2 Day Course

Grammar, Punctuation and  Effective Letters & Emails for Business  

“Better Communication Attracts Better Business”

29 & 30 Oct 07 ( 9.00 am ~ 5.00pm )Hotel Singgahsana Petaling Jaya

Course Overview:  

People today are busier than ever. So it takes particular skill to communicate your ideas to them – whether it's through a report, a proposal, a letter or an email. Yet many of us have never been taught how to write clearly and effectively.

Should you write 'the company is' or the 'company are'? What's the difference between 'which' and 'that? How exactly do you use a semi-colon? Can you start a sentence with 'but'? Most people are worried to some extent about their grammar and punctuation, but help is at hand. What most of us don't realise is that grammar is how the language hangs together and for much of the time we intuitively get it right. Punctuation makes written language easier to read, so it’s logical and easy once you know how.

After getting a clear sense of the basics with this course, you might even begin to find grammar and punctuation fascinating -- or at least a lot less scary. In this practical writing workshop,  the trainer will show you how to produce your documents  quickly, clearly, effectively, and get them to the top of the pile.

Who Should Attend :

All business professionals who communicate via e-mail/ business letter will find the workshop valuable, no matter what their level of business experience.

Course Outline:

Module One:  Grammar & Punctuation

The Parts of SpeechThe Importance of PunctuationPerson and NumberAgreement of the Verb with its SubjectTenses; and The Perfect TenseDirect and Reported SpeechActive and Passive VoiceParticiples as Verbs and AdjectivesParticiples as Nouns (Gerunds),(plus one example of a very common mistake when writing sentences beginning with gerunds)Mood; and The Subjunctive Mood.

Module Two: Errors & Pitfalls in Usage

Some Common Mistakes(who vs. whom,  first-come-first-served, etc)What's the Difference? Sorting out the confusion in usageTowards an Expanded Vocabulary  (over two days)

Module Three : The Business of Writing

Getting Started; and How to Overcome Writer’s BlockPhrases, Clauses and SentencesHow to write a Good ParagraphExpressions of Politeness

Ten examples of Courteous Phrases to use in Business Communication (instead of using quite common phrases that make business clients unhappy, uncooperative, defensive or downright angry)Words requesting Permission (widespread ignorance & confusion here)

How to Avoid Overuse of certain necessary wordsSelecting the Appropriate Style and ToneChooi’s Rule:  Using Euphemism to lessen the Harshness of a Letter 

Module Four : Writing E-Mail

E-Mail is the abbreviation (or acronym?) for . . . ?E-Mail,  Intranet, & Extranet.  What’s the difference?Cost Comparison of E-Mail with other forms of communicationAdvantages of E-MailE-Mail Etiquette and GuidelinesThe Language of E-Mail

Module Five : Writing Letters to Customers

Letter of Apology & making an AdjustmentLetter of  Acknowledgment/ConfirmationLetters agreeing with a Customer  (correcting errors & regaining confidence)Letters disagreeing with a

Customer’s ComplaintAnnouncement/Notification Letters (new products, re-location, price increase)Letters Building Goodwill with new & long-term Customers 

Module Six : Practice Sessions

These sessions will be sprinkled throughout the two days, but will culminate at the end of the workshop, when participants are presumed to have learnt the necessary skills for writing reasonably good English.

****Participants are encouraged to bring in actual written material that they are required to produce at work, so that the Trainer can point out errors and weaknesses in construction. 

COURSE LEADER ~ MS. BEBE CHOOI

Ms. Bebe Chooi a top-end trainer with a wide variety of management skills.Ms. Chooi has a Trainer's Certificate  for the Executive Development Programme (EDP), given by the Pusat Sumber Manusia Berhad (PSMB), under the Ministry of Human Resources. 

She has taught the management and communication modules under the EDP in the last round for unemployed graduates, some of whom were pursuing MBA degrees, but were technically "unemployed".  She has been selected by a private college, and approved by the Ministry, as a Trainer in the upcoming round.  

Ms Chooi has a Master of Science degree in communication and research methodology from Ohio University, USA, fully obtained on campus.  She has a whole gamut of communication skills, both written and oral. She spent some sixteen years in managerial positions in PETRONAS, Malaysia's multinational corporation that has regularly been listed in the Fortune business magazine. 

For three of those years, she was concurrently Senior Training Specialist in PETRONAS's Management Training Institute.  During almost all the sixteen years, she was asked to present papers, to sit on expert panels, and to chair technical sessions at international conferences.Ms. Bebe Chooi's  honorary positions included:

• Vice-President, Energy Commission, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC),  Paris.
• Vice-Chairman, Malaysian National Committee, World Energy Council (WEC), London.
• Member, Governing Council, Institute of Public Relations Malaysia (IPRM).After PETRONAS, she spent several years as a corporate trainer and lecturer.  She was also Head of the School of Communication, and Academic Head of RMIT Business Degree Programmes, in two premier private colleges.  

Course Fee:

(CLAIMABLE UNDER HRDF / SBL SCHEME)

• RM 880.00 per participant
• RM 830.00 Per Participant for 2 or more  participants