Games have long been a staple of active learning environments. They are a fantastic way to reduce anxiety, promote competition, and energize classrooms. Board games, in particular, can be very useful in building real-world skills in a fun and non-threatening environment. Therefore, the author uses them extensively for Business English classes and…

Asks what can an advanced composition course offer its students that is both new and valuable to all of them despite the diversity of students' fields and career goals? Argues that job-related writing requires special attention to audience. Suggests ways to organize course content to develop audience awareness. (JG)

Presents a method for teaching report writing that first establishes the order followed when writing a good business report and then presents, in reverse order, the steps of gathering information, interpreting information, and organizing information. (SRT)

In preparing students for business writing, a technical writing class should foster (1) a sensitivity to audience and an understanding of the business or technical organizational audience, (2) analytical problem solving that precedes any but the simplest writing task, (3) understanding of the patterns of organization that make information clear to…

Suggests that to learn the effective facets of style in technical writing, students should read Walter Miller's "What Can the Technical Writer of the Past Teach the Technical Writer of Today?" in which the styles of 12 outstanding technical writers are analyzed, and examples of the various stylistic techniques of each writer are cited.…

Shows how the classical enthymeme helps with invention and arrangement in business letter writing. Explains how the results of the enthymemic analysis can be organized according to leads offered by its four steps--clarify the question at issue, answer it, give reasons for the answer, and state the assumption. (EL)

This document is the instructor's edition of a learning module that is designed to be presented as an 8-hour workshop to help workers master the skills needed for effective writing in the workplace. It was developed by educators from the Emily Griffith Opportunity School. The workshop materials are designed to enable participants to do the…

This Digest provides a rationale for developing grading guides to use with business writing students. It describes the methods business communications teachers can use to construct and employ guides to provide students with quality writing instruction. The Digest maintains that teachers can construct either skills analysis grading guides and/or…

Describes a class project designed to introduce students to the actual environment in which professional-level communication takes place, put them in close contact with an expert who must exercise communication skills, and finally require them to put these skills into actual practice. (EL)

This workbook, designed for workplace literacy courses, contains materials for a business writing course. The course presents the fundamentals of effective business letter writing, focusing on logical organization, word choice, style, tone, and clarity. The course uses students' own examples as well as practice exercises for reinforcement.…

This workbook, designed for workplace literacy courses, contains materials for a business writing course. The course provides strategies for presenting ideas clearly and accurately. Introductory materials include objectives, a topical outline, and information on time for the course and continuing education credits. The 16 sessions of the course…

Advocates in-class group writing exercises to increase business students' writing skills as an alternative to homework writing assignments that may make a student feel extremely pressured. Also provides excellent practice in revision--one of the most important facets of business writing. (NKA)

Describes a group exercise whose goal was to reinforce students' ability to write--and to recognize--organized, easily readable, business reports which use graphic aids as supplements to words. (NKA)

This workbook, designed for workplace literacy courses, contains materials for a course on documentation. The six sessions of the course cover the following topics: (1) general principles of procedure writing; (2) principles of clear communication (clarity, audience, visuals) and identification of systems types, accounts, and customer requests;…

In the business writing class, teachers should consider the following suggestions: (1) capture students' interest and involve them, (2) prepare them for life outside the English classroom, (3) help them better understand the writing process, and (4) show them that writing occurs in a context that includes a writer, one or more readers, and a host…