Effective Business Writing for Secretaries & Administrative Professionals

Successful secretaries and administrators often require many of the same skills as senior staff in an organization. They are often the person in charge of the organization's correspondence, and are very often the first point of contact for visitors. Therefore, they must display a highly professional image at all times. The role of being a professional secretary or administrator requires: excellent office skills, accurate filing, preparing for meetings, dealing with people, both on the telephone and face-to-face, exceptional interpersonal abilities, and first class business writing and communication skills.

Course Objectives

The specific objectives of this unique experience are to help you:

• Utilize the '7 C's of Business Writing
• Gain better awareness of common spelling and grammar issues in business writing.
• Review basic concepts in sentence and paragraph construction.
• Understand how to ensure email is used professionally and effectively
• Know the basic structure of agendas, email messages, business letters, business proposals, and business reports.
• Know tips and techniques to use when deciding the most appropriate format to use for agendas, email messages, business letters, business proposals, and business reports.
• Know tips and techniques in writing agendas, email messages, business letters, business proposals, and business reports.
• Gain an overview of Request for Proposals, Projections, Executive Summaries, and Business Cases.
• Define proofreading and understand techniques in improving proofreading skills.
• Define peer review and list ways peer review can help improve business writing skills.
• List guidelines in printing and publishing business writing.

Course Outline

The Seven C's of Business Writing

• Care - take pride in work.
• Clear - easy to understand.
• Correct - the right words
• Concise - Is it too wordy
• Creative - different styles.
• Complete - check the 5 W's.
• Courteous - be professional,
• Keep reader's needs in mind.

Professional Email and Email Etiquette:

• Addressing Your Message.
• Appropriate and Effect use of 'Urgent'
• Make the most of your prime email-estate.
• Introduction – Body – Conclusion
• Effective Subject lines:
• Don’t make me open the email to find out the purpose – Tell me what you want from me – in 1line.
• Don’t make me scroll! - 1 page view only
• Don’t make me translate your sloppy language
• Make it simple and fast to read
• Don’t make me read redundant words
• 2 – 3 lines per paragraph
• Salutation
• Signoff and Signature
• Corporate Communications Taglines
• Using 'Draft'
• Using 'Time Delays’
• Grammar and Acronyms
• Email Style.

Writing Meeting Agendas:

• The Basic Structure.
• Choosing a Format.
• Writing the Agenda.

Writing Proposals:

• The Basic Structure
• Choosing a Format.
• Writing the Letter.

Writing Reports:

• The Basic Structure
• Choosing a Format.
• Writing the Letter.

Other Types of Documents:

• Requests for Proposals.
• Projections.
• Executive Summaries
• Business Cases.

Writing Business Letters:

• The Basic Structure
• Choosing a Format.
• Writing the Letter.

Structuring Sentences for Effectiveness and Readability:

• Parts of a Sentence
• Punctuation
• Types of Sentences.

Creating Paragraphs with Persuasive Power:

• The Basic Parts.
• Organization Methods.

Proofreading and Finishing - Avoid the Cringe:

• A Proofreading Primer.
• How Peer Review can help.
• Printing and Publishing.

Course Methodology

A variety of methodologies will be used during the course that includes:

• (30%) Based on Case Studies
• (30%) Techniques
• (30%) Role Play
• (10%) Concepts
• Pre-test and Post-test
• Variety of Learning Methods
• Lectures
• Case Studies and Self Questionaires
• Group Work
• Discussion
• Presentation