This certificate is currently offered by request only. The next available class begins 2/5/2024 and runs through 4/26/24. Please contact our office at ce@greenriver.edu or 253-333-6030 for assistance in registering for this course.

Discover the keys to successful writing in the workplace. Whether you are writing a report, proposal, letter or publicity notice, business writing has some defined characteristics for success. Topics in this online course include tools and techniques for improving your editing and proofreading skills; common writing mistakes and grammatical pitfalls; how to write attention-grabbing news stories, press releases and publicity notices; and successful techniques for constructing business reports and proposals.

THE PROGRAM

The Business Writing Certificate is offered through our partner, Learning Resources Network, Inc. (aka UGotClass). It is composed of three, month-long courses:

Business Writing – 1 month

Writing as a Process

• Audience, Purpose, and Medium
• Outlining for Successful Writing
• Organization Models (Choosing a Model that Works)
• Principles of Business Communication

Written Communication in the Workplace

• Writing Reports (formal and informal)
• Drafting and Revision
• Writing the First Draft
• Constructing Openings and Closings that Work

Writing a Proposal

• Writing for Your Readers
• Writing Effective Content
• Safeguarding Users
• Ethical Considerations

Collaborative Writing and Research

• Research and Team Writing
• Collaborating Across Departments
• Working Through Conflict

Effective Copywriting – 1 month

Copywriting Essentials

• How to tell the difference between bad copy and good copy
• The art of the perfect sentence
• Developing your message
• Crafting your document roadmap
• Adapting your style to the audience and message

Getting to the Point

• Clarity and brevity: Less is more
• Active vs. Passive Voice
• Cutting the clutter
• Using concrete examples and avoiding unwarranted superlatives 

Self-Editing

• Leaving yourself time for revisions
• Avoiding common grammar mistakes and punctuation pitfalls
• Subject, verb and object agreement
• Fact checking
• The benefits of having an in-house style guide

Creating Attention-grabbing Press Releases

• Writing benefit-driven copy
• Setting the right tone
• Language to use and language to avoid
• Writing a great headline

Writing News and Press Releases – 1 month

The Skills good journalists have

• What journalists know how to do
• How to think like your audience
• Kinds of publicity notices
• Keys to successful publicity notices

Writing a good news story

• The inverted pyramid
• The 5 Ws and H
• How not to bury the lead
• Writing a good headline for your story

Creating the Successful Press Release

• The press release format
• Quotes, how many to use, who to quote and how
• How and where to highlight your organization and contact
• Avoiding the direct sales pitch

Distributing Your Press Release

• Targeting media, journalists and audiences
• Email press releases
• Print press releases
• Getting attention

HOW IT WORKS

An invitation into the online classroom will be emailed to you the Wednesday before the class begins. The subject of the email invitation will be "Lern – Classroom Invitation". Please click to accept the invitation, and from there you will create a password and will be able to access the classroom. If you haven't received an invitation by the Thursday before the course begins, please forward your confirmation email to info@ugotclass.org, and a staff member will resend your invitation.

Once inside the online classroom, here's what you can expect.

Participate When You Want

The online classroom is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are no live real-time requirements or meetings. For the best learning, participants should log into the course on 2-3 different days of the week.

What You Will Do

Each course is composed of several units. For each unit, you will:

• Access the online readings
• Listen to the audio presentation for the unit and view the slides
• Take a self-quiz to see how much you have learned
• Engage in written online discussion with your instructor and other participants

The content (readings, audio lectures, slides) and self-quizzes are accessible for the entire course, so you can work ahead, or go back and review again, at your convenience.

Discussion

The discussion for each unit lasts one week. All comments are made in writing and can be made at any time, day or night. Your instructor will log into the discussion area at least once a day and answer questions, make comments, and respond to comments by you and the other participants. We encourage you to make 2-3 comments each day to maximize your learning and enjoyment of the course.

COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS

1. Make at least one comment every week in the discussion.

• The comment should show thought and be more substantive than just “Yes, I agree.” There is no length required for comments.
• Replies to other comments and responses to other participants count as comments (in most cases your instructor values replies and responses as comments).
• Questions and online discussion facilitative comments also count as long as there is some thought to them.

2. Take the self-quiz at the end of every unit.

• You must score 80% or higher.
• You may retake any self-quiz as often as you need to get to the 80% score.

Completion Timeline

RECOGNITION

A pdf Certificate of Completion is issued by Learning Resources Network, Inc. and will list Green River College as its partner organization.

HELP

Once the program has started, please direct all questions to info@ugotclass.org

• The requirements should be completed by the last day of the course.
• Individual instructors may extend the deadline upon request.
• If, for any reason, you are not able to complete the requirements during the course, UGotClass will provide you with their Course Transfer Option. The course Transfer Option allows you to retake any or all of the same UGotClass online course at a future offering within the next 12 months at no extra cost.