Better Business Writing Skills

Exercise and resource pack.

Good writing is about one thing: getting things done! It's not about dumbing down, it's not a total ban on all jargon and technical language, and it's certainly not just for 'comms people'. Writing well is for everyone!

A quick word on Udemy reviews.

The importance of good writing isn't just my opinion, it's fact! Here we look at the evidence.

Understanding a person's or a groups' ability to read the words you write will determin how successful you will be.  You may be surprised at what general literacy levels really are!

Summary of what you've learned:

• why clear writing is so important

• the myths verses the reality

• the evidence that says you should improve your writing skills

• the importance of understanding literacy levels

Let's test your knowledge of the introduction to Better Business Writing.

In this part your will learn the Big Questions to ask before you write, and how to set your ideas from your head and on to the screen.

Before you start writing you need to think about:

• your objectives
• your reader
• your voice

If you don't know why you're writing something, why are you doing it? Be clear about your objectives.

Understanding your reader will determine the success of failure of your words. 

Who you represent (yourself, a colleague, your company) must determine the style and content of your writing.

Let's see how you got on with this section on what to do before you write.

In this section you'll learn some ways to get your ideas down on paper and to structure those ideas to best achieve your objectives.

Learn three techniques to get your ideas out of your head and onto paper or screen.

My favourite way of sorting good ideas from bad, and focusing on what you really need to achieve your objectives.

Put into practice what you've learned so far in this section.

Review what you've learned in Part One: Before You Write.

In Part Two you'll learn about the building blocks of writing and some ancient techniques to make your words powerful and compelling.

How to choose the right words to best achieve your objectives.

Why are some sentences bad, and how to correct them - 1

Why are some sentences bad, and how to correct them - 2

How to use paragraphs to make your writing easier to understand and more likely to achieve your objectives.

Don't get bogged down in the detail. Does the whole document actually work?

In this section you learned how words, sentences, paragraphs and the whole thing can be put to work to achieve your objectives.

Why a logical argument is essential to persuasive writing.  

Logic by itself is not enough, you need to make an emotional connection with your reader.  Here's how.

Why should your reader listen to you? How to give your words credibility.

Learn how using the active voice, verbs and taking responsibility can transform your work.

Learn what the 'Active Voice' is and how it can help you transform your work.

While you should usually use the Active Voice, the Passive Voice can come in handy too.  Here's when to use the Passive Voice.

Learn the power of using verbs instead of nouns.

Readers don't trust people who don't take responsibility for their actions. Take responsibility! This is a difficult lesson, but an important one.

Remember that you're writing to human beings. Don't lose your readers with abstract words and ideas.

Don't confuse your reader by being ambiguous. Say clearly what you mean to say.

We'll look at the 'Curse of Knowledge' and why you should never assume that your reader knows what you know.

Don't rely on stock phrases.  If you've heard it before, write something new or lose your reader.

In Part Two, we've learned:

• the importance of combining a logical argument with an emotional connection and a credible writer
• why you should always be direct, using the Active Voice and verbs and by taking responsibility
• why you should ground your work in people's everyday experience
• that you should be clear, inclusive and never rely on cliché

Once you have your first draft, the work has just begun.  Good writing comes in the edit.

Does what you've written achieve your objectives? If not, there's still work to do.

Make sure you get to the point. Fast!

Text that is too long is often not read, meaning it cannot help you fulfill your objectives. In this exercise, you will practice dramatically shortening some text.

If your reader isn't clear what you want, you've wasted their time and yours.

You only have a few seconds to grab a reader's attention.  Do you?

Make sure you avoid sloppy errors. Believe me, we can all make mistakes!

Don't get caught out by spelling mistakes.

A fresh pair of eyes is a wonderful thing, but only for the Big Things.

The most powerful thing you can do to check your own work.

Two websites that will give you a clear picture of the readability of your work.

We've seen how editing is vital for great writing.  We've looked at:

• checking what you've written achieves your objectives
• editing for brevity and clarity
• grabbing your readers attention
• checking your words through proof reading and reading them aloud
• two websites that can give you some numbers and a helping hand

In this lesson you will learn about ChatGPT. What is it? How can it improve your business writing? What are it's limitations?

In this lesson you will learn the difference between free and paid accounts, and how to sign up for both. If you already have a ChatGPT account, feel free to skip this lesson.

However, you will need to watch it if you want a certificate of completion for this course. Don't worry, it's very short!

In this lesson we will tour the ChatGPT user interface. You will learn how to use the prompt bar and key features, including Chats and giving ChatGPT feedback. You will start to understand the incredible power of ChatGPT as a tool for your writing.

In this lesson we will practice using ChatGPT to write and refine a range of different emails. 

In this lesson, you'll learn how you can train ChatGPT to mimic your own, someone else's, or your company's style of writing.

In this lesson, you'll learn how you can use ChatGPT to summarise long documents and simplify complex ones, to help you work more quickly and effectively.

In this lesson you'll learn how ChatGPT can be a powerful means of generating new and creative ideas, from ideas for a social media campaign to how to expand your business.

In this section I share the things I do to be a productive writer.

Understanding your own natural rhythms can increase your productivity.

Making the most of where you write can make a big difference. 

What is a State of Flow and how to get into one.

How I make sure I never suffer from writer's block.

In this section I've shared with you:

• how I focus on my most important tasks during my periods of peak productivity

• how I make the most of my working environment

• how I can get into a state of flow

• and how I avoid writer's block.

Congratulations! You've finished the course. Let's look back at everything you've learned.

Here is a list of all the summary learning points covered in the course.

Develop your writing skills even further with my other writing courses.

Advanced Writing Skills now available as part of your Udemy Business subscription!