Writing with Intention


Overview/Description
Whether you're preparing a brief e-mail response, a business letter, a performance review, a multi-page proposal, or a presentation to a prime customer, you know that having a job means having to write. But if you're not a trained writer, how do you begin? The writing process actually starts before you pick up a pen or place your fingers on a keyboard. It begins with defining what you are writing, for whom you are writing, why you are writing, and which writing approach to use. "Writing with Intention" addresses these defining matters, which you need to consider every time you sit down to write. The course includes lessons on how to link your writing to its purpose, how to modify your writing for different readers and audiences, and how to approach your content in a manner that supports the message type. In this course, business writing is taught as a collection of easy skill sets, not as a strained creative exercise. The lessons flexibly encompass almost any kind of business writing you may be required to perform on the job. No matter what your level of writing skill, if you write at work, you can benefit from this practical writing course.

Target Audience
Anyone who does any kind of business writing at work, from e-mail and memos to reports and presentations

Expected Duration
4.0 hours

Lesson Objectives:

Know Your Audience

  • recognize the value of identifying your reading audience before you start writing.
  • indicate which reader characteristics you should know before starting to write.
  • select methods for personalizing your business writing for your readers.
  • associate reader roles with appropriate writing tones.
  • apply the appropriate writing tone to a designated reader role in a business document writing scenario.
  • Writing with Purpose: Inform, Respond, Persuade

  • recognize the benefits of clearly defining a purpose before starting to write.
  • select the appropriate message type for various writing purposes.
  • determine which element of informative writing is being applied effectively in a given business document.
  • determine if the elements of a responsive writing strategy are effectively applied in a given business document.
  • determine whether the appropriate persuasive lead has been written for a given business document.
  • select text for a hypothetical business document that effectively applies the elements of persuasive writing.
  • Course Number: COMM0011