We all need refreshers on current grammar and writing rules and expectations. The last time many of us had a writing course may have been college or earlier. After years of composing documents for business it is easy to get caught in a rut doing things the same way or doing things the wrong way.
The Improve Group staff relies on clear, well-executed documents in every aspect of our work. We write proposals, strategic plans, reports, social media content, and language for surveys and many other pieces that have to reach a myriad of audiences. So, recently a few of us refreshed our skills by attending a 2-day
SkillPath Seminar,
Business Writing and Grammar Made Easy and Fun!, presented
by Richard Kronick. The course followed an 8-step business process:
- Get to know your readers and their needs
- Define your purpose
- Gather background information
- For larger documents, create a mind map
- Write a topic outline
- Free-write your first draft (then take a break from it)
- Edit and format to create your second draft
- Proofread to arrive at your final draft
The presenter of the seminar confirmed that writing well is a lifelong process. Meeting deadlines can make it a challenge. Here are
some tips that may help: Have others in your organization
edit and proof what you write (these are separate processes and should be done in separate passes through the document). Keep
books or online resources for grammar and spelling handy. One new idea from the writing course was to create an
editing checklist. You write down a list of challenges or common mistakes you make when writing. For example, your list can include things like: using sentence fragments, weak verbs, confusing words, or improper use of quotations or commas. Then spend time before publishing or sharing to check specifically for the items on your list.
Now tell us: How do you keep your work fresh and flawless? Do you have tricks that help you to remember common grammar or spelling mistakes? Is there a reference material you would recommend to read or add to our writing library?
We all need refreshers on current grammar and writing rules and expectations. The last time many of us had a writing course may have been college or earlier. After years of composing documents for business it is easy to get caught in a rut doing things the same way or doing things the wrong way.
The Improve Group staff relies on clear, well-executed documents in every aspect of our work. We write proposals, strategic plans, reports, social media content, and language for surveys and many other pieces that have to reach a myriad of audiences. So, recently a few of us refreshed our skills by attending a 2-day SkillPath Seminar, Business Writing and Grammar Made Easy and Fun!, presented by Richard Kronick. The course followed an 8-step business process: