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Communication
plays a front-line role in a company's commitment to success.
As a business professional, you are required to write memos,
proposals and business letters. Often, these communications
act as your company's first opportunity to leave a positive
impression on peers, suppliers, and customers. It is normally
assumed that the professional can just 'fire out' a memo,
proposal, or business letter effortlessly, as if it were second
nature. The problem, however, is that many aren't equipped
with the required skills to produce these communications properly.
This course is designed to give you the necessary structure,
guidelines, abilities and confidence needed for memo, proposal
and letter writing.
Professional Business Writing I
is a 6-week online course designed to teach students how to
write professional business documents. Students receive practice
and instruction writing letters, memos, and proposals. The
course is designed to help students learn to write with confidence
and communicate effectively through the written word in a
business environment. A serious emphasis is placed on writing
with proper English grammar and usage.
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Course Outline
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| In this module, you will learn
the basics of grammar. Topics include: punctuation, commas,
semicolons, periods, pronouns, subject and verb agreement,
compound subjects, plurals, question marks, hyphens and
dashes, positives and negatives, misused words, paragraphs,
verb tense, parallel structure, non-sexist language and
jargon. A series of quiz assignments are provided and
marked to test your knowledge of grammar. |
| In this module, you will learn
the basic process for writing. Topics covered include
preparation, organization, drafting, and revision. You
will also be provided how to write using the principles
of plain language and how to plan and write for a specific
audience. |
| In this module, you will learn
how to write effective business letters. This module covers
the fundamentals of letter writing, the basic types of
letters and the formatting for a letter. You will also
be given your second assignment which will require you
to produce several letters in proper format. |
| In this module, you will focus
all your attention learning how to write business memos.
You will learn to use the skills previous attained to
use for writing formidable business memos. This module
also includes the third assignment for you. This assignment
lets you fine tune your Business memo abilities by creating
several memos. |
| In this module, you will learn
how to write business proposals. Proper Business proposal
preparation skills are neseccary in any field these days,
and we provide the most current and up to date training
on them. Relying on all the skills you previously learned
in the above modules, you will couple them together to
write superb proposals by the end of this module. You
will also receive your fourth and final assignment, which
is to produce a work proposal. |
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Course Requirements
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Students receive a CD-ROM that contains
all course materials.
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pentium-compatible
processor (133 MHz or faster) |
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32
MB of available RAM |
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super
VGA display, 640 x 480 resolution |
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35
MB of disk space |
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40
MB extra disk space during installation |
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CD
drive |
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Internet
browser |
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Microsoft
Word or an HTML editor |
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Internet
access |
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e-mail
program: such as Outlook or Outlook Express |
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Windows
XP/Windows 2000/Windows ME/Windows NT/Windows 98 |
This course is designed for people
who have a reasonable command of the English language, but
have basic usage problems such as consistent errors in grammar,
syntax, punctuation, and spelling or lack confidence in their
ability to communicate using the written word.
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Furthur Information
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Students receive a certificate of completion
for this course. Please see certification
for details.
First-time introductory price of $199US
includes a CD-ROM with all necessary course materials. Regular
price of $299US includes a CD-ROM with all necessary course
materials.
All of the course readings, discussions,
and assignments are conducted electronically. The instructor
works directly with each student in the course via email. In
addition, the instructor holds regular web chat sessions to
discuss topics of interest and assignments with the class as
a whole. Students may also use the online discussion bulletin
board to post messages regarding topics of interest and assignments.
Communication with your instructor
and your classmates is an important aspect of this course.
Several tools are provided to help you communicate more effectively.
The tools can be accessed from your 'student locker' page.
Students are encouraged to communicate with each other
through the course discussion group and through regular chat
sessions. Use the discussion group to share information or
to seek assistance with assignments. If you have a question
on an assignment that is of a general nature, use the discussion
group to post your question since other students will also
benefit from the response. If you need personal assistance,
e-mail your instructor.
Students are not required to attend
chat sessions; however, most students find them beneficial.
During chat sessions, students may ask questions relating
to assignments or usability issues.
The instructor will send out weekly
e-mail updates. The instructor's comments will discuss course
issues, assignments, and other information that is related
to the course. Since students are participating from locations
around the world, communication is especially important. Using
the course communications regularly will help students to
have a richer learning experience.
If you have further questions about
this course, or have special circumstances (i.e. student/corporate
group needs), we would be glad to talk
with you!
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About the authors
Susan Bodnik is online-learning.com's
instructor coordinator. In addition, she has over 5 years of experience
in teaching and developing online authoring courses. She has a
degree in English from the University of Waterloo with specialized
focus in communications, rhetoric and online learning. Susan is
also an active member in the Society for Technical Communication.
Susan adapted this course from our 12-week Professional Technical
Writing course.
Kitty Bucsko has been teaching business
communications and computer technology courses for over 30 years
including courses for the Canadian Institute of Management. She
has been a member of Ontario College of Teachers since its inception
and has a passion for the internet and telecommunications technology.
She is also a member of the Society of Technical Communications
(STC)
About the instructor
Kitty also teaches this course.
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