The eLearning Center for Gatlin Education Services

This series teaches the writing skills learners will need to effectively communicate in a business setting. They'll learn how to prepare for a writing task, and about strategies and skills for effective word choice, sentence building, and paragraph design.

The Planning Worksheet
Time: 1.0 hour(s)
Summary:
After taking this course, the learner will be able to use a Planning Worksheet to analyze the needs and restrictions of a writing task.
Objectives:
* Describe the benefits of using a planning worksheet.
* Determine the basic prerequisites of your business communication.
* Identify the audience of your business communication.
* Decide the format, style, order, and attachments of your business communication.
Topics:
* Initial Analysis
* Audience Analysis
* Presentation Analysis

Writing Skills
Time: 2.0 hour(s)
Summary:
This course will help you improve your business writing skills by choosing appropriate words, building effective sentences, and identifying and correcting common sentence faults.
Objectives:
* Identify the five qualities of effective words.
* Identify the rules of correct word usage.
* Identify the guidelines for nondiscriminatory language.
* Build effective sentences.
* Recognize and correct common sentence faults.
* Design paragraphs successfully.
Topics:
* Five qualities of effective words
* Rules of correct word usage
* Guidelines for nondiscriminatory language
* Building effective sentences
* Common sentence faults
* Paragraph design

Patterns of Development
Time: 1.0 hour(s)
Summary:
After taking this course, you will be able to organize business writing into specific patterns, depending on the type of information you want to communicate.
Objectives:
* Define each informative prose pattern
* List business applications for each pattern
* Provide examples of each informative prose pattern
Topics:
* Narration
* Causal analysis
* Persuasion
* Description and definition
* Comparison/Contrast
* Classification
* Process analysis

Letters
Time: 2.0 hour(s)
Summary:
The course discusses standard letter parts and letter formats. This course talks about planning a correspondence, and the words, sentences, and paragraphs used when creating an effective letter. It also discusses the block and modified letter formats and how they differ. Finally, this course presents how to write letters that convey neutral or positive news, as well as how to write negative news letters with tact and courtesy.
Objectives:
* List the acceptable letter-writing formats.
* Discuss three categories of letters.
* Determine which style of writing is best for a particular situation.
* Write neutral, positive, negative, and persuasive letters.
Topics:
* Parts of a letter
* Letter formats
* Neutral and positive news
* Negative news
* Persuasive letters
* Sales letters

Memos, E-Mail and Other Communications
Time: 1.0 hour(s)
Summary:
This course discusses memos, proposals, press releases, e-mails, and faxes.
Objectives:
* Discuss memos.
* Explain proposals.
* Create a press release.
* Describe e-mail and faxes.
Topics:
* Memos
* Proposals
* Press releases
* E-mail and fax

Reports
Time: 1.0 hour(s)
Summary:
After taking this course, you will be familiar with the general characteristics and acceptable formats of formal, informational, analytical, and persuasive reports.
Objectives:
* Describe the general characteristics of formal reports.
* Describe acceptable formats of reports.
* Explain how formal, informational, analytical, and persuasive reports should be organized.
Topics:
* Characteristics of reports
* Formal reports
* Informational reports
* Analytical reports
* Persuasive reports

Documentation
Time: 3.0 hour(s)
Summary:
In this course, you will learn how to write clear, concise documentation. You will be able to effectively plan your documentation project and decide what information to include. This course also discusses the proper parts of a document, the editing process, and the preparation of your document for production and distribution.
Objectives:
* Understand the importance of planning your projects.
* Select information relevant to your audience.
* Identify and set up the standard sections of a document.
* List the four rules of producing effective documentation.
* Use charts, graphs, and tables to illustrate steps in the procedures you are documenting.
* Choose the best formatting characteristics for your documentation project.
Topics:
* Planning the project
* Gathering information
* Organizing information
* Producing document parts
* Writing your documentation
* Writing and editing drafts
* Finalizing your document