Topic	Name	Description
Course Syllabus	Course Syllabus

1.1: What Is Professional Writing?	Communicating Effectively	Read this text, which explains what it means for business communication to be effective. Communication is an activity, skill, and art. It influences your thinking about yourself and others, how you learn, and helps you accurately represent yourself and your employer.
	Good Business Writing	Professional writing refers to anything written for a business or organizational purpose in an occupational context. It includes blogs, contracts, emails, reports, presentations, press releases, and social media posts. This writing style is part of our daily lives and critical to our success in the business world. Read this article on how to recognize good professional writing. Good business writing follows the rules, is easy to read, affects the reader, meets the reader's expectations, is clear and concise, and is efficient and effective.
	Professional Voice and Technical Communication	Your professional voice is how you sound to your audience. Your voice refers to how to orient your writing, where you are coming from, and what you bring to the table. Developing your voice refers to how you build your writing skills to reflect yourself as a person.
	Six Differences between Good and Great Business Writers	Watch this video on the difference between "good" and "great" business writers. The speaker says great writers do the following: Create a repeatable and thoughtful structure, Communicate with precise words with elegant phrasing, Prefer to get to the point but will sacrifice brevity for clarity, Use correct grammar, Adopt an upbeat, conversational, and warm tone, and Welcome the opinions and criticisms of others so they can make improvements.
	What Are Technical and Communication?	Read this text on technical writing, another aspect of professional writing that focuses on detail and instruction. As we will explore in Unit 2, the ability to size up the knowledge and skills of your audience is critical to good technical writing. The ability to explain complex technical, medical, and scientific concepts to the average layperson is a unique and valuable skill in nearly every profession. If you write in a manner full of jargon or too complex, you will lose an audience that does not understand your terms. However, if you write as if speaking to a group of middle school students, you may frustrate or insult a group of scientists.

1.2: What Is Your Purpose?	Purpose	Before we discuss the four writing approaches, read this text on how to develop a clear purpose in your writing. It will help you think about the methods you will use to achieve your goals.
	Consider Your Purpose	Read this short text on how to approach writing by exploring your purpose.
	Purposeful Writing at Work	Watch this video on how to realize your purpose. Pay attention to how the competing values model can help set the stage for your writing. The examples will help you understand your different purposes as a writer.

1.3: Writing to Persuade	Approaching Persuasion	Read this article for a comprehensive look at how to approach persuasion as a writer. It identifies common aspects of persuasive writing and how to construct or develop a project.
	Persuasive Prose	Watch this video introducing persuasive writing in the context of a business plan. What are the components of a persuasive appeal?
	Making an Argument	Read this text to explore critical features in developing an argument to support your persuasive claims. It builds on the previous video on persuasive prose. Pay close attention to how rhetorical strategies work.

1.4: Writing to Inform	What Is an Informative Message?	Read this text on using informative writing in the workplace. There are many applications of informative writing. What are you trying to do when you write to inform?
	Informative Prose	Watch this video on various approaches to informative writing. How can you use these different styles in the professional world?

1.5: Writing to Analyze	Analyzing What You Read	Read this chapter for a detailed discussion of analytical writing. When do you use analytical writing in your current professional context?
	Using Critical Thinking	Read this article on critical thinking, an approach that underpins analytical writing. The author offers a strategy for analyzing or critiquing a subject.

1.6: Writing to Express	How to Write an Expressive or Descriptive Essay	Read this outline on writing to express a story or experience.

2.1: Identify Your Audience	Planning Messages	Read this text to learn what you need and want to know about your audience. How can this help you accomplish your goals?
	Audience Analysis	Watch this video, which introduces audience analysis for public speakers. Watch the presentation with a writer's ear. What do you need to know about your readers? This overview of audience analysis will help you gather the information relevant to you and your purpose.
	Evaluating Information Sources for Audience and Purpose	Your audience analysis will shape the kind of research you do. Watch this video on what to remember when researching for an audience. What difference will your approach make in your credibility and your audience's response to you as a writer?

2.2: Types of Professional Writing	Channels of Communication	Read this short text, which describes seven communication channels: text messages, emails, memos, letters, reports, and proposals.
	Professional Writing in Action	Watch this video, which explores considerations you should make when writing texts, emails, memos, business proposals, reports, and sales messages. Listen carefully for themes that serve you well, regardless of the channel.
	Online Etiquette	Read these guidelines for writing emails, texts, and general online communication. It includes examples of formats for professional emails and texts.
	Writing Memos	Read this article for more advice on writing memos, which are often conveyed by email in today's digital environment. It explains the purposes and features of memos.
	PR Strategy and Style	Public relations (PR) staff do a lot of writing since their job is to generate interest and create a positive image for the companies they represent. Watch these two videos for pertinent advice from a PR professional. In the first video, the presenter outlines the basic requirements of good PR writing. Most importantly, your messages should have a purpose so your audience pays attention. The content should be simple, unexpected and engaging, concrete or specific, credible, emotional, tell a story, and be strategic (i.e., you should write with the end in mind). Pay attention to the grammatical rules and writing conventions that appear in the AP Style Guide, watch your language, and use good form.
	Generating Content	This second video highlights strategies for generating content. The presenter employs an inverted pyramid with five recommendations for formatting news releases – where you are pitching a story to a print or online news outlet. For example, you may want them to run a positive story about your client or include a public service announcement (PSA) in their next report or newsletter. At the beginning of your news release, focus on answering the five w's or your audience's five immediate questions – who, what, where, when, and why. The second paragraph might offer key quotes and supporting facts. Next, you might offer additional but less important facts and quotes for someone using your information to write a longer piece. Next, you provide background information. Finally, you should list general information about your organization and contact information. The presenter discusses other public relations tools or methods, such as social media, fact sheets, a backgrounder, a one-on-one pitch, features and op-ed pieces for media, a media kit, and speechwritingز
	Sales Messages	A sales message has similar components to PR writing. Read this short text on how to write an effective sales message.
	Integrated Marketing Communications	Read this chapter on marketing communications – a multi-channel promotional approach that includes advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, direct marketing, and internet or digital marketing. Examples of sales promotions include "buy one get one" (BOGO), enter to win, and coupons.
	Resume Writing	Your resume is a professional communication tool you use to market yourself to prospective employers. Read this article on key elements you should include in your resume, a living document you should modify as you grow and apply for different types of position openings. It should highlight how your skills and experience align with the employer's needs.

2.3: Writing for Social Media	Writing for the Internet	Read this text on writing in an online context.
	Social Media Surveillance and Visibility	Today, most companies and organizations use Meta (Facebook) to connect with their customers or members, using the online writing techniques we have reviewed to persuade, entice, and inform customers about their products and services. Read this article on how businesses use analytics tools to gauge how customers value and react to their products via social media.
	Mixing Genres and Modes	Instagram and TikTok are popular forums for sharing images, videos, and other types of content. Think about your purpose and envision how these media can communicate your message. Read this text on how to choose the appropriate text and visual images. How do these guidelines apply to other forms of social media?
	Reading Images	Read this text on multimodal writing and image combination. How can you use text and images in the social media environment?

2.4: Writing in Other Online Contexts	Blogs	Read these guidelines on how to format a blog. This article also reviews video, image, and audio material you may include in your blog.
	Writing for Online Discussions	Whether you are the primary writer or a casual contributor to an online discussion, always try to make thoughtful and respectful posts online since your comments may be read widely and may remain on the site for a long time. As discussed below, online searches may refer to the site for years to come. Be aware that potential employers and others will find your post and judge your credibility and how well you converse with others. This text offers tips on how to write a discussion post that will set the stage for a productive online discussion forum.
	Responding Thoughtfully	Read this text on how to make your contributions meaningful and purposeful. Think about what you are trying to convey and how you can add meaning to the discussion.

2.5: Ethical Considerations	Ethics, Plagiarism, and Reliable Sources	Read this section on the importance of ensuring: 1. you use your own ideas (or your employer's), 2. your information is accurate and reliable, and 3. you do not use unethical methods to persuade your audience to buy your product or service.
	How to Cite Sources	Read this article on how to cite your sources. It will explain different contexts that require citations and what kinds of citations you should include. It also explores how to cite sources in the body of your text and create reference lists.
	Ethics and Public Relations	Watch this video on ethics in public relations. These practices are essential for public relations professionals and models for managing professional relationships and sensitive data.
	The Law and Public Relations	Watch this video on additional legal considerations to keep in mind for professional writing, including free speech, defamation (slander and libel), disclosure, copyright, fair use (see below), and privacy.
	Ethical Research	Read this article on the need to adopt ethical practices during scientific and other types of research processes. What is plagiarism? What are some ways to avoid it?
	Copyright and Writing	Writers need permission from the copyright owner to use, perform, display, copy, or create a derivative of a creative work. Usually, the original author or creator owns the copyright to the material they created. However, they can transfer or sell these rights to another person or entity or state that anyone can use the material (with certain restrictions) through a Creative Commons license. In 1976, Congress also carved out certain exceptions to the "exclusive rights" of copyright holders, such as the concept of fair use for the educational use of copyrighted material. Read this brief explanation of United States copyright law and tips for finding the material you can use in your blog posts and other online writings without suffering negative legal repercussions. Think about assigning a Creative Commons license to everything you post online to make it easy for anyone in your community to discuss, share, or distribute your creative material with others.

