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Instructor-Led Training

Business Writing and Grammar Skills Made Easy and Fun!

Course Outcomes Agenda

Gain dozens of field-tested strategies relied on by today’s most effective business writers. Learn how to present your ideas clearly and persuasively…select words that fit your meaning…spot misused verbs, pronouns and punctuation…avoid communication misfires…and much, much more.

Course Outcomes

Master core writing, grammar and punctuation essentials
Apply proven methods to create effective, persuasive messages
Avoid common sentence and spelling errors
Utilize checklists and techniques to enhance overall clarity
Edit and proofread to produce polished, mistake-free business documents

Course Agenda

Instructor-Led Training

Print Agenda

Session 1: Get Started: Transform a Blank Page Into a Bold Message

Take the confidential Writer’s Discovery Analysis to identify areas you want to polish
Understand how business writing is uniquely different from other types of writing
Freewriting: What it is and how to use it to produce a great first draft in half the time
How to “do your homework” — you’ll be amazed at how effortlessly the words flow after that
Are your paragraphs in a confusing, illogical order? Find out how to fix the problem
Great words and phrases for linking paragraphs together so your readers don’t have to stumble through your document
Put the “Know Thy Reader” commandment into practice and double the impact of your message
How to guard against the deadly mistake of leaving important points out because you’re so focused on the little stuff

Session 2: Perfect Your Grammar and Usage Skills

When a personal, casual style is important — never underestimate the power of contractions
A concise refresher on how to correctly use verb tenses, subject-verb patterns and pronouns and their antecedents
The “best-of-the-best” desktop references you’ll want at your fingertips for quick answers
Ensure or insure? Affect or effect? Making the right choice between confusing words like these just became a whole lot easier!
When it’s okay to bend the “rules” to make your point clearly
Are abbreviations and acronyms really proper in business writing? This insight will shed light on the issue
The unwritten rules about the appropriate and inappropriate use of jargon
BONUS: A handy reference list of conjugations for 120 irregular verbs!

Session 3: Avoid Embarrassing Mistakes

Can’t remember if the punctuation goes inside or outside the quotation marks? Here’s how to avoid this pitfall
Follow this widely accepted guideline for when to spell out numbers and when to use figures
Avoid these blunders when using apostrophes — they scream “Rookie!”
When adding hyphens, dashes and other marks for emphasis…know when you’ve gone overboard
To capitalize or not to capitalize? These tips will eliminate any question
A refreshing overview of how to use punctuation marks correctly every time
Intriguing spelling techniques that many national spelling champs secretly rely on
Prefixes and suffixes made easy
DANGER: If you think your spell-checker takes the place of the human eye, you’re asking for trouble

Session 4: Grab Your Reader’s Attention and Convince Them to Act

How to write openings that reel readers in
Tough but necessary questions to ask yourself after you’ve written the opening paragraph
Super techniques that give you powerful psychological leverage over your reader
The proven connection between the use of personal pronouns and the results your business writing gets
How to construct a closing so action-oriented it’s like a shot of adrenaline to your reader

Session 5: Project Credibility and Professionalism

The 12 most damaging blunders in business writing — sidestep these at all costs
How to curb the use of worn-out business clichés and what to say instead
The latest, most professional business writing formats…for letters, memos, proposals, reports and more
How to write effective email that today’s busy professional can digest in 60 seconds or less
Field-tested letter-writing techniques that pay off in 3 big ways
Straight from the mouths of direct mail pros: Creating sales letters that bring in the orders
The art of writing crisp, clear instructions
Get a firm grip on how to deliver bad news in writing — without a doubt, you will need this someday

Session 6: Edit and Proofread Like the Pros

4 amazing proofreading secrets that will automatically push your accuracy rate to 99% — or higher
Editing and proofreading symbols the pros use to simplify and speed up the revision process
How to shut out phones, voices and other distractions when proofing in a busy office (It’s like sitting in an airtight bubble!)
A proofreader’s checklist that ensures perfection down to the very last detail
How to do a final “sanity check” before your document goes out the door so you can sleep like a baby that night
Editing techniques that will work miracles on your document

Session 7: Bonus Content

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