EMEA 5017: Technical Managerial Written Skills

The best trait when working to achieve effective and professional writing is humility. Although all of us consider ourselves above-average writers, the fact is that there are only a few who rise above the rest with "perfect" documents that achieve "flow" and exercise exceptional word choice, correct paragraph sentence and paragraph structure, and perfect grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and hyphenation. These, then, are the attributes and standards we hope to achieve starting with this first module. Our goal is for each of us to rise above our current level of writing expertise.

By completing this module, you will be able to:

• Describe the importance of effective writing to the rising professional
• Describe the value of understanding one's audience and apply it in your writing
• Describe the value of and apply the principles of completeness and clarity

The most fundamental business writing exercise is exemplified by the "Letter To the External Stakeholder." In addition, there are larger questions addressed here. These include the viability of letter writing as a business practice; the fundamentals including formatting, grammar, punctuation, and paragraph formation; the importance of word choice; and the important practice of proofreading. All of this is an important first step for improving one's writing skills.

By completing this module, you will be able to:

• Describe the value of and address the reader's "hot buttons" (issues in which they are most interested) so as to become a more influential writer
• Describe the value of preparing a draft (polished, professional, and effective) and incorporate it into all of your writing
• Describe the value of and apply editing and polishing to one's writing

A common element of writing in business and industry is the Research Proposal. The "proposal" is a common tool in business and industry used to compete for future business. Proposals are not just statements of what you or your business are capable of doing; there will be many bidders who will make the same statement. Instead, your proposal must convince the customer that you are the best choice of vendor for their upcoming work. In the effort to convince them, you must write to the customer's primary concerns, create a clear mental picture for the reader of your proposal, be brief and concise, and be perfect in format and all of the other writing fundamentals. 

By completing this module, you will be able to:

• Describe the importance of a well-written Research Proposal
• Identify and author the key elements of a Research Proposal
• Write for the educated layperson by avoiding industry-specific jargon

The most useful written tool for the aspiring manager-leader is the Executive Summary. Although it is usually found as the first element of a proposal, it can also be used to summarize facts and recommendations for your supervisor. In this module, you will learn about the value of the one-page executive summary and how to apply the skills you learned in weeks 2 and 3 to make your executive summary even better.

By completing this module, you will be able to:

• Describe the value of a well-written Executive Summary
• Describe the value of addressing the audience's most important concerns and apply it when writing
• Describe the value of and apply brevity and focus when writing