Many business enterprises and startups have emerged in various sectors. It’s high time for entrepreneurs and corporate personnel to become better skilled in business communication, especially in business writing.
Are you a learner planning to enroll in a business writing course? There are plenty of options out there, such as the free business writing course by Dan Pink and Hubspot Academy or even a proof writing course.
If you’re not yet sure which one is for you, here are key elements of an excellent business course that you must consider when making your choice:
- Goals
For any undertaking to have a direction, it has to have goals. These goals define what the institution or course provider focuses on delivering to its learners. Corporations and universities refer to it as their Vision and Mission. More importantly, these goals have to resonate with what the learner needs.
- Addresses Learning Needs
There’s learning needs that learners across different demographics have in common, but when it comes to specific fields, these needs can vary. There has to be an expectation stage or a needs assessment. Students, trainees, or learners have to provide their personal goals for taking the course as well as their strengths and weaknesses. It’s from this data that the course provider has to consider aligning the topics and the rest of the content.
- Course Content
The choice of topics must be well planned and set in a logical order. This allows the learner to go through a gradual process of learning that follows a pattern and correlation. It also has to be comprehensive in a way that every necessary aspect of developing the skill for business writing is addressed.
- Pedagogy
The business writing course has to have been formulated based on a specific learning model or theory on how it has to be taught. This is the pedagogy. The structure and approaches of delivering the classes have to be based on this pedagogy. Some of the factors that are taken into account are the age range of learners, the mode of teaching, the tools used, and the instructor’s ability and expertise. Of course, experts would have to play a crucial role in developing this aspect of the business writing course.
- The Specialty of the Course Provider
A business writing course offered by a renowned business college or marketing firm is far more credible than when a medical institute offers it. The specific field of service or knowledge is an indication that a considerable amount of time and extensive research has been done prior to launching the course. It also comes as an assurance that you’ll only get quality education and instructors from such a provider.
- Quality of Instructors
o Expertise: Effective and competent teaching staff are those that have the expert knowledge and experience on the subject matter. Business writing instructors must be real experts in both theoretical or academic and practical aspects of business writing. They could be seasoned professors from universities, former executive secretaries, or expert authors. Their insights cover the preparation and establishment of the rules and guidelines of basic writing, good business communication, and practice and presentation. They can also take real experiences and use them as practical examples.
o Feedback: Providing feedback to students is a valuable part of learning. A good instructor is one that can provide constructive criticism and clear learning points that can help lead the students to improve. Most significantly with business writing. Every written output and learning stage must have corresponding feedback with regards to a learner’s performance.
o Interaction: An instructor must be able to maintain a degree of interaction with the student and not just conduct a one-sided lecture. Questions and comments must be welcomed, and student participation is encouraged.
- Multifaceted Approach in Teaching
In acknowledging the diversity of learners, different methods of instruction must be employed. It keeps the classes dynamic and at a higher rate of retention of knowledge. It also keeps the students engaged in the discussion. Here are some examples of various methods of instruction:
o Presentations
o Scenario-based exercises
o Mock writing
o Case studies
o Exploring current trends and best practices
o Visual illustrations
o Analyzing templates and examples
- Size of the Class
A one-on-one class varies greatly compared to having more than two students. A one-on-one class allows for better student-instructor interaction while a larger class allows a more broad discussion and varying insights. On another note, if you’re the only student, you can have better control of the pace of the lessons compared to having other students.
- Post-training Resource Materials
A course mustn’t just end at its completion. There has to be some useful takeaways such as templates and samples that can be used as future reference. Newsletters and informative articles on business writing can also help serve as refreshers.
A great business writing course will hone you as a prolific business writer and choosing the best course is the key to achieving this. But what will ultimately make a course or training a success, is the willingness of the student to learn and cooperate. So, be ready to learn and write.