The Course Content
Day One: Improving Business Communication
Barriers and pitfalls of business communication
Differences between written and spoken communication and their implications
Managing e-mails to be noticed
Writing effective business letters
Writing professional agendas and minutes
Writing instructions and guidelines
Day Two: What Makes an Effective Report?
Characteristics of an effective report
Understanding the readers’ needs
Generating ideas – Mind mapping and brain storming
Selecting and structuring the content – logical sequencing
Sources of information and research techniques
Great beginnings and neat endings
Day Three: The Writing Process
Managing your time and priorities
Sentences, paragraphs and readability
Critical reading and managing comments
Proofreading, grammar and punctuation
Tables, diagrams, figures and graphs
The executive summary
Day Four: Presentation Skills
Characteristics of effective presentations
Preparing a persuasive business presentation
The pillars of effective presentations
Structuring the presentation and making a case
Positive body language
Using visuals effectively
Day Five: Making a Case & Influencing Skills
Choosing words for maximum impact
Handling questions from your audience
Team presentations to convince critics
Supporting presentations with written documentation
Making a persuasive business case
Influencing Skills and getting support