Module 1 Introduction

Welcome to module 1 of high impact business writing. In this first module, we’ll look at general writing and big picture issues. We will discuss the type of language choices you’ll need to make, including the tone of your writing, the formality of your writing. Important considerations in planning your document and word choices. The first consideration is just what you’re trying to say. And the second is your audience. We will talk about the importance of brevity and clarity in business writing. As well as word choice and sentence structures, which align with the goal of being brief and to the point. I’ll provide information about the use of high impact words, avoidance of jargon and colloquialisms, and how to write documents with some technical complexity. Approaching the development of a lengthy or important document will be the final lecture of this module. I will share ideas regarding how to proceed to ensure that you create a high-quality, high-value, easy to understand document in the most efficient manner possible. Before you begin writing, though, give some thought to your goals in creating this document. Are you trying to inform, to motivate, to persuade, to solicit feedback, make a request, smooth ruffled feathers? To help you plan ask yourself, what must be accomplished with this document? What does the reader need to know, to understand, to act upon? If your purpose is to inform, load it with content, minimize jargon and unnecessary words. Other purposes might justify more verbose or literary style content, but not when you are striving to inform, which is typically what you are doing in a business document. In this course, we will be addressing business writing, which generally has a purpose of providing information or requesting it, providing an analysis, a recommendation or explanation, proposing a course of action, a settlement or agreement. In this module, my goal is to help you frame your writing project and consider and think through the purpose or the intent of the document you are creating, the audience for whom you’re writing and what the expectations of that audience might be. The content, in terms of what belongs in the document, and what doesn’t, and how to organize it. And finally, a couple of strategic approaches to preparing documents. Primarily, more complex documents such as reports, proposals, and business cases. There are several activities in this module which give you an opportunity to think about the concepts presented and a quiz at the end to check your understanding.