Writing for Business

This course is also offered as an intensive one-week summer school.

Please note this is a course for students already fluent in English and working in a business environment.

It is not suitable for those wishing to improve their English.

Students will be given homework and class exercises, and tutor feedback will be given throughout the course. You will be expected to share your written work with the group, as well as with the tutor, plus give and receive helpful feedback in class.

Topics explored in this interactive Writing for Business short course include how to:

• Get to the point
• Polish your bio and CV
• Excel at writing effective emails
• Write for the digital market
• Edit copy to a professional standard
• Engage your reader
• Structure your copy for maximum positive impact.

There will be live tutor feedback, plus opportunities to have your copy edited.

As an added bonus, students who present a successful idea for the City Short Courses blog will have the opportunity to have their article professionally edited and published on the site. Details will be given on the course.

Who is it for?

Our Writing for Business short course enables business professionals to enhance their corporate document writing skills across a range of business functions. Students will learn various styles of writing and how to tailor their writing for different audiences, improving their skills and confidence.

Timetable

Writing for Business takes place over 8 weekly evening classes.

City Short Courses follow the academic year, delivering courses over three terms. These include:

• Autumn - October
• Spring - January
• Summer - April

Benefits

• Our comprehensive Writing for Business short course empowers professionals to become confident and concise in their business writing skills.
• Students will learn a variety of proven tools, techniques and styles of writing, plus how to adapt their copy effectively to different audiences and mediums.
• Tutored by a journalist and copywriter of over 20 years, our 8 weekly evening classes help students improve – and enjoy using – their business writing skills.

Over 8 weekly 2-hour evening classes, City’s Writing for Business short course will introduce you to:

Week 1

The essentials:

• Your aims/interests
• Different types of business writing, technical to social
• The foundations of good business writing

Week 2

Understanding your reader:

• Personalising your target reader
• Identifying hotspots: what do they care about?
• Tone of voice

Week 3

Style and structure:

• Structure and layout know-how
• Good headlines
• What is ‘correct’ grammar and punctuation?

Week 4

Writing effective emails:

• Subject lines, intros, sign offs and signatures
• Best practice tips
• Practical management

Week 5

Diving into digital:

• Brevity, story and structure: avoiding disengagement
• Writing for websites and social media
• Readability tools

Week 6

Successful sales copy:

• What’s in it for the reader?
• The AIDA tool
• Compelling calls to action

Week 7

Editing for excellence:

• Editing and proofreading like a professional
• Style guides and digital tools
• Successful self-editing tips

Week 8

Marketing yourself:

• Upgrade your CV
• Your brand statement
• Recommended resources.

Students will be set homework and class exercises each week and tutor feedback will be given throughout the Writing for Business course.

Students will be expected to share written work with the group as well as with the tutor, and give and receive feedback in class.

Students who complete 70% of the classes will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the Writing for Business course.

No specific qualifications are necessary but students should be working within a business environment and have a desire to improve their written skills within this context.

This course is not suitable for those wishing to improve their English.

English requirements

You will need a good level of spoken and written English to enrol on this course.

• Pinker, Steven, (2014) A Sense of Style, Allen Lane
• Maynard-Smith, J. (2021) Ultimate Guide to Business Writing: All the Secrets of Creating and Managing Business Documents, Routlege
• Payton, S, (2022) The Business of Storytelling, Rethink Press