Introduction and warm welcome to this business writing and communications course

Welcome and what to expect from this business English and communication course

Basic grammar for business writing

How to take the course if you are an intermediate or advanced student
Introducing basic building blocks of English grammar
Sentence clauses and sentence fragments
Conjunctions
Fixing run-on sentences and dealing with complex grammar issues
Example of fixing run-on sentences with simple and clear sentences
Four types of sentence structures
10 comma rules that will immediately make you a better writer
Example of fixing many mistakes per sentence in a sales text
Example 2 of fixing many mistakes per sentence in a sales text
Semicolon rules
Colon rules
Question marks
Use of quotes - otherwise known as quotation marks
Hyphen rules
Another rule for using the hyphen
Common terms with hyphen to memorize
Exercises to practice the hyphen rules
NEW! Many more examples added to the course
English grammar and punctuation exercise
English grammar and punctuation exercise - answers
Punctuation skills quiz
Advanced punctuation and grammar skills quiz

Fixing common word choice errors

Common word choice errors: Its vs. it's, Fewer vs. less, than vs. then & more
Use of lets vs. let's
Who vs. Whom
Commonly misspelled words that spellcheck won't pick up - don't trust spellcheck
Regular and irregular verbs
Common word-choice error exercise
Common word-choice error exercise answer
Common word error quiz
Advanced word choice quiz

Verb tenses

Introduction to English tenses
Four forms a verb can take
Answer to have gone vs. went
English verb tense exercise
English verb tense exercise answers
Verb tense quiz

Common grammar and word choice mistakes to avoid

10 weak words to take out of your writing and example of email to boss
More weak words and phrases
Example of my own writing from years ago and how it can be improved
Example of using fewer words to communicate the same thing
Exercise - common grammar mistakes to avoid
Exercise - common grammar mistakes to avoid - answer
Weak word quiz
Advanced weak word quiz

Writing email to co-workers or managers. Elite email writing to impress!

Section introduction to writing professional emails
Example of an email written between employees of the same company
Example of a confused and convoluted email, and how to improve it
Further explaining the previous lecture on not writing convoluted email
Your out of office auto-response email script
Using italics to emphasize importance, urgency, or emotion in a professional way
How to politely ask for something without the risk of offending them
The error to avoid when writing short sentences
Writing an email to co-workers or a manager - exercise
Writing an email to co-workers or a manager - exercise answer
Email communication skills quiz
Advanced email communication skills quiz

Practice activity to sharpen your communication skills in difficult situations

Activity to sharpen your communication skills: handling something you did wrong
Activity answer for email communication skills: handling something you did wrong
Quiz about owning up to your mistakes

Additional attention to detail in your email and overall communication

Making communication gender-inclusive
How to start your email by professionally addressing the recipient
Email subject line modifiers like urgent, action, or confidential
Write now and send later technique
What are memos and when to use memos vs. email vs. reports
Email subject line exercise
Email subject line exercise - answer 1
Email subject line exercise - answer
Extra email communication skills quiz

Writing a cold email pitch. Email writing to potential clients.

Example of a bad pitch
Example of a good pitch
Using bold text, caps, numbers and logical flow to emphasize important points
Writing email recap
Exercise - writing a cold email pitch
Exercise - writing a cold email pitch - answer
Email-writing skills quiz
Advanced cold email skills quiz

Proofreading your writing

Proofreading your writing
Checklist for proofreading
Use version revisions, suggestion feature, and other proofreaders
Not re-reading what we expect and using different perspectives
Proofreading exercise
Exercise answer
Proofreading quiz

Instant messaging etiquette communication skills

Instant messaging etiquette communication skills
If you have a client who abuses text communication
Example of bad IM skills
Instant messaging exercise
Instant messaging exercise - answer
Instant messaging communication skills quiz
Advanced instant messaging communication skills quiz

Writing a business letter - communication skill

Introduction to business letters
Example of a cover letter for a resume and a job application
Basic business fonts
Business letters and resume cover letter exercise
Business letters and resume cover letter exercise - answer
Business letter quiz
Advanced business letter quiz

How to write a business report - advanced communication skill

Writing a business report section introduction
Formal vs. informal reports
First person vs. second person vs. third person writing
Active voice vs. passive voice sentences
Introduction to the report we will write in this course
Writing the executive summary of the report
The introduction section of a business report
Writing the first paragraph of the business report
Second and third paragraph of the business report
Finishing up the rest of the paragraphs in the report body
Recommendation section of the report
Conclusion section of the business report
How to create visual charts and graphs to add to your report
General report-writing tips and how to avoid procrastination
Design templates for your report to make it more professional and beautiful
Bibliography section of your report
Business report exercise
Business report exercise - answer
Business report quiz
Advanced business report quiz

How to write a business proposal - advanced communication skills

Writing a business proposal - section introduction
Choosing a nice business proposal template
Opening slide of a business proposal
Table of contents slide
Executive summary of a business proposal of a $500k/year business
Advanced: Editing using emotional intelligence and understanding of your reader
Solution section and project schedule
Researching your target reader for better and more targeted writing
Writing the full solution part of the business proposal
Team section of the business proposal
Pricing slide of a business proposal
Contact information of your proposal
Putting a lot of text on a proposal presentation page
Business proposal exercise - question
Business proposal exercise - answer
Business proposal quiz
Business proposal advanced quiz

Assertive communication

Assertiveness section introduction
Assertiveness definition
Situations when it's difficult to know when and how much to be assertive
Not an option - you need it so you are not passive aggressive later
Example - being assertive working from home and getting others to be quiet
Create limiting beliefs in others
Example of saying no with courtesy and reinforcing it with a limiting belie
Assertive communication exercise
Assertive communication exercise - answer
Assertive communication quiz

Negotiation using assertive communication

Introduction to negotiation using assertive communication
Bad-cop, good-cop negotiation technique
B.A.T.N.A, bluffing, and when to walk away
Negotiation exercise
Negotiation exercise answer
Negotiation quiz

Resume writing

Resume writing section introduction
Introduction to resume writing with common errors & resume lifecycle
Outline of a resume & starting to write it together with you
Possibly using Canva for pretty resume templates
The "Objective Statement" in your resume
Skills section of a resume
Starting to write the experience section of the resume
Continuing to write the experience section and showing leadership ability
"Super competence" line
Core skills resume line
Latest job section of the skills section
References
Should resume be written in first or 3rd person?
Application follow-up
Hobbies section - making it stand out
Resume writing exercise - answer
Resume writing exercise - answer
Resume-writing quiz
Advanced resume-writing quiz

Storytelling for emotional connection & persuasion in professional communication

Introduction to storytelling and persuasion
Introduction to storytelling and persuasion
Story structure at its basic elements
Character building in your story
Exercise - let's build a story from scratch
Introduction to show-don't-tell for great imagery and persuasion
Show, don't tell in a job interview to help the interviewer see you at your best
Show, don't tell - in creative writing and poetry
Vocal elements to convey emotion and make the audience feel
What makes a good story
Story medium
Planning for the medium and audience
Corporate brand story
The case study story - one of the most effective tools for businesses & media
Personal story for an interview or at work
Tell a great first-impression story
Storytelling exercise answer
Storytelling quiz
Advanced storytelling quiz