Business Correspondence Skills for Secretarial and Admin Staff

Introduction

Making things clear and being understood are very critical aspects of our daily office communication.  These objectives are even more difficult to achieve when written communication is involved.  The appropriate writing style needs to be identified; sentence structure and choice of words must all be properly selected to transmit the intended message in the clearest possible way.

Objectives

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Develop a clear understanding of the writing process
• Organise thoughts and ideas effectively
• Avoid common errors in business writing
• Reduce false starts and rewrites
• Write email messages, memos, letters, reports and proposals in a well-toned, clear and concise manner
• Achieve adaptability and the desired results from internal and external customers

Target Audience

Officers, secretarial and admin staff who would like to know the basics of writing and enhance their written communication.

Curriculum

Fundamentals of good business writing

• Barriers to communication
• The writing process
• The 7”C”s principles of effective writing
• Organising thoughts and ideas
• Possible ways to get started and writing within context
• Vocabulary and choice of words
• Tone of message
• Clarity of expressions and styles

Types of written messages

• Letters of enquiries, confirmation, sales, collection, complaints
• Mastering memos
• Letters that “warm up” a business relationship
• Emails, letters and fax messages
• Job-related exercises and case studies

Report writing

• The nature of reports
• Types of Reports – when to use which type
• Types of Proposals
• Writing for technical professionals
• Using mind mapping technique to prepare effective drafts
• Ranking importance of topics and emphasising coverage in minutes, writing and presentation