Business Writing
University of Colorado Boulder
Effective writing is a powerful tool in the business environment. Learn how to articulate your thoughts in a clear and concise manner that will allow your ideas to be better understood by your readers. Improve your business writing skill by learning to select and use appropriate formats for your audience, use the correct medium and adjust your writing style accordingly, as well as identify your objective and communicate it clearly. You'll also learn to spot, correct and avoid the most common writing pitfalls, and gain valuable experience analyzing, writing and revising a wide spectrum of business documents. From a simple email to a complete report, learn how to put good business writing to work for you. Upon completing this course, you will be able to: 1. Write effective business communications, including bad news, good news, persuasive writing, presentations, emails, memos, business reports and press releases 2. Learn how to edit and proofread business documents 3. Learn how to write for a global market
More resources on Written Communication
Writing in the Sciences
Stanford's online course on clear scientific prose, taught by Kristin Sainani. Covers cutting clutter, active voice, paragraph structure, the parts of a research manuscript, peer review, grant writing and publication ethics, so learners can draft and revise papers that read clearly.
Hemingway App
A browser-based editor that highlights dense sentences, passive voice, adverbs and complex words, and scores readability by grade level. Using it, a writer can spot and rewrite the specific constructions that make prose hard to follow.
Grammar Girl
Five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. Grammar Girl provides short, friendly tips to improve your writing and feed your love of the English language. Whether English is your first language or your second language, these grammar, punctuation, style, and business tips will make you a better and more successful writer. Grammar Girl is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast.
Style: Toward Clarity and Grace
Williams diagnoses why prose reads as dense and supplies repeatable revision rules built on subjects-as-characters and verbs-as-actions. Readers can rewrite tangled sentences and paragraphs into clear ones instead of guessing from vague style advice.
On Writing Well
Zinsser's guide to nonfiction prose: cutting clutter, choosing verbs, controlling tone, and structuring articles, memoirs, and business writing. Working through it leaves you able to edit your own drafts down to what actually carries meaning.
Everybody Writes
Handley's handbook for people who write at work: a writing process, grammar and usage rules, and rules for blog posts, emails, landing pages, and social copy. Ends with publishing and content-quality checklists you can apply directly.