Advanced Business Communication

Analyzing Written Documents

• Develop competency in genre analysis
• Review samples of appropriate documents
• Outline their structural elements and their purpose(s)
• Identify characteristics of the documents (tone, voice, register, word choice)
• Develop a critical awareness of relevant ethical and legal issues

Developing Expertise

• Review outlining options for documents
• Use strategies for content development, including primary research
• Draft task analyses and schedules
• Use traditional editing tools for managing documents (e.g., style sheets, version control, templates)
• Practise using document production programs and tools (e.g., Acrobat, Advanced Word, InDesign)
• Manage visual materials (photography, tables, charts) appropriately
• As needed, secure permission to use copyrighted material
• Follow an approvals process for documents produced in the workplace

Producing Written Documents

• Prepare outlines for professional business communication documents
• Recognize the purpose of scope of work statements
• As needed, revise a task analysis and schedule
• Develop appropriate content (e.g., narrative, objective summary, case study, storytelling)
• Acquire permissions, if needed
• Resolve challenges (e.g., inconsistent feedback, lack of content, uneven quality)
• Write, revise, proofread and present a complex written document using industry-standard tools

Enhancing Documents in a Transmedia Context

• Acquire an overview of the current media context (e.g., social media, transmedia storytelling)
• Demonstrate an understanding of how written print documents fit into this environment
• Repurpose components of the document or develop new content for collateral materials in a variety of forms (e.g., press release, blog post, social media post, transmittal memorandum, website, briefing note, PowerPoint, video)
• Develop a coherent plan to integrate these components to achieve stated communication goal(s)