2.6: Managing Your Online Identity	Your Digital Footprint	Read this text on how to manage your digital footprint.

3.1: Document Titles and Subject Lines	Headings	Using keywords throughout your message can help reinforce your point and make your documents easier to locate using email and computer search tools. On this note, employers scour the resumes and cover letters they receive for keywords when recruiting and screening potential candidates. Include keywords from the job description when you write these documents.

3.2: Making a Professional Connection – Greeting, Netiquette, Tone	Email Greetings	Watch this video on email greeting tips for professional interactions.
	Style in Written Communication	Your greeting will set the tone of your message. What is tone? Read this article on how the writing style you use will set a tone in your work, whether it is colloquial, casual, or formal.
	Levels of Formality	Watch this video on the importance of your tone. Using tone appropriately sets the course for the relationships you develop.

3.3: Organize Your Writing	Outlining	Here is an example to demonstrate this type of numbering and lettering system. Claim Number One Supporting idea or reason Supporting detail or evidence Supporting detail or evidence Supporting idea or reason Claim Number Two Supporting idea or reason Supporting detail or evidence Supporting detail or evidence Supporting idea or reason Depending on the level of development, each letter, number, or Roman numeral can indicate a separate paragraph. This will not always be the case, but it will help you think about the components of an outline. As you locate and find information to support your claims and reasoning, an outline helps you organize your information logically and clearly. Read this article for a more detailed example. The section on writing outlines offers a sample outline that uses this development system from the introduction to the conclusion.
	Organization	Read this section, which explains how to organize your content coherently. If your document has several sections, consider using headers to summarize your sub-point and reinforce your main point. This will make it easier to review your written materials and understand your message.
	Flow	Flow refers to how you move from one concept or idea to another. How can you transition smoothly from one section to the next so your content is enjoyable, easy to read, and not jarring?

3.4: Write Clearly and Succinctly	Clear Writing for Arts	Watch this video to develop practices that enhance your written clarity.
	Writing Concisely	This guide sheet explains how you can write using fewer words that are less convoluted and more memorable due to their relevancy and precision. Pay attention to the section on using active, rather than passive, voice since this practice can make your sentences much easier to understand.
	Passive Voice	Watch this video for more on how to use passive voice rather than active voice. Understanding the difference between the two and the impact it makes will help you decide when to use which construction.

3.5: Writing Collaboratively	Teamwork and Collaborative Writing	The advantage of teamwork is that everyone brings their own ideas, expertise, and perspectives. Voicing different viewpoints early during the drafting stage allows the group to address potential concerns, clarify misunderstandings, and eliminate problems that may otherwise arise – before you have spent a lot of money on printing costs or before the text reaches your client. These discussions may seem long and tedious, and frustrating when co-workers disagree. But, others may see red flags you missed and prevent issues from becoming future problems, such as when a customer misunderstands your intent or cannot follow a convoluted set of directions. Companies involved in large projects written by different people, such as a complex grant proposal, establish clear style guidelines. Hence, the material reads or flows well, follows the same grammatical conventions, and makes a coherent argument or appeal. When writing work documents, ask if you should include a company logo, template, or boilerplate language. For example, many companies use a carefully-worded paragraph the marketing department created to describe the mission or goals of the organization. Read this text on how to write with other members of your team.
	Collaborative Writing	Read this text on the practices you can adopt to help your writing group move your project forward.
	Group Writing	Watch this handout on the collaborative writing process. It explores how groups write together, tips for improving the process, and common pitfalls when writing as a team.

4.1: Editing and Proofreading	Editing and Proofreading	Read this handout for a step-by-step outline of the editing and proofreading process. Consider bookmarking it to review whenever you write a professional document.
	Editorial Checklist	Here is an editorial checklist to help you edit your document.

4.2: Share with a Friend	Getting Feedback	Do you have a friend or colleague to serve as your outside reviewer? They can be especially helpful as you perfect important documents, such as your resume and cover letter. In a competitive job market, one typo or extra space can prompt a hiring manager to move to the next candidate. Your friend or colleague may discover a lot of typos, but it is better to receive this news from them than from your boss or a potential employer (who you will probably never hear from). Ask your colleague to identify areas that seemed confusing or where the flow of your argument seemed convoluted. This handout will help you ask for the most helpful feedback.

Course Feedback Survey	Course Feedback Survey