Who should attend: Business professionals at all levels who communicate in writing, either internally or externally, who want a quick and easy approach to any writing task.

How You Will Benefit

• Quickly organize your thoughts and generate content
• Eliminate numerous time-consuming revisions
• Formats and formulas for various writing requirements
• How and when to use the appropriate tone, persuasion and positive and negative words
• Rid your writing of "fluff," so you'll generate concise content

Special Feature
Bring a sample writing piece for one-on-one feedback. Participants are encouraged to share samples of their own writing to the workshop.

Workshop Outline: (to be covered in two days)

Communicating in business

• Purpose of messages
• Reader oriented writing
• Listening actively for better communication

Basic grammar and mechanics

• Revise vocabulary, spelling, punctuation and syntax
• Identify Spanish-English language interference
• Appropriate vocabulary and language use
• Choosing between active vs. passive voice

 

• Formats and layouts
• Modern memos
• Using subject lines
• Courtesy Titles

• Direct - Informative and positive messages
• Indirect - Negative or persuasive messages
• Keep it Short and Simple (KISS)
• Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action (AIDA)

Speaker

Prof. Maria E. Rivera Laborde has taught business communications, journalistic writing, report writing and conversational business English in the College of Business Administration at the University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus since 1980. She obtained both a Bachelor and a Master degree in British and American literature, specializing in British Caribbean writing from the College of Humanities. During the past eight years she was the director of the Business English Department in the College of Business Administration until retiring in December 2010. She has also worked as a translator, consultant and trainer which have added to her experience in communications. In April 2010 she became a Microsoft® Certified Application Specialist in Power Point and Word as well as getting a 1C3 Internet and Computing Core Certification. Maria enjoys traveling, playing soccer, painting and mosaics and taking bomba dance classes. She is a great believer that it's never too late to learn something new.