POWER Writing for Business: Beyond the Fundamentals

POWER Writing for Business: Beyond the Fundamentals is PBI's 2-day applied workshop to help business professionals reacquaint themselves with old, forgotten rules; meet some new ones; and discover their communication strengths. The workshop is very interactive and uses video clips, group discussion, and exercises to teach practical and applied grammar, structure, mechanics (including spelling, punctuation, capitalization, contractions, plurals, abbreviations, italics, and more), and writing styles that go beyond the fundamentals taught in school or most writing classes. The workshop has been taught several times to the Washington Post, the City of Alexandria, and Xerox Corporation. It accomplishes the following objectives:

Knowledge

• Understand the latest rules (and exceptions) to produce more professional, effective, and error-free business writing
• Understand how to communicate more easily and effectively

Skill

• Practice identifying and correcting the most common grammatical, structural, mechanical, and stylistic writing "sins"
• Practice using MS Word and e-mail to help identify and correct (or prevent) grammatical, structural, mechanical, and style errors in your documents
• Hone your personal writing style and improve your written communication skills to connect people and ideas
• Write more clearly, in plain English, to avoid misunderstandings or looking unprofessional

POWER Writing for Business: Writing as an Individual

POWER Writing for Business: Writing as an Individual is PBI's 2-day interactive workshop that teaches participants how to use the 5-phase "POWER Writing Process" model to Plan, Organize, Write, Evaluate, and Revise documents to communicate faster, more professionally, and with more confidence. The course uses video clips, group discussion, and exercises to teach practical and applied business writing processes, techniques, and communication skills. It addresses methods for breaking through "writer's block," becoming "reader-focused," organizing information, streamlining the writing of drafts, editing and proofreading, and revising and finalizing the document. Examples of well-written business documents as well as easy to use tip sheets and individualized coaching are provided. The course has been taught several times to the Washington Post and Xerox Corporation. It accomplishes the following objectives:

Knowledge

• Explain what constitutes a good business document and what it takes to ensure it gets read
• Learn the importance of "visual rhetoric" and how to improve the "look and readability" of your documents using color, graphics, headlines, and other techniques

Skill

• Practice using the 5-phase POWER Writing Process (incorporating instructor and peer feedback) to improve written communication skills
• Produce more professional, effective, and error-free business documents in a variety of formats (including e-mails, memos, reports, etc.) that drive actions and produce results
• Hone your personal writing style

POWER Writing for Business: Writing as Part of a Team

POWER Writing for Business: Writing as Part of a Team is PBI's new 2-day applied workshop that focuses on a collaborative writing process for team-developed communications. This workshop helps teams ensure that their finished product looks like design rather than accident and looks as if one person had written it. The group dynamics, challenges of scheduling, team communication, team democracy, and conflict resolution are addressed as well as the issue of ensuring that all the parts are put together and in the right order. This workshop builds on the lessons learned in Writing as an Individual and examines the differences between individual and team writing. Examples of well-written team documents as well as easy to use workbooks, handouts, coaching, and tip sheets help reinforce the concepts and learning. It accomplishes the following objectives:

Knowledge

• Describe good team dynamics and how to improve teamwork skills (particularly on group writing projects)
• Explain the key roles and responsibilities required for a successful collaborative writing effort
• Understand interpersonal communications, team democracy, and conflict resolution and how to effectively use as part of a team writing effort

Skill

• Use the 5-phase POWER Writing Process to work and write collaboratively
• Produce well-written and effective documents as a group that look like they were designed and written by an individual
• Hone your team and personal writing styles, and improve your written communication skills

POWER Writing for Business: Effective E-Mails

POWER Writing for Business: Effective E-Mails is PBI's 1-day (or half-day) workshop that provides a practical approach to writing effective e-mails that get read and get results. A good e-mail, properly worded and to the point, can make the critical difference between it being read or consigned to the trash. This workshop helps participants to consistently and effectively create e-mails that are properly worded, to the point, and use the proper "tone." It uses video clips, group discussion, and exercises to teach practical and applied tips on proper e-mail etiquette and teaches you how to write more professional and effective e-mails – that get read and get results! It also addresses how to reduce your e-mail risks. This workshop has been taught at the Washington Post, Xerox Corporation, and many small businesses. It accomplishes the following objectives:

Knowledge

• Identify when e-mail is or is not appropriate
• Understand the appropriate "tone" to use and when
• Learn/describe what makes good e-mail etiquette
• Explain how to reduce your e-mail risks

Skill

• Evaluate e-mails to identify problem areas (improper tone, desired action not stated, etc.)
• Correct e-mails with known mistakes or problems in them
• Produce more professional and effective business e-mails
• Hone your personal writing style and improve written communication skills

POWER Writing for Business: Using Visuals to Enhance Writing

POWER Writing for Business: Using Visuals to Enhance Writing is PBI's 2-day workshop that helps participants use "visual rhetoric" to get their message across more effectively. During this workshop, participants learn how to enhance written documents (or slide presentations) using effective and appropriate graphics, charts, audio visuals, and/or multimedia aids. This course is NOT a technical graphic design class; rather, it will help you learn the importance of "visual rhetoric" and how to improve the "look and feel" of your documents using color, graphics, headlines, and other techniques. Participants will also learn how to illustrate, focus, reinforce, demonstrate, or attract attention; and understand the appropriate use of color to increase the effectiveness of your message. The workshop has been taught at the Washington Post, Xerox Corporation, and many small businesses. It accomplishes the following objectives:

Knowledge

• Explain what "visual rhetoric" is and what constitutes good graphics and visuals
• Learn how to improve the "look and readability" of your documents using color, graphics, headlines, and other techniques

Skill

• Practice creating graphics and visual aids to illustrate, focus, reinforce, demonstrate or attract attention
• Produce business documents that "get your message across" more effectively
• Hone your personal writing style and improve written communication skills