How to Choose the Best Business Writing Course

To begin with, let us understand how business writing is different from other styles of writing.

Business writing entails the use of highly formal language. This style of writing is also very structured. Whether it is an email, report, or article, writers are required to stick to a particular format.

Secondly, there is no room for elaborate prose in business writing. Once you enroll for courses in business writing, you will become acquainted with the emphasis given on concisely presenting concepts, without the fluff.

Lastly, like every style of writing, business writing has its own jargon and grammar that you must acquaint yourself with.

There are many types of business writing. They include the following.

1. Instructional

This type of writing provides readers with accurate and concise information that they can follow. It might include writing steps to complete a task or solve a problem. You might use or sample instructional business writing in memos, user manuals, and product or design specifications.

2. Informational

This type of writing offers information to readers, which they can refer to and make informed decisions with. Business reports, financial statements, and meeting minutes are examples of informational business writing.

3. Transactional

This type of writing refers to the routine communication held among employees. Professional emails, letters, direct messages, and invoices all fall under this category of business writing.

Moving on to the glaring question, how do you choose the best business writing course?

Free or paid?

When you search for courses in business writing, you will find both free and paid online courses. Choosing between the two depends on your means and your areas of weakness.

While a free course may not be as intensive, immersive, or thorough, it could prove useful if you are only beginning and want to understand the basic principles of writing.

Correlate course content with your strengths and weakness.

No matter whether you are looking at a free or a paid course, it is always wise to read the course content carefully. You can then correlate the content that is being taught to what you wish to learn. If it is a match, then you can consider going ahead.

In addition, you must remember that effective business communication is not restricted to one skill (writing). It is a curious amalgamation of knowing and honing different crafts, such as grammar, editing, proofreading, formal language, persuasive writing, paragraph structuring, and the like. With this in mind, you can look at courses in business writing that offer a wholesome course outline, as opposed to restricting it to the principles of writing.

Alternatively, depending on the type of writing you use more frequently, you can focus on courses that cover the art of writing resumes, emails, cover letters, and so on.

Furthermore, you can take an objective look at your previous business writing samples or ask a trustworthy instructor to grade your skills and identify your weakest areas.

For instance, your grammatical and spelling prowess may be superlative, but you may need to master the art of writing formally. Identifying your strengths and weaknesses is a crucial step that promises to help you get the most out of any business writing course.

Lastly, do check the qualifications or publications of the instructors helming the business writing course you are interested in. Ideally, they should have a Masters or a Doctorate specific to business writing with literature publications to support their qualifications.

Reviews of other students who have attended the course you are interested in are also a great help in knowing more about how people have benefitted from the course, in their professional careers.