Training Courses
Training Courses > Business Writing Skills (Basic) - Communicating Effectively in Written English
Business Writing Skills – Basic /
Communicating Effectively in Written English
Course Duration:
2 Days
Who Should Attend:
Anyone who finds communicating in writing (eg. e-mail) difficult, or problematic, or would like to improve their written English communication skills by correcting their grammar and writing techniques. This is an ideal course for English second-language speakers.
This course is designed and facilitated by a South African English language specialist who has spent over twelve years helping over 1000 South Africans overcome their language challenges. We use practical and fun exercises to deal with common business writing problems, and participants are assisted with as many of their own work examples as possible.
Course Outcomes:
Session 1 : Introduction to Business Communication
- The Challenges of Communicating in English
- Conveying a Professional Image in Communication
- The Pitfalls of Written Communication
- Principles of Written Communication
- Different types of Written Communication
- Important things to remember when writing
Session 2 : Written Correspondence Guidelines
- Considering the Reader
- Identifying the Purpose of Your Message
- Formal Correspondence
- Informal Correspondence
- Layout and Structure for E-mails and Letters
- When E-mail is and is not appropriate
- E-mail Guidelines and Rules
Session 3 : Grammar and Language
- Understanding Sentence Construction
- Ensuring the Correct Word Order
- Punctuation Rules and Exercises
- How to use the Apostrophe
- The Use of Capital Letters
- Past, Present, and Future Tense
- Plurals; Concord Exercises
- Articles (“the”; “a” and “an”)
- Countable/Uncountable and Collective Nouns
- Conditionals and Infinitives (Would, Could, Should etc.)
- How to use Conjunctions (joining words)
- Correct use of Prepositions
- Direct and Indirect (Reported) Speech
- Dictionary and Thesaurus Skills
- Words Often Confused
- Frequently Misspelled Words
- Common South African Language Errors
Session 4 : Improving Style and Tone
- Guidelines for Letter and E-mail Content
- Avoiding Ambiguity and Ensuring Clarity
- Building Business Relations and Goodwill
- Expressing Declines, Warnings and Threats Politely
- Sequencing Exercises
- The Importance of Self-Correction and Editing
- Cliches, Jargon and Pronunciation Errors to Avoid
- Exercises – Business Relevant E-mails and Letters
