Effective Writing: A Correspondence Course
Description
Effective Writing provides practical and effective strategies to produce better written documents in less time.
Objectives
- To combat the clumsy constructions which frustrate and sometimes confuse even the most efficient reader.
- To eliminate wordiness.
- To encourage students to employ the proper word choice and usage that guarantee precision in expression.
- To increase the writer’s skill in constructing clear and concise sentences.
- To show how a writer, through a knowledge of developmental patterns and devices of continuity, can assemble such sentences into paragraphs.
- To review the general principles of good composition, including punctuation and grammar.
Target Audience
- Professionals at all levels.
- Anyone who writes, edits, or reviews letters, memorandums, manuals, reports, or any other written communication.
- Especially recommended for supervisors and managers, as well as scientists, engineers, auditors, program analysts, project managers, computer programmers, and technical writers and editors.
- Also recommended for secretarial and clerical personnel, especially those who have responsibilities for composing or editing correspondence.
Applicability
The skills taught in this course apply to—
- Letters.
- Memorandums.
- Administrative reports.
- Scientific and technical reports.
- Judicial opinions, contracts, and other legal documents.
- Manuals.
- Specifications.
- Standard operating procedures.
- Environmental impact statements.
- Any other type of written communication.
Method
The student studies discussions in technique and then immediately works a lesson in which he or she applies those techniques. Then the student mails the lesson to the Communications Skills Company. Our qualified instructors check, correct, and return the lesson with helpful and appropriate comments. The lessons are usually processed and returned the day we receive them. This is not a machine-graded course, but one in which each student receives individual attention from a qualified instructor.
Materials
- Approximately 450 pages of reference materials.
- Workbook with over 300 pages of exercises.
- Printed on high-grade paper to withstand frequent handling.
- Heavy-duty notebook included.
- Certain materials are based on excerpts from letters, memorandums, reports, manuals, and other written communications of Government, Business, and Industry.
Length
- 20 lessons.
- We suggest that the course be completed in 26 weeks.
- A student is expected to complete about one lesson a week.
- Although we believe that the course should be completed within 26 weeks, we do grant additional time to those students who have special problems.
- Each lesson can take from 50 minutes to 3 hours to complete, but the average time is about 2 hours. The time will vary according to the strengths and weaknesses of the student.
Price
Available upon request by calling 256-883-6310. The price includes optional services of—
- Monthly progress reports.
- Certificates of completion.
- Additional charges for course materials shipped outside the continental U.S.
- Payment is due upon enrollment.
Place
Any location in reach of the U.S. Postal Service.