Professional Business Correspondence In-House Training Course

Course overview

In recent times we’ve observed rapid and unprecedented innovations in the digital realm which have influenced even the most seemingly unshakable pillars of the business world, including business correspondence, namely written business communication. Modern business correspondence includes much more than just formal business letters, emails, and memos, which we’ve grown accustomed to. Nowadays business writing is about text and social media messages, online chats and messengers, reports, online proposals, video messages, etc.

Business correspondence is the main component of effective business communication, the most common and trusted way to interact with people within your organization, and other organizations, and with customers. Thus, business writing skills are vital for creating a thriving and prominent career, no matter what position you have.

This business correspondence training course helps you to master every element you use to communicate daily, from effective business email writing to sophisticated proposals, online chat, video messages, etc. In this course, we’ll cover all the aspects of professional writing how to compose all types of business letters, overcome writer’s block, get acquainted with the best styles of business writing and understand how to use each style to get the results you want from your messages in the most efficient way.

Throughout this business writing training course, you will obtain highly practical and relevant information, such as:

• Understand how and when you should use different types of business correspondence
• Refine your professional email writing with proven tactics that allow your letters to stand out
• Gain insights into all types of business letters: sales letters, order letters, follow-up letters, etc.
• Explore how to get people to act – turn business correspondence into your secret weapon
• Master modern business correspondence methods, such as social media, SMS, messengers and more.

Who Should Attend

• Administrative Staff
• Receptionists
• Front Desk Personnel
• Marketing and Sales Personnel
• Business Professionals
• Everyone who wants to develop a more professional business writing style
• Everyone who uses email communication on a daily basis
• All professionals who use English as a second language

What will you gain

In this intensive and highly practical course, you will study various business correspondence techniques and rules which will greatly help you in your workplace, including:

• Better identify your audience and tailor your message to them
• Learn how to switch between informal and formal styles skillfully
• Overcome the fear of a blank page and learn how to start more effectively
• Write business letters that meet all international standards
• Master effective email writing to achieve clarity and successful communication
• Boost your professionalism and get the opportunity to stand out at work
• Write clear memos and reports that deliver tangible results
• Use social media messages and messengers with maximum efficiency
• Understand common mistakes in business writing and how to avoid them
• Learn how to compose messages that deliver the desired outcome
• Create business proposals that stand out from the competition

Course content

• Introduction to the World of Written Correspondence & Etiquette
  • Business communications etiquette fundamentals
  • Facts about correspondence
  • From the history of business correspondence
  • Pros and cons of business correspondence
  • The cost of poor communication
• Forming the Correct Attitude for Effective Business Writing
  • Purpose of your message
  • Adapting your writing for your audience
  • Find your voice – make your written correspondence unique
  • Consider the “to whom” component in business writing
  • Differences between general English (more informal) and business English (more formal)
• Creating the Perfect Structure: Important Elements to Master in Business Correspondence
  • What is the difference between a personal and a business letter?
  • The structure of a business letter
  • The structure of an email
  • Useful stock phrases for your business correspondence
    • Opening salutation
    • Subject line
    • Opening sentence
    • Closing sentence
    • Closing
    • Salutation
    • Functional language phrases (e.g. responding to a query, making arrangements, requesting action, etc.)
  • Principles of effective correspondence
• Business Correspondence by Email: Rules of Success
  • Etiquette of response time
  • Making an effective subject line for your email
  • Other email fields and elements: cc, bcc, attachments, PS
  • Email security
  • How to work with a large flow of incoming emails
• Creating the Perfect Text: The Body of the Email
  • The ideal email
  • Personal approach
  • Making things concrete
  • Readability
  • When you want to make an immediate impact: the inverted pyramid
• How to Create Your Own Writing Style
  • Let’s be a little more diplomatic
  • Concision
  • Active vs passive writing
  • Parallel construction
  • Agreement: number, verb-subject
  • Punctuation
  • Spelling
  • Editing and proofreading
• Types and Features of Business Emails
  • Types of business correspondence: appreciation letter, invitation letter, offer letter, cover letter etc.
  • Postcards etiquette
  • How to work with memos efficiently
  • Preparing persuasive internal suggestions/proposals for improvement
  • The elements of a report, in accordance with globally accepted standards
  • Business Correspondence to invite attendees to a meeting, and persuasive arguments if invitees decline
  • Positive, neutral and negative email content
  • How to reply to an email of complaint or an aggressive email
  • How to write a refusal letter and a claim letter
• Digital Age – Master Modern Online Correspondence
  • Basic Netiquette rules
  • The importance of visual images and infographics
  • Skype, BOTIM and other VOIP
  • Is there a place for emojis in business English?
  • Use social media as an advanced business communication tool
  • Messengers – bring your multichannel correspondence to the next level
  • Multichannel – channels to use and mix