Business Writing Skills
Overview
Working in a professional environment requires you to write a wide range of documents (including emails, letters, minutes, policy documents, reports and research summaries,) often for different audiences and mediums.
People receiving these documents want to be able to read the (sometimes complex) information quickly and easily. They also want the information to be accurate – and the document free from grammar mistakes and typos.
The Business Writing Skills training course focuses primarily on good business writing principles that can be used across a range of business documents. It does not cover specific documents such as reports, guides, policies, etc.
It uses examples, discussions, exercises and feedback to give attendees the knowledge and confidence to write a range of accurate, clear and concise business documents.
While generic scenarios are supplied, ideally attendees should bring a familiar document or subject to use as a writing exercise.
Training objectives and outcomes:
- Consider the needs of the reader and tailor writing accordingly
- Structure documents appropriately so it’s easy for the reader to follow
- Use different structure templates for different types of documents
- Adapt writing style and language for different purposes, platforms and audiences
- Produce a skeleton and create a first draft more easily
- Help decision-makers find the information they need faster
- Use signposting and transition phrases to ease flow
- Edit out unnecessary words to make writing clear and concise for the reader
- Make your writing inclusive and accessible for wider audiences
- Avoid common grammar mistakes
- Use tools and techniques to improve proofreading skills
- Be more confident in your ability to write professionally
TESTIMONIALS:
‘Lorraine facilitated the workshop in a really digestible way with lots of opportunities to put the theory into practice. She covered everything I felt I lacked confidence in and now I can’t wait to have a go at everything I’ve learnt. Thank you!’ – Faithful+Gould
‘The course was excellent. The delivery was very well paced and kept me interested throughout the whole day. After learning and discussing theory, we did short individual exercises to practice before applying our learning to an ongoing team activity, which was really effective. I already notice myself using what I’ve learnt as I write, and will definitely put some of the tools to use in future. Lorraine’s delivery was brilliant also, she is very knowledgeable and I felt conformable contributing and discussing within the group. Thanks a lot for a great course.’ – Social Work England
‘The course was very engaging and broken down into sections to ease learning. Really highlighted key aspects to writing clear and concise content.’ – CGI
For more information or to make a booking please call 0330 0947 344
Agenda
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Registration and GovPD Welcome Address
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Introductions, Objectives
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Understanding the Audience
- Determining the purpose of the document
- Considering the target audience(s) and how this will affect your writing
- Agreeing the message that will engage your audience(s)
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Turning Source Material into a First Draft
- Finding, creating or summarising source material
- Creating a skeleton of key points to include
- Avoiding the pitfalls of ‘first draft perfection’
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Break
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Using Templates to Structure the First Draft
- The inverted pyramid template to structure informative material
- The AIDA template to structure actionable material
- The difference between reports and proposals templates
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Writing Exercise
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Adapting Writing Style for Different Audiences and Purposes
- Why you need to adapt your writing styles
- Striking the right balance between professionalism and formality
- Avoiding jargon and unnecessary ‘big’ words
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Writing Exercise
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Lunch
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Differentiating Between Drafting, Editing and Proofreading
- The essentials of each discipline
- How to make your writing flow
- Techniques to make your writing clear, concise and accessible
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Writing Exercise
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Break
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Avoiding Common Grammar Mistakes
- Using punctuation correctly
- Avoiding run on sentences and fragments
- Matching subjects to verbs
- Choosing between active and passive
- Using the right personal pronoun
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Grammar exercises
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Questions and close
Get in Touch
Book Now
- Public Sector £550 + VAT
- Private Sector £620 + VAT
- Voluntary Sector £480 + VAT
Trainer
Lorraine Forrest-Turner
Lorraine Forrest-Turner is a freelance copywriter, communication skills trainer and published playwright. She has worked on all sides of the ‘words’ business, including journalism, public relations, advertising and creative writing. She is a member of and an accredited trainer for both the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and the Public Relations and Communications Association, and is a member of ProCopywriters, the alliance of commercial copywriters. Clients she has recently delivered training to include the Metropolitan Police, Interpol, and Cheshire West and Chester Council.
