Professional Writing
Your writing is respected.
You deliver accurate, consistent, and concise documents on time.
Your writing helps people connect; they understand your message.
Many people enjoy reading your writing.
You can enlighten and change minds with your words.
This is a six-week online course with free multi-media learning resources.
Learn at your own pace but try not to rush. Stress can block learning and retention.
Aim for ten hours of homework each week.
Two hours every other weeknight plus two hours on Sat and Sun. is ideal.
Aim for two hours every other weeknight and two hours on Sat. and Sun.
- MWFSS -
Professional writing is a highly desired skill in today's workplace.
Validation
The Government of Canada considers writing as one of the country's nine foundational Skills for Success. Being able to write well is a big part of most jobs, plus it also allows for “more rapid acquisition of other skills and knowledge”.
The Government of British Columbia, among other provincial governments, has embraced Plain Language. "Plain language makes information easier to find, read and understand. When people understand what they read, they need fewer explanations and make fewer mistakes. It saves people and government time and money and improves the accessibility of your content.' Follow their Plain Language Checklist.
Businesses across Canada uphold professional writing as a crucial skill in the workplace -- and life in general -- as it "enhances communication, builds trust, and reflects professionalism, ultimately contributing to organizational success," says the Career Reload team in their article, Why Professional Writing Skills Matter In The Workplace.
What you will learn
This course will introduce you to professional writing basics and gradually introduce methods and a range of common documents -- from one-page letters and briefs to multi-page plans and reports -- that will prepare you for success at work in today's business or government sectors. You will learn -
- How to gather information, plan, organize and write content using The Writing Process*.
- How to identify and effectively complete typical workplace documents.
- How to use and follow Plain Language and Canadian Press Style guidelines.
- The ability to think strategically about message, purpose, and audience in your writing.
- Learners choose their own topics for assignments and use as work samples for their portfolios.
Learning objectives
- Learn what Professional Writing is all about and why this skill is so valuable.
- Explore theories, models, frameworks, styles and resources to guide your efforts.
- Your approach and final drafts are organized, coherent, concise and complete.
- Your writing is legible, fact-based and conforms to standards and style conventions.
- You get to the point quickly, so your writing is compelling, easy to read and understand.
Free and open resources
- This course draws from the Business Writing for Everyone open textbook written by Arley Cruthers, who worked as an instructor with Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, BC. Published May 2020. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial 4.0 International License, unless otherwise noted.
