"Writers hate writing."
-  David Remnick (editor of The New Yorker)

Workshop Overview

Writing isn't easy. And as the above quote suggests, for even the most competent and successful writers, the activity of writing can often be difficult and disagreeable. And, yet, as any study will tell you, writing continues to be an extremely important element of business and professional life. Businesspeople need to be able to communicate ideas and strategies, as well persuade prospective clients and customers, through writing. This workshop offers an opportunity for you to develop these crucial business skills. This workshop explores the essentials of effective business writing and communication. We use a highly interactive approach to develop successful writing skills. Participants will practice the relevant skills and techniques and receive individual feedback from instructors. Successful business writing necessitates both a solid grounding in fundamentals as well as the utilization of particular strategies to obtain the desired goals. In this workshop, you'll learn both.

Workshop Objectives

In this workshop, we offer a comprehensive and novel approach to the everyday problems of writing in the business   environment.  This interactive session will help you to:

• Write with greater precision and, more importantly, persuasion
• Present the reader with clear and immediate reasoning and justification
• Organize and structure documents more effectively, through both general and specific strategies
• Avoid the verbal landmines that can hamper clear writing
• Employ strong grammatical constructions that are concise and easy for the reader to understand
• Revise documents properly and time effectively
• Create the appropriate tone through positive language and proper emphasis

Workshop Outline

Welcome & Introductions

Module 1: Persuasion I – Passing the "So What?" Test

• Importance of the Main Idea
• Justifying Your Document
• Crafting a "Thesis Statement" that Encapsulates Your Position
• Making Debatable Claims

Module 2: Persuasion II – Dynamic Language & Solid Reasoning

• Using Strong Verbs
• Keeping the Language Specific
• Emphasizing the Reader's Concerns
• Drawing Logical Conclusions

Module 3: Organization & Structure I – Preparing the Document

• Doing the Research
• Good Note Taking
• Proper Outlining
• Appropriate Ranking of Points
• Keeping the Document "User-Centered"

Module 4: Organization & Structure II – The Elements of an Effective  Business Document

• Crafting a Proper Introduction
• Composing Effective Topic Sentences
• Justifying Your Point with Well Placed Evidence

Module 5: Organization & Structure III – Putting it All Together

• Supplying the Proper Context and Analysis
• Transitioning Between Ideas
• Keeping the Proper Flow

Module 6: Clarity – Avoiding Ambiguity & Using Strong Grammar

• Avoiding Abstract Language and Euphemisms
• Using Active Voice, Rather Than Passive
• Avoiding Lazy Language—"to be" verbs, dangling modifiers, nominalization

Module 7: Revision – Getting it Right (But Not Always the  First Time)

• Focusing on the Audience
• Emphasizing Concision
• Avoiding Cliché
• Finding Error

Module 8: Tone – Keep it Positive

• Using positive language and avoiding unneeded negativity
• Exhibiting confidence
• Using appropriate emphasis
• Stressing benefits for the reader