VINCLER WRITING WORKSHOPS
Business Writing Training That Works
FAQs
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Writing Problems
Click on the Q to scroll to the answers.
Q. I don’t like writing, but my job requires it. Can you help me?
Q. I don’t think I need a writing course, but my manager told me to take one. Why?
Q. I took a course on mind mapping, but I still have trouble organizing my
thoughts.
Can you help me?
Q. My manager says that I include too much detail. Do you offer any guidelines to
help me determine what is important and what isn’t?
Q. I have trouble getting my boss to accept my ideas. Can you help?
Q. Can you help a procrastinator like me who always has trouble starting a writing
job?
Q. My spelling is so bad that my spell checker won’t even boot up anymore. Can you help?
Q. Why do business people have such trouble writing? I’m intelligent; I learned how to write in school; but when I try to put together
a technical report or a proposal, my brain just shuts down.
Q. I have to revise our lab’s 80-page procedure manual, because everyone says it is confusing. I have no
idea how to approach such a daunting job. Can you help?
Q. My writing covers a very technical and complex subject and goes to a wide range
of readers, many of whom are customers who don’t have a technical background. Wrestling with this problem always frustrates me.
Is there a way to explain highly technical information so that our customers
will understand it?
Q. I think my writing is fine, but my readers complain that it is unclear. What’s up?
Q. What if I’m afraid of being embarrassed in a writing class?
Q. People say I am too direct and insensitive, but all I'm trying to do is be
concise
and get to the point. What am I supposed to do?
Q. English is my second language. Will your workshop help me with writing problems
unique to professionals whose native language is not English?
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A. Yes. You will use our easy-to-apply planning tips, our focused drafting method,
and our structured editing steps. You’ll learn how to determine each reader’s needs. You will organize your thoughts quickly and present them logically and
clearly. After the workshop, you will spend less time writing.
A. Perhaps your manager sees that your promotion potential is limited only by
writing skills that need polishing. Our training will help you analyze your own
writing strengths, avoid time-wasting patterns, and reduce the number of
e-mails you must return to clarify previous messages. Our training will save
you time.
> I took a course on mind mapping, but I still have trouble organizing my
thoughts. Can you help me?
A. Definitely. Mind mapping is a good technique for brainstorming ideas. Our easy
planning tool will take you beyond mind mapping to the next logical step:
organizing all those great ideas.
A. Yes, we will show you how to tailor your message to meet your reader’s needs.
A. Yes. We discuss persuasion strategies to help you sell your ideas. A recent
registrant said, “Your brief course taught me more about selling than my sales courses did.”
A. Yes. Our planning tool will help you overcome procrastination and organize a
writing job within 15 minutes. No more writer’s block.
A. Yes. We will show you spelling-pattern tricks to help avoid common spelling
errors. A special section of your workbook will serve as a handy long-term “coach.”
A. To be a good business writer, you have to make the transition from academic
writing to business writing. Business writing requires its own skill set. You
just need to sharpen those skills.
A. Absolutely. Many of our past attendees had the same problem and now use our
guidelines to create or rewrite procedures and manuals. One Fortune 100 client
hired us to train a national writing team to streamline the company’s Standard Operating Procedure manuals. After our workshop, the client’s writing team then reduced the manuals’ volume by 60%. The field team’s response was a big thank-you for the easy-to-read SOP guides.
A. Yes. We show you a fast way to summarize and interpret complex technical data
for nontechnical readers.
A. Clear writing requires logically organized sentences that focus on a key
message delivered with precise words. Perhaps you are burying your main point
in prepositional phrases. Maybe you are using too much passive voice. Bring
samples of your writing to our workshop, and we’ll help you clarify your messages. (No, you won’t have to show your writing to other registrants.)
A. Relax. We respect the fact that writing is an extension of the ego, and we have
no desire to step on anyone’s ego. You’re always welcome to ask questions during the breaks. You will also be surprised
at how many other people have writing frustrations similar to yours.
A. Concise writing is good, but the tone of the writing matters, too. Perhaps your
tone sounds harsh. We can show you how to be concise and diplomatic at the same
time.
A. Yes. Our research and experience have pinpointed the English patterns that
frustrate foreign-born professionals. We offer supplemental resources to help
you master the most frustrating English patterns.
