Business Writing and Grammar Skills Made Easy and Fun!

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Seminar Brochure

You’ll learn ...

• The "pre-writing" technique that´ll have the words flowing effortlessly!
• How to know if your paragraphs are in a confusing, illogical order ... and the best way to fix the problem
• How to avoid the trap of wordy opening paragraphs that leave the readers wondering "Huh?"
• The 12 most damaging blunders in business writing–-sidestep these at all costs
• And much more!

Gain dozens of field-tested strategies relied on by today´s most effective business writers. Learn how to present your ideas clearly and persuasively ... select words that fit your meaning ... spot misused verbs ... pronouns and punctuation ... avoid communication misfires ... and much, much more.

WORKSHOP AGENDA

Day One: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Getting started: Transforming a blank page into a bold message

• Freewriting: What it is and how to use it to produce a great first draft in half the time
• Are your paragraphs in a confusing, illogical order? Here´s how to tell and how to fix the problem
• Great words and phrases for linking paragraphs together so your readers don´t have to stumble through your document
• How to guard against the deadly mistake of leaving important points out because you´re so focused on the little stuff

Understanding the ground rules

• Take the confidential Writer´s Discovery Analysis to identify areas you want to polish
• Understand how business writing is uniquely different from other types of writing
• Discover your natural style—it´s the key to reader-friendly, interesting writing
• How to "do your homework"—you´ll be amazed at how effortlessly the words flow after that
• Put the "Know Thy Reader" commandment into practice and double the impact of your message

Perfecting your grammar and usage skills

• The most troublesome words in business and how to erase any uncertainty about using them
• When a personal, casual style is important—never underestimate the power of contractions
• A concise refresher on how to correctly use verb tenses, subject-verb patterns and pronouns and
• The "best-of-the-best" desktop references you´ll want at your fingertips for quick answers
• Ensure or insure? Affect or effect? Making the right choice between confusing words like these just became a whole lot easier!
• When it´s okay to bend the "rules" to make your point clearly
• Are abbreviations and acronyms really proper in business writing? This insight will shed light on the issue
• The unwritten rules about the appropriate and inappropriate use of jargon
• BONUS: A handy reference list of conjugations for 120 irregular verbs!

Avoiding embarrassing mistakes

• Can´t remember if the punctuation goes inside or outside the quotation marks? Here´s how to avoid
• Follow this widely accepted guideline for when to spell out numbers and when to use figures
• Avoid these blunders when using apostrophes—they scream "Rookie!"
• When adding hyphens, dashes and other marks for emphasis ... know when you´ve gone overboard
• To capitalize or not to capitalize? These tips will eliminate any question
• A refreshing overview of how to use punctuation marks correctly every time
• Your guide to international correspondence—follow this to the letter to ensure you put your best

Spelling every word correctly every time

• An intriguing spelling technique that many national spelling champs secretly rely on
• How to stop having to look up the same word in the dictionary over and over
• Prefixes and suffixes made easy
• How to take the confusion out of pluralizing letters, abbreviations and numbers
• DANGER: If you think your spell-checker takes the place of the human eye, you´re asking for trouble

Day Two: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Grabbing your reader´s attention with powerful openings and closings

• The "bible" on how to write openings that reel readers in
• How to construct a closing so action-oriented it´s like a shot of adrenaline to your reader
• Real-world insight into humor and when—if ever—it should be used in business
• How to avoid the trap of wordy opening paragraphs that leave the reader wondering "Huh?"
• Tough but necessary questions to ask yourself after you´ve written the opening paragraph

Persuading, influencing and convincing for results

• Super techniques that give you powerful psychological leverage over your reader
• The proven connection between the use of personal pronouns and the results your business writing gets
• Undeniably effective tips for winning the reader over to your way of thinking
• How to make a strong and logical written argument without coming across like a bulldozer
• Stop! If you want to avoid a negative reaction from the reader, take this precautionary step
• The 12 most damaging blunders in business writing—sidestep these at all costs
• How to curb the use of worn-out business clichés and what to say instead
• Hard-and-fast rules when working with a team on a writing project
• How to develop a sixth sense for damaging, biased and sexist language so you can make absolutely sure your writing is "clean"
• Get a firm grip on how to deliver bad news in writing—without a doubt, you will need this someday

Expanding your professional skills

• EXCLUSIVE: How to choose a style manual that works for your organization
• Just released! The latest, most professional business writing formats ... for letters, memos, proposals, reports and more
• A crash course in building winning business proposals
• How to write memos and e-mail that today´s busy professional can digest in 60 seconds or less
• Field-tested letter-writing techniques that pay off in three big ways
• Don´t miss a single one of these six elements when writing a report ... they´re all essential!
• Straight from the mouths of direct mail pros: Creating sales letters that bring in the orders
• How to write a press release that gets glowing coverage your company president will thank you for
• The art of writing crisp, clear instructions

Editing and proofreading like the pros

• Four amazing proofreading secrets that will automatically push your accuracy rate to 99%—or higher
• Editing and proofreading symbols the pros use to simplify and speed up the revision process
• Relax ... this team approach takes the fear out of proofing technical or financial data
• How to proofread quickly and accurately under pressure
• How to shut out phones, voices and other distractions when proofing in a busy office (It´s like sitting in an airtight bubble!)
• Catching typographical errors—yes, it´s tricky, but these tips will help shine the spotlight on them
• Keep your sanity with this proofreader´s checklist that ensures perfection down to the very last detail
• Proofreading a foreign language? Here are helpful rules that will calm your nerves
• How to do a final "sanity check" before your document goes out the door so you can sleep like a baby that night
• Editing techniques that will work miracles on your document

Sponsor Background:
SkillPath's seminars, videos, audiocassettes, books and software packages offer expert guidance on everything from how to get the most from the latest version of your favorite computer programs to how to manage people, time, projects or priorities and just about everything in between. At current count, SkillPath's curriculum includes more than 60 different seminar topics and nearly 200 book, audio and video titles.

SKILLPATH GUARANTEES RESULTS If you're not happy, SkillPath is not happy. Go back to work and apply the new techniques you learned in any of SkillPath's seminars. If you're not absolutely delighted with the results you achieve, write to them right away. They will issue you a refund or arrange for you to attend another SkillPath seminar without paying another penny. That's the SkillPath Guarantee!

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations received up to five business days before the workshop are refundable, minus a registration service charge, which you may apply toward any future workshop. After that, cancellations are subject to the entire workshop fee, which you may also apply toward a future workshop. Please note that if you don’t cancel and don’t attend, you are still responsible for payment. Substitutions may be made at any time.

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