Business Writing For Busy People

Get better results from your business writing - UPDATED FOR 2022

What you'll learn
Work out what you want to say quickly and painlessly
Craft clear, concise, compelling business documents - from emails to reports
Grab and keep your readers' attention with powerful messages
Structure your writing for maximum impact
Achieve a professional tone of voice in your writing
Identify and eliminate tech talk and off-putting business jargon
Requirements
A willingness to roll up your sleeves and get writing!
You'll need at least one piece of your own writing to complete several of the exercises
It's not necessary, but you might want to have a specific new writing project in mind
Description
Business Writing For Busy People is a short, sharp course you can complete at your desk in under 2 hours. Completely updated for 2022, the course shows you how to grab the attention of busy readers - by writing in a way that’s clear, concise and compelling.  What you’ll learn in Business Writing for Busy PeopleBusiness Writing For Busy People, covers the key things you need to know if you want to get better results from your business writing. This course is perfect for anyone who has to write anything at work. Whether you’re a new graduate who needs to adapt your writing style for the workplace. Or an experienced executive who wants to brush up your business writing skills.By the end of this course, you’ll be armed with a slew of techniques for crafting more effective business documents, from day-to-day emails to persuasive pitches and proposals.You’ll start by learning to identify the features of a ‘professional’ writing style. You’ll be introduced to a series of powerful (and free!) online writing tools you can use to analyse your own work. Tools that have been tried, tested and given the whole-hearted thumbs up by my own clients.You’ll also learn about the cultural factors that can affect the degree of impact your writing will have - essential knowledge if English isn’t your first language or if you’re working as part of a global team.Good writing isn’t primarily about the words you use - it’s about figuring out what you’re trying to say and why it matters. So early on in the course, you’ll learn how to quickly identify your key message before you even sit down to write. And how to present your ideas effectively - in a way that meets the needs of busy readers.Specifically, you'll learn more about the reading strategies people use to seek out the information that matters most to them - and how to adapt your writing accordingly.The techniques you’ll learn for getting your ideas down on paper quickly and clearly will save you time as a writer - and save your audience time as readers.You’ll also learn how to craft sentences that are clear, concise and jargon-free - so you can communicate your expertise without losing your reader. And how to add warmth to your words so you forge a deeper connection with people everytime you write.Finally, you’ll learn simple techniques for proofing and polishing your work - so you can weed out embarrassing errors that could undermine your credibility as a writer.  By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:Identify and adopt the features of a ‘professional’ styleSave time when writing anything - from day-to-day emails to persuasive pitchesDelight your audience - by saving them time when reading your workQuickly identify what you want to say - and how to say itStructure your writing for maximum impactPresent your ideas so readers can instantly home in on your most important pointsApply a proven formula for crafting pitches and proposals that persuadeCommunicate your expertise clearly and compellinglyRid your writing of confusing tech talk and off-putting corpspeakEngage your readers by making your writing warmer and more humanEstablish credibility by proofing and polishing your work effectively Hands-on practiceThe only way to improve your writing is to roll up your sleeves and get writing. That’s why I’ve designed Business Writing For Busy People to be a highly practical course. Throughout the course, you’ll get opportunities to put theory into practice with exercises and assignments drawn from real-life examples of business writing. You’ll also be encouraged to reflect on your own business writing. You’ll find the course particularly useful if you’ve got an existing writing sample you’d like to critique and improve on - or a crucial upcoming writing project to complete. Course resourcesBusiness Writing For Busy People gives you a wealth of resources for crafting clearer, punchier, more persuasive business documents, including:links to free online tools for analysing and improving your writing51-page downloadable course workbook featuring course exercises and assignments - including model answers - and summaries of the key points of each lecturedownloadable copy of instructor's e-book 'Catch Every Error: A Guide To Polishing Your Document Like A Pro - Complete With A Proofreading Checklist'links to useful articles and other online sources to help you produce better business writing Is Business Writing For Busy People the right course for you?Business Writing For Busy People has been designed for time-pressed professionals who want to get maximum results from their writing - in minimum time. If you’re looking for a more comprehensive course that will take you from business writing beginner to the level of a copywriting pro, you might prefer to enrol in one of my other courses, Writing With Confidence. Business Writing For Busy People covers some of the same ground as Writing With Confidence - albeit with all-new exercises. However, Business Writing For Busy People focuses on just the most important writing techniques you need to get fast results.Learn from an award-winning teacher and expert in business writingI’m Dr Clare Lynch of Doris and Bertie, a London-based consultancy that works with anyone who needs to write as part of their job. In my decades-long writing career, I’ve taught business writing skills to executives at global companies and international MBA students at the University of Cambridge. So I know exactly what it takes to help professionals write well in the workplace. Especially if you’re a smart, educated graduate who is having to adapt from an academic style to a new way of writing. As a Udemy instructor since March 2015, I’ve taught over 145,000 students how to communicate more effectively with the written word. What's more, in October 2019, Udemy bestowed their Student Success award on me for my dedication to my Udemy students.As a writer myself, I understand the importance of grabbing your audience’s attention - and keeping things to the point. And, as you’ll discover, as an instructor, I practise what I preach. The words students use most often in reviews of my Udemy courses  are ‘clear’, ‘concise’ and ‘engaging’.My goal with Business Writing For Busy People is to show you the writing techniques that will win you similar plaudits for your work.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction: how to develop a professional writing style

Lecture 1 Introduction: is this course for you?

Lecture 2 How to adopt an appropriate tone of voice

Lecture 3 Tone of voice: an example

Lecture 4 Writing in a global market: cultural factors that affect your writing style

Lecture 5 How to achieve a professional writing style: summary

Section 2: Communicating your key message quickly

Lecture 6 What is your point? The importance of knowing your "lede"

Lecture 7 The three questions you need to ask before writing

Lecture 8 How to order your ideas when writing to persuade

Lecture 9 How to signpost your writing to guide your reader to your main points

Lecture 10 How to identify and foreground your key message: summary

Section 3: How to write clearly and concisely

Lecture 11 Leave out the parts readers skip

Lecture 12 How to write more readable sentences

Lecture 13 Clarity and concision: words and phrases

Lecture 14 Communicating your expertise: how to spot and minimise tech talk

Lecture 15 How to write clearly and concisely: summary

Section 4: How to connect with your reader

Lecture 16 How to make your writing more active and less passive - and why you should

Lecture 17 How to add warmth to your words with power pronouns

Lecture 18 Jargon: how to spot and minimise biz babble

Lecture 19 How to connect with your reader: summary

Section 5: Final thoughts

Lecture 20 Polishing and proofreading like a pro!

Lecture 21 How to write more quickly and efficiently

Lecture 22 Download your certificate for completingBusiness Writing for Busy People

Section 6: Bonus section

Lecture 23 Special offers!

Busy executives who want to write more effective business documents,New graduates in their first role,Experienced professionals who want a quick refresher of the principles of good business writing