• Compose e-mail that communicates your message efficiently
• Avoid common pitfalls of electronic communications
• Use writing to eliminate misunderstandings
Testing Format Multiple Choice
Multiple Choice
Table of Contents
About This Course
How to Take This Course
Pre-test
1.Writing for Your Reader
Establishing Criteria
Exercise 1-1: What Is Good Writing?
Knowing Why You Write
Knowing Your Audience
Position in the Organization
Exercise 1-2: Paths of Communication Based on Social and Political Relationships
Knowledge of the Topic
Exercise 1-3: Paths of Communication Based on Level of Knowledge
Personal Characteristics
Exercise 1-4: Consider the Reader
Multiple Readers
Applying Basic Psychology
Point Out Benefits to the Reader
Consider the Reader’s Point of View
Use an Appropriate Tone
Exercise 1-5: Writing with an Appropriate Tone
Recap
Review Questions
- Getting Organized
Creating an Outline
Formal and Informal Outlines
The Outline as a Test of Logic
Developing Your Topic
Good Evidence
Validity and Logic
Exercise 2-1: Finding the Flaw in the Argument
Details, Details
Organizing Your Material
Direct Organization
Exercise 2-2: Get to the Point
Indirect Organization
Putting Your Supporting Ideas in Sequence
Exercise 2-3: From Brainstorm to Order
Chronology
Categorization
Problem/Solution
Comparison
Process Analysis
Getting Going
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
3 Types of Business Writing
The Business Letter
Format
Body of the Letter
Exercise 3-1: Writing Letters
The Memorandum
Protocol and Format
Content
Exercise 3-2: Writing a Memo
The Proposal
Body of the Proposal
The Report
Minutes of a Meeting
Writing Together
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
4 Effective Writing
Choosing Appropriate Sentence Patterns
Simple Sentences
Compound Sentences
Complex Sentences
Using Sentences Effectively
Topic Sentences
Paragraphs
Transitions
Exercise 4-1: Organizing Sentences
Emphasizing and Deemphasizing Ideas
Exercise 4-2: Beware the Dreaded Comma Splice
Exercise 4-3: Structuring for Emphasis
Controlling Sentence Length
Exercise 4-4: Sentence Length
Creating Rhythm with Sentence Variety
Building Sound Sentences
Parallel Structure
Exercise 4-5: Parallel Structure
Misplaced Modifiers
Dangling Modifiers
Exercise 4-6: Avoiding Dangling Modifiers
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions.
5 The Right Word: Appropriate Language
Dictionaries: Tools of the Trade
Dictionary Entries
Synonyms
Read Thoroughly
Exercise 5-1: Consulting a Dictionary
Slippery Words
Denotation and Connotation
Sexist and Other Offensive Language
Jargon and Technical Terms
Formality
Exercise 5-2: Airing Out Stuffiness
Grammar
Agreement of Subject and Verb
Exercise 5-3: Subject-Verb Agreement
Agreement of Pronoun and Antecedent
Agreement of Pronouns in Other Sentences
Resources
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
6.Language That Works
Finding the Right Tone
Choosing the Right Verbal Image
Loaded Words
Positive and Negative Associations
Warm and Cold Words
Exercise 6-1: Warm and Cold Words
Being Precise
Writing Logically
Using Words Correctly
Finding the Right Word
Exercise 6-2: Precise Writing
Being Concise
Eliminate Fillers
Eliminate Repetition
Condense Phrases and Clauses
Exercise 6-3: Tight Writing
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
7 Direct and Forceful Writing
Using Active Verbs
Making Passive Sentences Active
Exercise 7-1: The Active Voice
Using the Passive Voice Appropriately
Using Concrete and Specific Language
Powerful Verbs
Exercise 7-2: Active Verbs
Vivid Nouns
Exercise 7-3: Concrete and Abstract Nouns
Who Does What to Whom?
Verbized Nouns and Nounification of Verbs
It’s Absolutely, Totally Unnecessary to Overmodify Very Much
Exercise 7-4: Edit, Rewrite, Improve
Avoiding Tired Language
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
8 Write and Rewrite: Punctuating and Revising
Punctuation
End Marks
The Comma
The Semicolon
The Colon
The Dash
The Apostrophe
Exercise 8-1: Punctuation Practice
Incorporating Quotations into Your Writing
Exercise 8-2: Quotable Quotes
Rewriting, Polishing, and Streamlining
Proofreading
Exercise 8-3: Find the Errors
Checking Yourself
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
9 Research: Fact-Finding Missions
Interviewing for Information
The Right Questions
Open-Ended Questions
Indirect Questions
Feedback Questions
Exercise 9 1: Kinds of Questions
Researching
Using the Internet
Resources Online
The Library
Reference Librarians
Detective at Work
Exercise 9 -2: Where in the World Is . . .
Using Sources
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
10 Plugging In: Digital Business Communication
Digital Issues and Writing
Presentation: The Eyes Have It
Guidelines for Electronic Writing
Discussion Forums
Writing that Functions as Speech
Exercise 10 1: Writing E-mail
New Issues in Communication
Privacy
Offending Material
Social Media
A Word to the Wise
Exercise 10 2: Assessing the Risks
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
Bibliography
Post-test
Index