How To Sharpen Your Business Writing Skills, Second Edition
American Management Association Self-Study, January 2010, Pages: 180
As one course among many offered by the American Management Association’s curriculum, How to Sharpen Your Business Writing Skills is designed for current and future managers. Even with the rapid changes in communication technology writing remains a basic and crucial skill for businesspeople at all levels.
In this course, you will learn what constitutes good writing and how you can achieve it through specific and practical strategies. Beginning with prewriting steps, you will learn how to write for your readers, do research, and organize your material logically. You will learn techniques for forceful, direct, and effective writing; review the basics of grammar and punctuation; and be alerted to common pitfalls and ways to avoid them.
Through explanations, examples, checklists, and self-directed exercises, you will practice these techniques, focusing on the types of writing managers do most often - letters, memorandums, proposals, reports, and e-mail. Finally, you will consider some issues that new communication technologies raise for business writers.
Because good writers develop their ability through practice, How to Sharpen Your Business Writing Skills is interactive, allowing you to put the suggestions you read to immediate use. In addition, the lists and summaries will serve as a useful reference after you complete the course.
Good business writers know how to communicate information, present and defend their ideas, and persuade others to adopt their point of view. Through this course, you will have the opportunity to join their ranks by learning how to make the written word work for you.
About This Course
How to Take This Course
Pre-test
1. Writing for Your Reader
Establishing Criteria
Exercise 101: What Is Good Writing?
Knowing Why You Write
Knowing Your Audience
Position in the Organization
Exercise 102: Paths of Communication Based on Social and Political Relationships
Knowledge of the Topic
Exercise 103: Paths of Communication Based on Level of Knowledge
Personal Characteristics
Exercise 104: Consider the Reader
Multiple Readers
Applying Basic Psychology
Point Out Benefits to the Reader
Consider the Reader’s Point of View
Use an Appropriate Tone
Exercise 105: Writing with an Appropriate Tone
Recap
Review Questions
2. Getting Organized
Creating an Outline
Formal and Informal Outlines
The Outline as a Test of Logic
Developing Your Topic
Good Evidence
Validity and Logic
Exercise 201: Finding the Flaw in the Argument
Details, Details
Organizing Your Material
Direct Organization
Exercise 202: Get to the Point
Indirect Organization
Putting Your Supporting Ideas in Sequence
Exercise 203: From Brainstorm to Order
Chronology
Categorization
Problem/Solution
Comparison
Process Analysis
Getting Going
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
3. Types of Business Writing
The Business Letter
Format
Body of the Letter
Exercise 301: Writing Letters
The Memorandum
Protocol and Format
Content
Exercise 302: Writing a Memo
The Proposal
Body of the Proposal
The Report
Minutes of a Meeting
Writing Together
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
4. Effective Writing
Choosing Appropriate Sentence Patterns
Simple Sentences
Compound Sentences
Complex Sentences
Using Sentences Effectively
Topic Sentences
Paragraphs
Transitions
Exercise 401: Organizing Sentences
Emphasizing and Deemphasizing Ideas
Exercise 402: Beware the Dreaded Comma Splice
Exercise 403: Structuring for Emphasis
Controlling Sentence Length
Exercise 404: Sentence Length
Creating Rhythm with Sentence Variety
Building Sound Sentences
Parallel Structure
Exercise 405: Parallel Structure
Misplaced Modifiers
Dangling Modifiers
Exercise 406: Avoiding Dangling Modifiers
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
5. The Right Word: Appropriate Language
Dictionaries: Tools of the Trade
Dictionary Entries
Synonyms
Read Thoroughly
Exercise 501: Consulting a Dictionary
Slippery Words
Denotation and Connotation
Sexist and Other Offensive Language
Jargon and Technical Terms
Formality
Exercise 502: Airing Out Stuffiness
Grammar
Agreement of Subject and Verb
Exercise 503: Subject-Verb Agreement
Agreement of Pronoun and Antecedent
Agreement of Pronouns in Other Sentences
Resources
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
6. Language That Works
Finding the Right Tone
Choosing the Right Verbal Image
Loaded Words
Positive and Negative Associations
Warm and Cold Words
Exercise 601: Warm and Cold Words
Being Precise
Writing Logically
Using Words Correctly
Finding the Right Word
Exercise 602: Precise Writing
Being Concise
Eliminate Fillers
Eliminate Repetition
Condense Phrases and Clauses
Exercise 603: Tight Writing
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
7. Direct and Forceful Writing
Using Active Verbs
Making Passive Sentences Active
Exercise 701: The Active Voice
Using the Passive Voice Appropriately
Using Concrete and Specific Language
Powerful Verbs
Exercise 702: Active Verbs
Vivid Nouns
Exercise 703: Concrete and Abstract Nouns
Who Does What to Whom?
Verbized Nouns and Nounification of Verbs
It’s Absolutely, Totally Unnecessary to Overmodify Very Much
Exercise 704: Edit, Rewrite, Improve
Avoiding Tired Language
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
8. Write and Rewrite: Punctuating and Revising
Punctuation
End Marks
The Comma
The Semicolon
The Colon
The Dash
The Apostrophe
Exercise 801: Punctuation Practice
Incorporating Quotations into Your Writing
Exercise 802: Quotable Quotes
Rewriting, Polishing, and Streamlining
Proofreading
Exercise 803: Find the Errors
Checking Yourself
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
9. Research: Fact-Finding Missions
Interviewing for Information
The Right Questions
Open-Ended Questions
Indirect Questions
Feedback Questions
Exercise 901: Kinds of Questions
Researching
Using the Internet
Resources Online
The Library
Reference Librarians
Detective at Work
Exercise 902: Where in the World Is . . .
Using Sources
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
10. Plugging In: Computers and Business Communication
Writing by Computer
Wordiness: Delete
Presentation: The Eyes Have It
Guidelines for Electronic Writing
Electronic Communication
E-Mail
Discussion Forums
Writing that Functions as Speech
Exercise 1001: Writing E-mail
New Issues in Communication
Privacy
Offending Material
Copyright Protection
A Word to the Wise
Exercise 1002: Assessing the Risks
Recap
Answers to Exercises
Review Questions
Bibliography
Post-test
Index
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