KNOWING WHERE YOU STAND
__ Assessing Your Writing Skills
__ Determining Your Level of
Competence
__ Identifying Your Personal
Writing Goals
__ Making Sure You Know Basic
Grammatical Terms
CLARITY AND ORGANIZATION
__ Identifying the
Characteristics of Effective Writing
__ Using the Five Elements of
Effective Writing
__ Developing Your Thoughts in
Well-Structured Paragraphs
__ Using Transitional
Expressions To Write More Coherently
__ Getting Organized with an
Outline (see “Getting Started”)
__ Using Appropriate Methods of
Development (see “Getting Started”)
CORRECTNESS: AVOIDING COMMON
ERRORS
__ Eliminating the Three Most
Common Errors in Writing
__ Practicing Revising Sentences
__ Choosing and Using the Right
Words
__ Knowing When To Spell
Compound Words with or without Hyphens
__ Avoiding Distracting Shifts
in Tense, Subject, and Voice
__ Using Formats that Make
Reading Easier
__ Following the Rules When
Working with Numbers
__ Reconnecting Dangling
Modifiers
__ Avoiding Common Errors When
Writing Internationally
__ Finding the Rules in a Hurry
with the U of M Style Manual
CORRECT PUNCTUATION
__ Solving Puzzling Punctuation
Problems
__ Punctuating That and Which
Clauses
__ Eliminating Unnecessary
Commas
__ Punctuating Vertical Lists
WRITING CONCISELY & EDITING
FOR WORDINESS
__ Using Five Techniques To
Achieve Emphasis and Precision
__ Applying the Five Principles
of Concise Writing
__ Omitting Needless Words
__ Recognizing Patterns of
Redundancy
__ Avoiding Wordy Expressions
__ Simply Simplifying Sentences
__ Deflating the Overblown Memo
WRITING RELATIONSHIPS:
EDITING AND REVISING
__ Offering Constructive
Criticism
__ Coping with Overly Zealous
Editors
__ Offering Cross-Racial
Criticism
__ Analyzing Samples of
Not-So-Good Writing
__ Editing Excerpts from
Participants’ Samples
__ Proofreading for Accuracy and
Correctness
__ Using a Proofreading
Checklist To Make Sure It’s Right
__ Creating a Short List of Your
Most Frequent Proofreading Errors
__ Making Writing Assignments
without Making Enemies
__ Using Teamwork in
Collaborative Writing
__ Defining Management’s Role in
Promoting Good Writing
GETTING STARTED
__ Practicing Techniques for
Overcoming Writer’s Block
__ Knowing the Steps in the
Process of Writing
__ Formulating a Communication
Strategy
__ Getting Started with an
Outline (See “Clarity”)
__ Using Appropriate Methods of
Development (See “Clarity”)
SPECIFIC TYPES OF ON-THE-JOB
WRITING
__ Using the Three-Step Memo To
Write Quickly and Clearly
__ Writing Effective Reports
__ Executing Executive Summaries
__ Creating Attention-Getting
Openings for Sales Letters
__ Writing Powerful Sales
Letters
__ Using a Sales Letter
Checklist
__ Writing Marketing Proposals
that Work
__ Getting Fund-Raising Results
with Appeal Letters
__ Understanding Direct Mail
Terms
__ Using 12 Points of Formatting
To Increase Your Response Rate
__ Emulating Enticing Leads in
Newsletter Articles
__ Using a Checklist To Write
Newsletter Articles
__ Applying the Principles of
Good Procedures
__ Writing Progress and Activity
Reports
__ Knowing What To Cover in a
Performance Appraisal
__ Knowing What To Cover in
Letters of Recommendation
__ Experiencing the Joy of
Taking Minutes
__ Using the News Release To
Spread the Good Word
CORRESPONDENCE: WRITING TO
THE AUDIENCE
__ Establishing Guidelines for
Sending E-Mail Messages
__ Designing an Effective E-Mail
Message
__ Developing an Effective
E-Mail Style
__ Understanding E-Mail Jargon
__ Avoiding Worn-Out Business
Jargon
__ Opening Your Correspondence
with a Human Voice
__ Structuring an Effective
Customer-Relations Letter
__ Delivering Bad News without
Offending Your Reader
__ Writing a Meaningful
Thank-You Letter
PERSUASIVE WRITING:
TECHNIQUES AND STRATEGIES
__ Formulating a Communication
Strategy
__ Recognizing the Technical
Writer’s Predicament
__ Defining Deductive and
Inductive Reasoning
__ Using Rhetorical Appeals To
Strengthen Your Arguments
__ Respecting Standard Rules of
Evidence
__ Using a Five-Part Approach To
Structure Your Argument
__ Rebutting Opposing Arguments
and Authority
__ Applying Eleven Rules of
Persuasion
__ Choosing Classical Rhetoric
or Rogerian Persuasion
__ Using Rogerian Persuasion
with Hostile Audiences
__ Expanding Your Analytical
Vocabulary
__ Grading Your Writing with a
Business Writing Score Sheet
CAREER ADVANCEMENT
__ Dusting Off the Old Resume
__ Making Your Case in Letters
of Application
__ Resigning without Burning
Bridges
MANAGERIAL COMMUNICATION
__ Determining the Traits of a
Good Manager
__ Knowing What To Cover in
Performance Appraisals (See “Types”)
__ Knowing What To Cover
Recommendation Letters (See “Types”)
__ Knowing When and How To Write
an Angry Letter
__ Knowing How To Say “No”
Diplomatically
__ Writing in Delicate
Situations
__ Determining When To Write and
When Not To Write
__ Identifying Defensive Versus
Non-Defensive Communication