Topic	Name	Description
Course Syllabus	Course Syllabus

1.1: What Is Professional Writing?	Business Communication for Success	You will be prompted to read sections of this book throughout the course. You may choose to bookmark it now and skip to the appropriate section as prompted by the instructions in the resource boxes below, or you can simply open the specific sections of the text assigned as you progress through each resource box.

1.1.1: Definition of Professional Writing	Professional Writing	Read the brief introduction to professional writing, and watch the embedded video. Note that the resource provides an overview of two types of professional writing: business writing and technical writing.

1.1.2.1: Business Letters and Memos	Memorandums and Letters	Read this section. You may want to take notes on the basic elements of business memos and letters.

1.1.2.2: Electronic Communication	Text, Email, and Netiquette	Read this section, which discusses when electronic communication is appropriate in a professional context.

1.1.2.3: Proposals	Business Proposals	Read this section. This section provides an overview of the elements and purpose of effective business proposals. Page two of this section pertains to the sections commonly found in a proposal: the cover page, executive summary or abstract, background, the body of the proposal, etc. When you are writing a proposal, you might want to use these categories as section headers for your proposal.

1.1.2.4.1: Informational Presentations	Creating an Informative Presentation	Read this section, which explains the basic structure of an informational presentation.

1.1.2.4.2: Persuasive Presentations	Functions of the Presentation to Persuade	Read this section, which explains how presentations can be used to motivate action.

1.1.3: Professional Writing Tone	Tone in Professional Writing	Watch this video. The video provides useful information on how to maintain a professional tone in business communications. At the end of the video, test your understanding with the included self-assessment.

1.2.2: Research Your Specific Audience	Getting to Know Your Audience	Read this section. This section will introduce you to strategies for analyzing your audience and tailoring your message to them. When you are done reading this section, jot down what you know about the audience for your business document.

1.2.3.1: Motivate	Rhetorical Appeals	This webpage provides an overview of four classical strategies for persuading your audience. Please click on the link above and read this webpage, including the examples at the bottom of the page. Then choose the strategy that will be most effective for your audience.

1.2.3.2: Organize Your Message around One Main Objective	Organization	Read this section. This section will explain how to organize your content coherently. Once you have read the section, create an outline for your business document. Begin your outline with your main point, and then organize your bullets so that they support this main point.

1.3.1: Brainstorm	Brainstorming	Skim this handout, and focus on the brainstorming technique that seems the most useful for you.

2.2.4: Create a Clear Story	Clear Narrative, "Characters", and "Actions"	Read this section. Then think about the story you are trying to tell in your document. Who is the main character? What is the primary action?

2.2.5: Define Terms, Manage the Flow of Information	Flow	Watch this video, then reflect on the flow of information in your outline.

2.2.6: Be Ethical	Ethics, Plagiarism, and Reliable Sources	Read this section. Review your outline and make sure that (1) your ideas are your own, (2) that your information is accurate and reliable, and (3) that you are not using any unethical methods to persuade your audience.

3.1.2: Self-Editing	Proofreading	Watch this video, then use one of the techniques to quickly proofread your draft document.

3.1.4: Extraneous Information and Words	Select an Appropriate Sentence Pattern	Read this article, then edit the sentence patterns in your document.

3.2: Final Review	Editorial Checklist	Download and print this document. Read through the Editorial Checklist as you edit your document. Ideally, you will read through your document looking for just one or two items on the checklist at a time. This means you will read through your document several times. Keep this document as a resource as you edit professional documents in the future.

Course Feedback Survey	Course Feedback Survey