Course Descriptions
Effective Business Letters
Fall 2009
Thursday, December 3, 9 am–4:30 pm, Vancouver
Instructor: Gary Harper
Spring 2010
Friday, May 7, 9 am–4:30 pm, Vancouver
Instructor: Gary Harper
Fee $290 / WRIT 240
Course description
Improve your letter writing with a simple, reader-oriented approach. In this course, you examine the importance of tone and structure and will specifically learn how to write requests, simple proposals and "no" letters.
You will review basic writing techniques to make your correspondence clear and concise, and will discuss email etiquette and memo writing.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
What will I learn?
Knowledge
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Understand what makes a letter effective
- Analyse purpose, audience and message
- Use different techniques to organize your thoughts
- Structure letters and memos
- Write with a positive tone
- Understand aspects of effective style (sentence length, active voice, eliminating unnecessary words)
- Understand the importance of editing
Skills
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- Identify the purpose and message of your letter
- Organize your thoughts and draft an effective business letter
- Write with a positive, reader-oriented tone
- Eliminate unnecessary words to ensure your writing is clear and concise
How will I learn?
You will learn concepts and skills through the following activities:
- Lectures
- Class discussions
- In-class exercises
- Group assignments
What are my responsibilities?
You can expect to complete the following:
- Work samples
- In-class participation
How will I be evaluated?
You will be evaluated based on your work samples.
If you wish to receive credit for this one-day course, you must complete a post-course assignment. You are to choose a sample letter (written before the course) and edit it to incorporate the skills and principles taught in the course. You will receive feedback on your assignment and either a Pass or Fail.
What will the program will supply?
- Custom course materials
Instructor biography
Gary Harper, LLB, teaches writing and conflict resolution to a wide variety
of clients, including government, high-tech firms and insurance companies.
He was formerly General Manager of the Insurance Council of British Columbia
and a lawyer for WorkSafeBC. In 2004 he authored The Joy of Conflict
Resolution. Gary is known for his interactive, engaging approach to
training.For a complete list of all courses taught by this instructor, review the Instructor's Index.
See also