Professional Business Skills Private

Business Writing for Executives (WRT222)

2 days
Professional Business SkillsWriting

Learn to write clear, concise, and influential emails, executive summaries, and business documents using audience-focused planning and editing techniques.

Talk to a Learning ConsultantRequest a Private Class

Register or Request Training

  • Private class for your team
  • Live expert instructor
  • Online or on‑location
  • Customizable agenda
  • Proposal responses same day as request
Request Proposal

Course Overview

Professionals spend a substantial part of each workday writing emails, memos, and other business documents. Poorly structured correspondence can consume time, obscure important information, and weaken a message's impact.

This hands-on course builds on writing fundamentals to help executives and other professionals create clear, concise, and influential business communications. Participants learn to define their purpose, adapt content and tone to an audience, write effective emails and executive summaries, and improve documents through revision, editing, and proofreading.

NASBA CPE Credits

Webucator is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.NASBARegistry.org.

Field of Study
Communications and Marketing
NASBA Level
Basic
CPE Credits
Private class: 16 CPE credits
Public class: 16 CPE credits
NASBA National Registry of CPE Sponsors
NASBA Sponsor #144922

Course Benefits

  • Develop strategic business communications that inform, direct action, and influence readers.
  • Define a clear writing objective and adapt content, format, style, and tone to the intended audience.
  • Write clear, concise, and effective business emails using appropriate structure and etiquette.
  • Organize ideas and incorporate persuasive content into business documents.
  • Create crisp, compelling executive summaries that emphasize essential information.
  • Revise, edit, and proofread documents for clarity, accuracy, readability, and professional impact.
  • Select an appropriate communication medium and adjust the message accordingly.

Delivery Methods

Private Class
Delivered for your team at your site or online.

Course Outline

  1. Introduction
    1. Course overview
    2. Objectives, principles, and challenges of business writing
    3. Discussing and documenting business writing challenges and goals
  2. Purpose and Audience
    1. Developing a specific objective for each piece of writing
    2. Analyzing audience characteristics and traits
    3. Selecting the appropriate level of detail for the objective and audience
    4. Adapting content, format, style, and tone to purpose and audience
    5. Identifying audiences for common business emails and documents
  3. Effective Email Writing and Etiquette
    1. Choosing a direct or indirect email format
    2. Highlighting key information and actions
    3. Using headings, bulleted lists, and short paragraphs
    4. Creating a respectful tone
    5. Writing specific, meaningful subject lines
    6. Email Writing Activities
      1. Reordering sentences in a sample email
      2. Adding headings to sample emails
      3. Rewriting an email to prevent misinterpretation of tone
      4. Revising subject lines
      5. Applying email writing techniques to a case study
  4. The Writing Process and Persuasion in Business Documents
    1. Using clustering to organize and refine ideas
    2. Testing content with W and H questions
    3. Understanding six elements of persuasion
    4. Using freewriting to draft with speed and flow
    5. Writing and Persuasion Activities
      1. Identifying and planning a writing topic
      2. Assessing persuasion
      3. Drafting from a writing plan
  5. Executive Summaries
    1. Defining the purpose and elements of an executive summary
    2. Identifying essential content
    3. Ordering and connecting ideas effectively
    4. Writing an executive summary and receiving feedback
  6. Revising and Editing
    1. Improving document formatting and layout
    2. Applying parallel structure to lists
    3. Using active voice effectively
    4. Varying sentence structure and length
    5. Correcting sentence mechanics
    6. Eliminating unnecessary words and reducing business jargon
    7. Revision and Editing Activities
      1. Practicing revision and editing techniques
      2. Revising sample emails
      3. Applying revision techniques to an earlier draft
      4. Giving and receiving feedback on writing
  7. Proofreading Business Writing
    1. Understanding the importance of error-free writing
    2. Applying Proofreading Techniques
      1. Scanning overall layout and content
      2. Reading aloud
      3. Proofreading another person's work
    3. Proofreading Activities
      1. Discussing the importance of error-free writing
      2. Practicing how to spot typographical and spelling errors
  8. Closing
    1. Workshop summary
    2. Planning how to apply the techniques at work

Class Materials

Each student receives a comprehensive set of materials, including course notes and all class examples.

Have questions about this course?

We can help with curriculum details, delivery options, pricing, or anything else. Reach out and we’ll point you in the right direction.

Talk to a Learning Consultant