Communicating Effectively in Written English

Who Should Attend?

Anyone who finds communicating in writing (eg. e-mail) difficult, or problematic, or would like to improve their written English communication skills by correcting their grammar and writing techniques. This is an ideal course for English second-language speakers.

Course Duration:

Two days. All of our training sessions are presented virtually via online meeting platforms (Zoom or MS Teams) for groups of six or more participants.

Programme Outcomes:

Session 1 : Introduction to Business Communication

  • The Challenges of Communicating in English
  • Conveying a Professional Image in Communication
  • The Pitfalls of Written Communication
  • Principles of Written Communication
  • Different types of Written Communication
  • Important things to remember when writing

Session 2 : Written Correspondence Guidelines

  • Considering the Reader
  • Identifying the Purpose of Your Message
  • Formal Correspondence
  • Informal Correspondence
  • Layout and Structure for E-mails and Letters
  • When E-mail is and is not appropriate
  • E-mail Guidelines and Rules

Session 3 : Grammar and Language

  • Understanding Sentence Construction
  • Ensuring the Correct Word Order
  • Punctuation Rules and Exercises
  • How to use the Apostrophe
  • The Use of Capital Letters
  • Past, Present, and Future Tense
  • Plurals; Concord Exercises
  • Articles (“the”; “a” and “an”)
  • Countable/Uncountable and Collective Nouns
  • Conditionals and Infinitives (Would, Could, Should etc.)
  • How to use Conjunctions (joining words)
  • Correct use of Prepositions
  • Direct and Indirect (Reported) Speech
  • Dictionary and Thesaurus Skills
  • Words Often Confused
  • Frequently Misspelled Words
  • Common South African Language Errors

Session 4 : Improving Style and Tone

  • Guidelines for Letter and E-mail Content
  • Avoiding Ambiguity and Ensuring Clarity
  • Building Business Relations and Goodwill
  • Expressing Declines, Warnings and Threats Politely
  • Sequencing Exercises
  • The Importance of Self-Correction and Editing
  • Cliches, Jargon, and Pronunciation Errors to Avoid
  • Exercises – Business Relevant E-mails and Letters

For our more advanced Business Writing Course, see our “Business Writing Skills” course.