This course covers the following three major areas of professionals writing skills:

Introduction to Communication: An overview of communication skills provides a starting point for the course. A checklist will reveal both your writing strengths and weaknesses so you can maximize your pluses and minimize your minuses. A unique activity of this program includes analyzing types of writing for various readers according to their personality types: boxes, triangles, circles, and squiggles. You will also learn the two keys successful writers use to unlock the power within every successful document.

Superior Style: The three components of style include paragraphs, sentences, and words. You will learn how to start and end your correspondence — and how not to — along with the principles of unity, coherence, and development for middle paragraphs. Writing varied and emphatic sentences guides your readers smoothly through your message. When choosing your words, always let Economy, Simplicity, and Precision be your guide.

Writing Process: The three stages of the writing process include pre-writing, writing, and re-writing. You will practice ways to determine your purpose, meet audience needs, discover your most comfortable method of writing, brainstorm and mind-map to get your ideas on paper, write quick rough drafts, and revise collaboratively. Also, you will receive models for planning letters, memos, and reports. Finally, checklists help you evaluate both your process and your product.

This course can be taken in a self-directed pace. You will have 1 year access to this course.

• You will be able to apply this knowledge in the workplace
• You will have an appreciable understanding of the subject matter
• You will be trained in a systematic manner designed to get you up to speed on the subject matter in a short period of time

Lesson Plans

I. Introduction to Communication

Objective: To maximize the pluses and minimize the minuses of your communication image

• Processing Your Writing: Audience and Purpose
• Geometric Psychology: Writing for Boxes, Triangles, Circles, and Squiggles
• Compares: Professional Writing Checklist

• Tools for Styling a Product
• Paragraph Performance
• Unity
• Coherence
• Development
• Suggestions for Introductions and Conclusions
• Sentence Sense
• Techniques for Sentence Variety
• Techniques for Sentence Emphasis
• Compound and Complex Sentences
• Word Wisdom
• Economy, Simplicity, and Precision (ESP)
• Streamlining Exercise
• Format Force
• Formatting Techniques
• Visual Aids

• Stages in Processing a Product
• Pre-Writing Stage
• Writing Stage
• Re-Writing Stage
• Writing Process Exercise
• Reports—Layout and Models
• Letters and Memos — Layout, Models, and Examples
• Checking Progress
• Effective Product: Professional Improvement Plan
• Efficient Process: Personal Improvement Plan