Programme overview

Writing clear and simple text is a valuable core skill for anyone involved in business. Effective writing saves time, reduces errors and avoids misunderstandings.  This course aims to provide an all-purpose skillset to communicate well on all platforms commonly used in business e.g. emails, reports and presentations.

Learning Outcomes

• Understand that effective writing requires a precise focus the reader(s)
• Bring effective structure and flow to their reports and other communications
• Use smart techniques to skilfully edit their reports
• Write clear, concise grammatically correct sentences
• Apply simple techniques to get the best out of MS Word and Outlook

Who Is This Course For?

This course is well suited to employees at all levels.

Modules

Bringing your reader into focus

• Understanding all the forces at play when we communicate
• The single most important rule for effective communications
• Profiling the reader(s)
• Persuading the reader

Good practice and common report structures

• A systematic approach to planning the structure and content of your reports
• Drafting and polishing
• Editing and checking techniques

Writing – how to communicate precisely and clearly to readers

• The TAB3C channel to effective writing
• How to make your reports accurate and complete
• Common enemies of brevity and how to beat them
• The four steps to writing concisely
• Five steps to writing clear sentences
• How to avoid ambiguity and vagueness
• The dangers of negatives
• Common enemies of clarity and how to beat them
• How to punctuate your writing to express what you want to say
• The wisdom of courtesy
• Email
• Nine tips for effective emails

Valuable MS Word features every report writer should use

• Building your Quick Access Toolbar
• Using and adapting inbuilt MS styles
• Setting up smart numerical sequences for headings, subheadings and sub subheadings
• Using the navigation function and automatic tables of content
• The “Read Aloud” function.