Concise Business Writing

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Course Overview

Write concisely. Communicate clearly. Make every word count. In today's workplace, strong business writing is more than a nice-to-have—it's a competitive edge. Whether you're sending a quick memo, drafting a proposal, or composing a comprehensive report, clarity and brevity are essential. This course equips you with the writing skills to craft effective sentences and paragraphs, eliminate wordiness, and convey your message with impact.

Effective communication isn't just about getting your point across; it's about doing so efficiently. Poor communication costs U.S. businesses approximately $2 trillion annually, equating to over $15,000 per employee. By enhancing your business writing skills, you can contribute to increased productivity and reduced misunderstandings in your organization.

Course Objectives

    By the end of the course, you’ll be able to write clear, structured, and professional business communications. You’ll understand how to adapt your tone for different audiences and organize your message to support clarity and impact.

    • Strengthening sentences, paragraphs, and document structure
    • Applying appropriate tone and style for business writing
    • Creating effective emails, meeting agendas, letters, and proposals
    • Improving clarity, readability, and audience engagement

Course Outline

Getting Started

  • Course objectives and expectations
  • Review of pre-course writing samples

Working with Words

  • Common spelling and grammar pitfalls
  • Creating a personalized cheat sheet for common errors

Constructing Sentences

  • Sentence structure essentials
  • Proper punctuation
  • Identifying and using different sentence types

Creating Paragraphs

  • Key components of effective paragraphs
  • Methods for organizing ideas clearly

Writing Meeting Agendas

  • Core elements of an effective agenda
  • Choosing the right format
  • Writing agendas that drive clarity and focus

Writing Emails

  • Proper email addressing and etiquette
  • Grammar, tone, and use of acronyms in messages

Writing Business Letters

  • Structure and formatting of formal letters
  • Tailoring tone for professional correspondence

Writing Proposals

  • Structuring persuasive proposals
  • Choosing a format based on the audience
  • Writing clear and compelling executive summaries

Writing Reports

  • Key components of structured business reports
  • Choosing appropriate report formats
  • Writing reports that inform and persuade

Other Business Documents

  • Writing Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
  • Drafting projections and business cases
  • Creating concise executive summaries

Proofreading and Finalizing Documents

  • Tips for effective proofreading
  • Benefits of peer review
  • Preparing documents for distribution

Wrapping Up

  • Final Q&A
  • Expert writing tips and next steps

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Class Dates & Times

Class times are listed Eastern time

This is a 1-day class

Register for Class

Register When Time Where How
Register 08/04/2025 9:00AM - 5:00PM Online VILT
Register 11/03/2025 9:00AM - 5:00PM Online VILT

The classes listed are available to all United Training customers and does not reflect, in any way,
the availability or support of technology within the University of Maine System.