Welcome

Writing skills have never been more valuable. E-communication provides the link that brings the world together. However, with just a click of a button, relationships can be severed, usually at great cost to all of the players. Make the decision to build skills that circumvent conflict—make the decision to use writing to enhance relationships, not simply share information.

 

Are you seeking a results-oriented textbook that builds communication and writing skills?

Business Communication and Writing improves writing skill and style as it guides learners through a process that improves their communication skills, developing competence in cultural sensitivity, team building, and conflict resolution. The text instructs learners how to format business documents professionally so that readers can understand purpose at a glance. Because content is broken into cohesive topics, the text is ideal for online learning.

The Writer’s Handbook: Grammar for Writing gives learners the tools that they need to produce credible, professional documents. The step-by-step process assists writers in filling their learning gaps, including keys to activities to enhance self-study. Learners have access to supplemental activities online at www.youngcommunication.com. Give your at-risk students the tools they need to succeed, and your teachers will achieve the impossible.

Our textbooks consistently achieve results beyond expectations because our books adhere to a process that intertwines grammar with writing style, untangling complicated principles and making them simple.

 

Would your employees benefit from making more effective writing decisions in less time?

Information flow is important, but it’s the quality of the relationship that gets the job done. Too often professionals lose sight of this critical element because their Inbox is full and their time is limited. Simple decisions can make a critical difference in tone and understanding. In a short time, professionals who take our workshops learn vital tools that allow them to manage their time and relationships more effectively.

Improving writing skills improves the bottom line: The Business Writing Workshop builds skills an average of 40 to 60 percent. Writing Effective E-Mail provides guidelines to improve tone and enhance business relationships.

For more than two decades, participants have said that our programs improve their confidence as well as their skills.

 

Would your teachers appreciate a workshop to develop learners’ writing skills?

The traditional approach of teaching grammar in the context of writing is effective but doesn’t achieve total success—especially among those students who lack an understanding of structure and cannot seem to grasp the difference between a fragment and a run-on.

As Dr. Ralph W. Tyler once said, “It isn’t what you are already doing that you need to do better. It’s what you’re not doing at all that you need to begin to do.”

Could it be that grammar has its own context and that part of the problem with learning grammar relates to taking principles out of context? Our textbooks and workshops apply Tyler’s advice by offering a method that shifts the emphasis, giving grammar a more prominent place in the curriculum design until students understand core principles.

  • Students first learn to separate composing from editing.
  • Students then learn principles of grammar and punctuation in a logical sequence, starting with the sentence core.
  • Students compose freely and then apply principles as part of an editing strategy.
  • Students fill their learning gaps and build a solid foundation on which to develop their writing and editing skills

As a result, grammar becomes manageable to teach and even fun to learn. Complex principles such as parallel structure and active voice become accessible when students understand structure. When students apply correct grammar and punctuation principles to their own writing as they edit, they achieve effective results.

 

Reflections

Reflecting is a critical element of learning because it leads to deep learning and personal growth. As you reflect upon what you have learned during the last few months, what insights do you have to share? What advice would you give to others about writing? How have your feelings about writing changed?

Reflections about Writing

Reflecting is a critical element of learning because it leads to deep learning and personal growth. As you reflect upon what you have learned during the past few months, do you have any insights to share? What advice would you give to others about writing? How have your feelings about writing changed?

Pulling It All Together

What are some of the changes that you have made in your writing? How have your feelings and ideas about writing changed?

Networking and Interviewing

What are some of the things that you learned as you improved your networking and interviewing skills?

Writing in the Professions

What did you learn about the kind of writing that is being done in your chosen profession? Were there any surprises?

E-Communication in the Future

The following question comes from the manager of training and development at a major corporation. Here it is:

Busy professionals write e-mail messages all day. How formal do you think those messages should be? For example, should messages include a salutation and closing? Is it all right to use text abbreviations in messages—why or why not?

Also, consider the business world today compared to the business world 20 years into the future—will the same standards hold? What changes do you think you will see in how e-communication is used in your profession?

 

The Cost of Education

To gain a deeper understanding of the value of getting an education, please read the article below:

http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/03/whats-more-expensive-than-college-not-going-to-college/255073/

As John Dewey once said, “You become what you learn.” Education makes a difference, and here’s to all of the teachers who give their best!

Team Building

Let’s discuss team process. Some teams seem to work together like clockwork, while other teams struggle. Think of a team experience you have had, positive or negative: What contributed to your team’s success? Once team dynamics become negative, can team members turn things around? If so, how? What theories apply?

Editing Skills Tune-Up

What principles are you learning about how to proofread and edit effectively? How are you applying what you are learning? What results are you seeing in your writing?

What are you learning about cultural diversity?

Let’s discuss some of the things you are learning about cultural diversity, which is sometimes referred to as cultural sensitivity. I look forward to reading your responses.