Written Communication Skills Workshop

All managers and professionals have to communicate in writing. ProSeminar's Written Communication Skills Workshop provides an excellent opportunity for them to hone their skills, take stock of their current approaches and style and pick up a range of useful tips and techniques.

Our Written Communication Skills Workshop looks at a wide range of written communications including letters, e-mails, procedures, agendas, notes and minutes. It explores the fundamental principles and the processes involved in writing effectively and efficiently.

Course Membership

All staff who want to improve their written communication skills and learn new techniques.

Course Objectives This course will help participants to:

• write clearly and concisely

• anticipate and avoid ambiguities and misunderstandings

• vary their approaches to meet different formats and different needs of readers

• assess their style and tone and its appropriateness to their objectives

• improve their grammar, punctuation and spelling

• make effective use of available technology

Course Outline

• Introduction to written communication skills

• Written versus spoken communication - choosing the right mode

• Defining aims and thinking about the reader

• Planning and scheduling the tasks

• Techniques for getting started

• Structure and relevance

• E-mails – structure, etiquette and tips (including use of attachments)

• Letters- structure, layout and presentation devices

• 'Bad news' letters

• Making and handling complaints

• Reports and proposals

• Writing procedures

• Agendas, notes and minutes - content, structure and layout

• Style, tone and language

• Sentence and paragraph structure

• Grammar, punctuation and spelling

• Editing, revising and evaluating

• Getting the best from MS Word

Course Methods

Our Written Communication Skills Workshop is based on an informal and interactive programme.Participants are asked to bring samples of their own material with them to work on throughout the day in small groups. This allows them to relate the principles discussed to their own writing and identify specific ways of enhancing its effectiveness for the future.

While the course will make reference to report writing, anyone who wishes to focus specifically on reports and proposals should attend our specialist course 'Writing Reports & Proposals.'