
Business Writing Essentials


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10%
Save 10%
Save 10% off each course when you enroll in two or more courses. See suggested combinations below for our most popular combinations.
Save 10% off each course when you enroll in two or more courses. See suggested combinations in the right column for our most popular combinations.
Learn the best practices for business writing in a short course.
Every word you write tells your readers who you are. This business writing course will help you send the right message to supervisors, colleagues, and clients by showing you how to organize and write clear, effective business writing.
You have the drive and talent to succeed in your work. Get the guidance you need to let your business writing reflect your abilities. Improve your business writing and communication skills to make a good impression on everyone you reach.
Course Highlights
- Learn to write clear, concise business documents
- Shorter course for busy businesspeople
- Three full-document writing evaluations with comments and coaching
- The essential training that teaches the best practices in business writing
- Learn to overcome writer’s block and know how to start and finish documents
- Learn the important skills for writing with impact
- Learn how to guide readers through your message
- Learn to write so clearly you cannot be misunderstood
- Learn to choose the correct business vocabulary
Course Description
The Business Writing Essentials course teaches the best practices for business writing professionals must master to write clear, effective, professional email, memos, letters, reports and other business documents. We use a structured approach that will make writing easier, ensure your business writing is clear and professional, and guide your readers through your content. This business writing course differs from the Business Writing Skills course by working through the material at a faster pace with fewer practice activities and exams.
When You Complete This Course...
- You will be able to write clear, well-organized business documents your readers will easily understand.
- You will know how to find the right balance between too much and too little in your business documents and between too casual and overly formal writing.
- You will be able to avoid the easily corrected errors that can make you look ill-prepared.
- You will understand the best practices for writing the most common business documents.
How It Works
Work Online
When you enroll, we give you access to all the online lessons and training materials. Each lesson builds on the lessons that precede it. We offer clear explanations for every part of our training and plenty of real-world examples of how to apply the skills you are learning.
Set Your Own Pace
You go at your own pace and submit assignments when you are ready. You don’t have to be online with other students or perform activities at specific times.
Instructor Feedback
Your instructor evaluates all your work, coaches you through learning the skills, and gives you personalized feedback on what you are doing well and what still needs polish. You can contact your instructor at any time if you have questions about your training, business writing, or the English language.
Certificate
When you finish the course within two months, you receive a graduation certificate.
Course Outline
- Use a standard letter format.
- Use a standard memo format.
- Prepare notes for your email, memo, letter, or report.
- Organize the notes.
- For emails and memos, always write a clear, meaningful subject line.
- For letters, use a “Subject” line if your company customarily uses it.
- Write a clear, complete introduction.
- For emails, letters, and memos, write a cordial beginning or buffer.
- State the contents of the document.
- Write the explanations in blocks.
- Keep explanations of a subject together in one block.
- Check each block for focus.
- Check each block for completeness.
- Open each block with a statement of the contents.
- Use headings to open blocks.
- Bold field or date names to identify them as blocks.
- Create lists.
- Open list blocks.
- Mark the list items clearly.
- Keep list items in a single list.
- Keep list items in the same format.
- Use information blueprinting to be explicit.
- Use key words consistently.
- Use full phrases to define words clearly.
- Use paragraphs to organize information.
- Write concisely.
- Combine sentences to show relationships. Separate sentences to make them clearer.
- Write clear, simple, straightforward sentences.
- Write strong, direct sentences.
- Use words the reader will understand.
- Use your spell checker and grammar checker.
- Proofread.
- Format email to be readable.
Start Learning Today
Variations of This Course

$395
Basic Grammar and Writing Skills for Business
Combines grammar and writing training in one course.

$595
Explicit Business Writing with Additional Training
Our most in-depth, MBA-level course, with additional training exercises and instructor feedback.

$395
Explicit Business Writing
An in-depth course on best business writing practices, taught by Dr. Hogan.

$395
Business Writing Skills
A comprehensive, instructor-led course.

$125
Business Writing Skills Self-Study
A self-study writing course with no instructor feedback or exams.
Suggested Combinations
This course and Basic Grammar Skills Tutorial
One-on-one grammar training customized just for you, without wasting time on skills you don’t need.
Add both to cart $711.00 Save $79.00
This course and Basic Grammar Essentials
Learn the fundamentals of English grammar with instructor guidance.
Add both to cart $531.00 Save $59.00
This course and Individualized Writing for Nonnative Speakers of English
A customized tutorial that starts with an evaluation of your writing and then coaches you through personalized training.
Add both to cart $711.00 Save $79.00

Writing Coaching by Dr. Robert Hogan
Dr. Hogan has been training writers for 40 years in universities, colleges of business, consulting companies, and professional writing companies.
Learn more about Dr. Hogan.Course Features
Course Materials: Online
Certificate upon Completion: Yes
Instructor Feedback: Yes
Letter of Recommendation: Yes
Lesson Count: 33
Practice Activities: 0
Exams: 3
Start Learning Today

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The Business Writing Center’s highly trained instructors with backgrounds in higher education teach the latest best practices that we know enable business writers to write documents that are clear and have impact.
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