Welcome to the Business Writing Toolkit at NZ Writers' College

For business owners, good writing creates a good impression; in the corporate world a good impression means you gain customers and clients. For office managers, good writing gets the intended message across, which means the job gets done. It's as simple as that.

The Business Writing Toolkit is a three-month course perfect for busy professionals who write at work - from admin staff to business executives.

The course aims to build writing confidence, iron out writing errors and help you create clear, reader-friendly documents. Led by a professional business writing tutor, you receive personal, one-on-one attention and feedback for fifteen practical assignments.

The course teaches seven key writing skills:

1. How to plan your business documents
2. How to make your writing and layout reader-friendly and correct
3. How to ensure that you present your ideas logically and coherently
4. How to target your reader/s
5. How to create a good impact with words and build vocabulary
6. How to avoid common grammar and punctuation errors
7. How to master correct business writing style

Course Quick Details

Students must complete 15 assignments:

1. Planning a memorandum
2. Re-working an email  
3. Writing a job advertisement
4. Replacing "awful abstracts"
5. Placing paragraphs in a business letter
6. Working on a brochure
7. Spelling exercise
8. Thesaurus exercise
9. Vocabulary exercise
10. Grammar exercise
11. Punctuation exercise
12. Proofreading exercise
13. Working with the active and passive voice
14. Analysing style
15. Rewriting a business letter

Admission Requirements

• Basic writing skills are essential
• Computer skills, e-mail and Internet access required
• No previous tertiary qualification required

Tutor: Susan Williams

Susan Williams is the managing director of Prose&Coms, a communications company that specialises in corporate publications, training and storytelling for strategic, motivational and therapeutic purposes.

She obtained a BA degree with specialisation in languages and philosophy, two BA Honours degrees in Philosophy and Applied Linguistics plus a post-graduate education diploma from Rand Afrikaans University (now UJ).

With a strong background in education and vast experience at multinational corporations, Susan consults and offers services in her areas of expertise. Since starting her business in 2000, she has been contracted to manage group publishing projects with international distribution.

Course Curriculum

Module One: Getting Started: Introduction to Business Writing

• Business writing: what is it?
• Think before you write
• Plan before you write: five steps to take
• Assignment 1: Correctly plan a memorandum
• Assignment 2: Write an email responding to a customer's complaints

Module Two: Keep it Simple: The Rules of Plain English

• Write with clarity
• Obstacles to clear writing, including: clichés, abstract nouns, jargon, officialese and legalese
• Write with style
• Use the correct, most effective layout
• Assignment 3: Write a job advertisement
• Assignment 4: Replace the "awful abstracts" with more appropriate words

Module Three: Make it Flow: Logic and Writing

• Use simple sentences and clear paragraphs
• Paragraphing tips
• What are transitions?
• Create logical flow through transitions
• Assignment 5: Place appropriate paragraphs in a business letter
• Assignment 6: Use appropriate transitions in a brochure

Module Four: Let's Build: Vocabulary and Writing

• What are words?
• Avoid risky words
• Improve vocabulary, and understanding how we build up vocabulary
• Changes in meanings of words
• Dictionaries and spelling rules
• Assignment 7: Choose the correct spelling
• Assignment 8: Use a thesaurus
• Assignment 9: Test your vocabulary knowledge

Module Five: Getting Rid of Grammar Gremlins

• Avoid grammar gremlins
• Books for your bookshelf
• Assignment 10: Grammar exercise

Module Six: Mastering Punctuation

• Understand why we use punctuation
• Gain a sound knowledge of the punctuation rules
• Know how to use punctuation correctly and effectively
• Assignment 11: Correct five examples
• Assignment 12: Proofreading exercise

Module Seven: It's All About Style

• Choosing a voice
• I versus we
• Active versus passive voice
• Use the correct style
• A re-cap of important writing tips
• Assignment 13: Changing from passive to active voice
• Assignment 14: Analysing style
• Assignment 15: Rewrite a business letter, focusing on voice, tone, style, paragraph construction and structure

How does the course work?

Detailed class notes covering the content of each module are e-mailed to students. At the end of each module, students will be required to complete the assignment/s.

Once the writing assignment has been completed and e-mailed to the tutor, an assessment and feedback will be sent to the student, and the module will be considered complete. The student can then move on to the next module.  

Conditions of Certification:

Students will receive an NZ Writers' College Certificate upon successful completion of the course, provided they meet the following conditions:

• Students must have completed all 15 assignments.
• The course must have been completed within one month of registration.
• Students are expected to attain a minimum average of 50% for the course.

Minimum Estimated Time Commitment:

• Reading time: 4 hours
• Writing time: 7 hours
• Planning time: 2 hours