About this Course
Are less-than-stellar writing skills holding you back from achieving your full career potential? Or do you just want to be a more confident communicator in your day-to-day work? Being a strong writer can be a huge advantage in the modern workplace — helping you sell your ideas, communicate with colleagues and managers, and better engage with your customers or target audience.
In this course, you’ll learn how to produce great business writing that gets results and leaves a lasting impression, whether it’s for a letter, email, proposal, presentation or web content. You’ll refresh your grammar and punctuation knowledge, identify common English usage pitfalls (such as passive voice) and discover the importance of plain, jargon-free writing. You’ll practice producing inclusive, bias-free language; explore how to make documents more accessible; and learn about adjusting voice and tone for your audience. We’ll also cover how to use large language models and other artificial intelligence (AI) tools as part of your business writing workflow.
Designed For
Anyone who wants to improve their business communication skills and become a more effective, confident writer.
See Requirements
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
This is an introductory course and no previous experience is required. Anyone is encouraged to enroll.
TIME COMMITMENT
Including time in class, you should expect to spend about four to six hours each week on coursework.
English Proficiency
If English is not your native language, you should have advanced English skills to enroll. To see if you qualify, make sure you are at the C1 level on the CEFR self-assessment grid. To learn more, see English Language Proficiency Requirements – Noncredit Programs.
International Students
Because this offering is 100% online, no visa is required and international students are welcome to apply. For more information, see Admission Requirements for International Students.
Technology Requirements
- Access to a computer with a recent operating system and web browser
- High-speed internet connection
- Microsoft 365 (free)
Completing the Course
To successfully complete this course, you must fulfill the requirements outlined by your instructor.
▸ Explore More: Looking for a more advanced business writing course? Check out the Business Writing: Reports, Proposals & Documents course or explore our other programs for writers and editors.
What You’ll Learn
- The essentials of grammar, punctuation and English usage
- Methods for producing clear, concise prose for diverse audiences
- How to follow plain language guidelines and avoid jargon and wordiness
- Techniques for writing effective prompts for generative AI tools like Copilot
- How to leverage data in your business writing to drive decision-making
Get Hands-On Experience
- Write a STAR (situation, task, action, result) assessment of a situation at your work or other organization
- Edit a real-life business document using the techniques and principles honed in this course

EARN A DIGITAL BADGE
After successfully completing this course, you can claim a digital achievement badge that can be shared on LinkedIn and other social media sites. Learn more about digital badges.
OUR ENROLLMENT COACHES ARE HERE TO HELP
Connect with an enrollment coach to learn more about this offering. Or if you need help finding the right certificate, specialization or course for you, reach out to explore your options.