• Business Skills Training

    project_managementInterSource offers live instructor-led courses on all important operations-related skills, including Communications, Customer Service, Human Resources, Marketing, Team Building and Writing

    These live classes are offered via a Web interface.

  • About Business Skills

    Business Skills relate to communication used to promote a product, service, or organization; relay information within the business; or deal with legal and similar issues. It is also a means of relying between a supply chain, for example the consumer and manufacturer.

    Business Communication is known simply as "Communications." It encompasses a variety of topics, including Marketing, Branding, Customer relations, Consumer behaviour, Advertising,

    Public relations, Corporate communication, Community engagement, Research & Measurement, Reputation management, Interpersonal communication, Employee engagement, Online communication, and Event management. It is closely related to the fields of professional communication and technical communication.

    In business, the term communications encompasses various channels of communication, including the Internet, Print (Publications), Radio, Television, Ambient media, Outdoor, and Word of mouth.

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  • Course Details Business Skills

    Classes are offered via a live web conference. For detailed course outlines and scheduled classes, please see below.

    Online classes are never cancelled due to low enrollment. The instructors who teach our online classes are no less than outstanding, and each has years of practical and training experience.

    InterSource clients are active globally. Live web courses are priced in US dollars, and run during Eastern Standard Time (New York) business hours. We also run live web conference classes during European business hours, which can be invoiced in local currencies. For further information please contact us on +41 (22) 958 0114.

Business Writing for Executives

Course duration

  • 2 days

Course Benefits

  • Craft strategic communication versus basic communication
  • Incorporate a higher order of thinking and content in your emails and documents
  • Elaborate on basic grammar skills with prewriting and editing techniques to make your writing clear and concise, and received in the way you intend
  • Write an informative executive summary in a crisp and compelling style
  • Define a clear objective for your writing, and select and implement appropriate formats for your audience
  • Identify the correct medium for communication and adjust your writing style accordingly

Course Outline

  1. Introduction
    1. Course overview
    2. Objectives, principles, and challenges of business writing
    3. Activity: Discussion and documentation of challenges and goals of business writing (Whole Group)
  2. Purpose and Audience
    1. Developing a specific objective for each writing piece
    2. Analyzing audience characteristics and traits
    3. Ensuring the appropriate level of detail to meet writing objective and audience needs
    4. Understanding how writing purpose and audience determines content, format, style, and tone
    5. Activity: Determining typical audience for various business emails and documents (Partner Exercise)
  3. Effective Email Writing and Etiquette
    1. Using a direct vs. indirect email format
    2. Highlighting key actions and content
    3. Taking advantage of headings, bulleted lists, and short paragraphs
    4. Creating a respectful tone
    5. Writing a specific, meaningful subject line
    6. Activities:
      1. Re-ordering sentences in a sample email (Partner Exercise)
      2. Adding headings to sample emails (Individual Exercise)
      3. Reviewing a tone scenario and rewriting the email to avoid misinterpretation (Individual Exercise and Group Discussion)
      4. Revising subject lines (Individual Exercise)
      5. Final Email Exercise: Incorporating all email writing techniques in a case study (Partner Exercise and Group Discussion)
  4. The Writing Process and Persuasion in Business Documents
    1. Using the clustering technique for organizing and refining ideas
    2. Testing content against the W- and H- questions
    3. Understanding the six elements of persuasion
    4. Freewriting to draft with speed and flow
    5. Activities:
      1. Identifying and planning a writing topic (Individual Exercise)
      2. Assessing persuasion (Table Discussion)
      3. Crafting a first draft based on writing plan (Individual Exercise)
  5. Executive Summaries
    1. Defining the purpose and elements of executive summaries
    2. Identifying key content to include in executive summaries
    3. Ensuring proper order and connection of ideas
    4. Activity: Writing and receiving feedback on an executive summary (Individual and Partner Exercise)
  6. Revising and Editing
    1. Improving document formatting and layout
    2. Applying parallel structure to lists
    3. Maximizing active voice
    4. Varying sentence structure and length
    5. Ensuring accurate sentence mechanics
    6. Eliminating excess words and minimizing business jargon
    7. Activities:
      1. Completing exercises in each revising and editing technique (Individual and Partner Work)
      2. Revising two sample emails (Individual Exercise)
      3. Applying revision techniques to sample drafted earlier in the class (Individual Exercise)
      4. Getting feedback on writing (Group Critique Session)
  7. Proofreading Business Writing
    1. The importance of error-free writing
    2. Techniques of proofreading
      1. Scanning for overall layout and content
      2. Reading out loud
      3. Proofing someone else's work
    3. Activities:
      1. Discussing the importance of error-free writing (Small Group)
      2. Practicing spotting typos and spelling errors (Small Group)
  8. Closing
    1. Workshop summary
    2. Ways to ensure implementation

Class Materials

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

Since its founding in 1995, InterSource has been providing high quality and highly customized training solutions to clients worldwide. With over 500 course titles constantly updated and numerous course customization and creation possibilities, we have the capability to meet your I.T. training needs.
Instructor-led courses are offered via a live Web connection, at client sites throughout Europe, and at our Geneva Training Center.