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VIRAK Newsletter March 2009
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Business
Writing Skills
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Most people are never taught to write
for business. Over 30% of all written business communications in the
western world today are to clarify a previous written communication - bad
writing can cost money, time, and misunderstandings.
This 2-day course shows people, through case studies, hands-on exercises
and group work how to plan, analyse, structure, write and edit their
written communications for optimal results. With emphasis on:
- Communicating
the right message to the right audience
- Selecting, organising and structuring the right material and layout for
the reader
- Avoiding common mistakes of style and language
- Ensuring their document is structured and presented in the optimal way
for maximum impact or outcomes
- Reducing time spent in writing
- Pre and post course assignments for continuous learning
This course will take place in Geneva on 18-19 March 2009
To learn more, please email us at info@virak.com
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Dear All,
Knowing that companies may not wish to invest in an
in-house training course, we have set up a series of courses available
to everybody. The benefits are that the cost is reduced and the
participants get a chance to meet people from other
companies. Please see the left side of this newsletter for more
details.
If you wish to attend one of our
public courses, NOW
is the time to register.
In this month's newsletter, you will read
about our featured
course "Effective Business Writing Skills",
and our
featured article discusses Written Communications
and how to save time and be more efficient in writing
and emailing.
We wish you an excellent month and look forward to
working with you in 2009.
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How good
are your written communications?
Did
you know that 30% of all written communications in large American
organizations are requests for clarification of a previous written
communication? (Source: fast Company).
New
research from London (UK) in January 2009 indicates that a lack of
email writing structure protocol increases employee email stress and
wastes up to one hour per day. In the study users received on average 34
emails per day - 47% of which do not help them do their jobs.
Most of us have never been taught to write professionally, and we just
do our best with our instincts and a writing style that we mostly
learned at school. Research shows that business writing is ineffective
due to:
· School and university influence: we go on using an academic
approach
· Tradition: using our writing to display learning
· Commercialese: A legacy of outdated business styles
· Inexperience: Without instruction we rely on earlier models
· Company style: Can be archaic or restricting with no models
· Lack of Concern: No realization of the importance of good
writing
· Writer-oriented: Writing was for the writer, not the reader
No surprise then that our business writing is not always effective - as
the above research shows, it can really slow us down. Ineffective
business writing is bad for business decisions, bad for credibility,
bad for morale and bad for productivity.
Good business writing saves time for you, saves money for the
organization, gets desired results faster and reduces stress for everyone.
Effective business writing is a skill that can be learned by anyone who
has to write memos, reports, proposals and agreements. It's a bit
like"software for the brain" and the principles never leave
you once learned.
The
principles of effective business writing include writing for the
reader, using logical structure, using specific language and writing
style, and clear layouts with signposts.
Good business writing has the following characteristics:
- Analysis of the subject is logical and
complete
- Main points and priorities are clearly
and concisely communicated
- Action items are easy to find and
understand
- Presentation promotes rapid scanning
and retrieval of key information
How is yours? If you would like
to learn a lifetime professional skill in just two days then sign up
for our new VIRAK course: Effective Business Writing (see left side of
the newsletter). The course will allow you to:
· Recognize styles of writing that communicate well
· Organize and structure your material for your reader(s)
· Analyze and improve your own professional writing
· Learn to avoid common errors of style and language
· Reduce the time you spend writing and increase the ease
· Add impact to your writing to obtain the results you want
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