A well-written and strong email reply is vital in effective written communication. The course is structured such that participants will learn to adopt an appropriate style, tone and format of writing, express their points coherently, and to consistently produce focused replies. They will also pick up skills to avoid common writing errors and to write professionally.

OBJECTIVES

• Appreciate the importance of writing well for their organisation and themselves.
• Apply principles taught to write emails that are clear and logical; and meet the organisation’s needs and expectations better.
• To learn the value of good written replies.
• To develop paragraphs that introduce, connect, develop and conclude ideas.
• To learn how to edit your work so you can feel confident that it is clear, concise, complete and correct.
• To provide an opportunity to apply these skills in real work situations.

OUTLINE

Pre-Writing Stage

• Customer analysis—Objectives are to manage objections from customers and content.
• Applying critical and analytical skills in email replies (feedback and complaints).

Email Writing Essentials

• Different types of email replies—informational and decision-making.
• Objectives of emails.
• Use storyboarding to structure thoughts and deliverables.
• Templates for formal and informal email replies.
• Templates (Client’s and additional templates by provider for consideration).

Writing Stage

• Modern day business writing vs. older form of business writing.
• The Five W’s of planning (summary skills).
• Concise writing essentials.
• Words and phrases for replying to feedback e.g. (general requests, compliments etc. and complaints).

Post-Writing Stage

• Common grammar errors made in writing.
• Editing and proofreading skills.
• Activity (review email samples).
• Application of proofreading and vetting techniques.
• Identifying the pros and cons of the email samples.

Final Review of Learning

• Debrief and application of learning points in the workplace.
• Questions and answer session.
• Moving forward—Personal action plans for application of learning.

DURATION

One Day

As organisers and leaders of meetings, we understand that meetings would be effective when the agenda justifies the purpose of the meeting and with the necessary people. Minute taking should follow various rules of trust and this can only be achieved if they are well planned, organized and followed-up on all decisions and commitments.

An interactive learning programme using a combination of lectures, exercises and group discussion to discuss the various skills such as listening, writing and note-taking that are needed to write the minutes of meeting.

OBJECTIVES

• Apply procedures for proper preparation for a meeting.
• Use principles and techniques of minutes taking to record proceedings of meetings accurately.
• Distinguish relevant from irrelevant points.
• Apply concise and summary writing in minutes.
• Recognise definite decisions made and actions required.
• Exercise sensitivity in the writing process.
• Give assistance and support to the chairman effectively.
• Understand group dynamics and synergy at meetings.

OUTLINE

Part One: Before the Meeting

• What are minutes?—types of minutes such as Narrative, resolution board, blended etc.
• Business meeting buzzwords and terms.
• Meeting documents—notice of meeting, agenda, chairman’s agenda, previous minutes, proxy instrument, attendance register, reports, etc.
• Prepare note-taking forms.

Part Two: During the Meeting

• Listening comprehension and note-taking skills.
• Know how to identify importance of business transacted and meetings, emphasise coverage in minutes presentation and seek clarification from speakers.
• Observe mistakes and problems at meetings and minutes presentation.

Part Three: After the Meeting

• Writing skills using the 4 C’s—clear, concise, courteous and correct.
• Minutes of meeting format and organisational structure.
• Formal and informal templates such as (chronological, see-saw, etc.)
• Language/grammar discussion—Reported speech / tenses & subject verb agreement/ subjunctive/ infinitive/ active vs. passive voice.
• Post mortem of meeting, follow-up action and summary.

Review of Learning

• Critique sample minutes of meeting.
• Debrief and application of learning points in the workplace.
• Questions and answer session.
• Moving forward—Personal action plans for application of learning.

DURATION

Two Days

The ability to present information succinctly and in a concise form is instrumental in this current dynamic business world of information. A proposal is essentially a sales document, if not presented or communicated correctly, can and will lose its intended message, thus possibly hindering or misleading decision-makers. This two-day course will impart the necessary knowledge and skills for effective proposal writing.

OBJECTIVES

• Learn how to write clear, concise, correct and complete proposals.
• Learn the techniques used in organising and planning prior to the writing process.
• Understand the Do’s and Don’ts of effective proposal writing.

OUTLINE

Essentials of Effective Business Writing

• What are business proposals?
• Differences between business and creative writing.
• Identifying old-fashioned vs. modern business writing styles.
• Writing skills using the 4 C’s—clear, concise, courteous and correct.
• Understanding attention span of readers.
• Summary writing—5 W’s & 1H.
• Concise writing essentials.
• Approaches to writing—voice, direct, indirect and persuasive.
• Controlling tone in writing.

Customising Written Work and Communication Styles

• Writing to suit different reader/audience profiles.
• Audience analysis—Do’s & don’ts.
• Stakeholder analysis—Manage objections and share relevant content.

Process Proposal Writing

• Ways to organize proposals/papers convincingly.
• Delivering reports via set and standard formats—Feasibility reports, concept papers and etc.
• Proposal/paper writing techniques.
• Successful structuring techniques using templates such as the “News Triangle”, “AIDA”, 4 “P’s”, “Problem-Cause-Solution”, “Chronological Structure”, “MAGIC”, “IMPACT” etc.
• Paragraphing (transition) rules.
• Using tables, graphs, charts and illustrations—The power of visual imagery.

Vetting Techniques

• The vetting checklist—what to look out such as copyright and infringement concerns; common writing mistakes, organisation of content and word usage.
• Adding the extra polish to your writing.
• Conveying vetting techniques and improvement measures to subordinates in a positive manner.

Final Review of Learning

• Debrief and application of learning points in the workplace.
• Questions and answer session.
• Moving forward—Personal action plans for application of learning.

DURATION

Two Days