"In business, as in life, all you really have is YOUR WORD."
- Kathy Doran, WORDrunner.net
Written Communications Skills seminars are facilitated via a blend of topics and approaches including:
- Initial presentation by instructor. Emphasis is on the various factors that affect an audience's perception of the overall message.
- Formulating one's purpose for writing, before writing a single word
- Rules and reasons for grammar, the "math" of written communication
- Using punctuation to aid understanding
- Sentence structure
- Use of active voice vs passive voice (what's best, and when?)
- Common pitfalls - commonly misspelled words and phrases, commonly misused grammar
- Building more concise sentences
- Caution with vocabulary, spelling, jargon and slang
- Commonly used American idioms (relevant, worn out, or misused.)
- Differences between Indian English and American English
- Proven methods of formulating writing exercises
- The importance of knowing one's audience to determine style, tone and word choice
- Using language and style that delivers impact
- Understanding the differences between spoken and written communication
- Knowing when not to write
Methodologies (including but not limited to):
- Instructor-led lecture on various topics, as needed.
- Interactive discussion of good and bad writing examples (instructor-provided)
- Writing exercises with collaborative corrections (by instructor and by fellow students)
- Q&A on commonly-used idioms (Indian and American)
- Constant attention is given to grammar, usage and Indianisms, followed by explanation and correction, if required
- Issues stemming from cultural and linguistic differences are discussed since these factors can affect word choice, tone, and more
Soft-Skills Training by Greg Hamra