Writing Fundamentals Workshop

Writing Fundamentals Workshop

Course Description

This course will help you discover what’s working and what could be improved in any piece of writing. If writing is a challenge for you, Fundamentals of Writing will help you improve your abilities and confidence. If you feel comfortable writing, this course will hone your skills even further! You’ll learn specific strategies to improve the ideas, organization, voice, words, sentences, and correctness in your writing.

Course Objectives

When you complete this course, you will be able to do the following:

• Understand and use the seven traits of effective writing
• Use an easy, step by step process to draft effective documents
• Analyze each writing situation
• Develop a clear main point and support it effectively
• Use an effective three-part structure, organizing messages to succeed
• Use different patterns of organization depending on the purpose of the message
• Use a writing voice that fits your subject, audience, and purpose
• Use fresh, precise words and get rid of wordiness
• Write active sentences with parallel construction
• Avoid common errors and unclear wording
• Create an effective design and use graphics to make your point
• Create emails and reports that communicate clearly
• Understand how to use proper grammar for professionals in your workplace

Course Modules

Lesson 1 – Fundamentals of Writing

• Using Write for Business
• Taking a Pre-Assessment
• Understanding the Seven Traits of Writing
• Writing a Document in Four Easy Steps
• Writing for Your Supervisor
• Writing Complete Sentences
• Lesson Wrap-Up
• Quiz

Lesson 2 – Organizing Your Ideas

• Developing Main Points
• Supporting Main Points
• Building Your Case
• Reaching Resistant Readers
• Using Three-Part Structure
• Using Transitions
• Lesson Wrap-Up
• Quiz

Lesson 3 – Organizing Your Messages

• Reflecting on Learning
• Organizing Good-News Messages
• Organizing Bad-News Messages
• Organizing Persuasive Messages
• Writing Effective Email
• Making Subjects and Verbs Agree

Lesson 4 – Voice and Words

• Understanding Voice
• Writing Conversationally
• Keeping Your Voice Positive
• Using Fresh, Precise Words
• Reviewing Usage 1
• Reviewing Usage 2

Lesson 5 – Sentences and Correctness

• Reflecting on Learning
• Combining Choppy Sentences
• Energizing Your Sentences
• Writing Tight, Parallel Sentences
• Correcting Unclear Wording and Faulty Sentences
• Correcting Common Errors 1
• Correcting Common Errors 2

Lesson 6 – Applying the Fundamentals of Writing

• Improving Your Writing
• Improving Your Revising
• Improving Your Editing
• Using Plain Language
• Applying the Fundamentals
• Taking a Post-Assessment