Section one

Planning the message

• Planning what you have to say

• Who is your audience?

• Generating ideas

• Overcoming writer’s block

• Meeting the needs of your audience

Structuring your writing

• The essentials of business writing

• Structuring your message

• Different report writing styles (ie persuasive, informative, evaluative, technical)

• Choosing the correct tone for your audience and message

• Models to use

• How to rewrite a piece for a different audience

Section two

• Exercise: Following the brief given by the trainer, delegates re-write the given report sample for a different audience.

Section three

Writing concisely

• Identifying the key messages in long documents

• Simplifying your language so your written English has maximum impact

Creating clear messages

• Guidelines for clear messaging

• Measuring the clarity of your written work

• Examples of what works and what doesn’t

• Critiquing professional business writing techniques

Editing and proofing

• The importance of mistake-free work

• Editing and proofing techniques

Section four

• Exercise: Re-write/edit a piece of your own business writing (ie a page from a report, email, or other business communication). Using the techniques and methods you’ve covered during the course, how can you improve your work?

Questions and answers