Keeping Business Calls Professional
In business, one of the oldest communication tools is still among the most important – the telephone. However, although it so common and widespread, many people lack the verbal communication skills needed to create a positive impression when using the phone.
In this course, you’ll learn about some basic rules of etiquette that will help improve your phone skills and keep your business calls professional. You’ll explore general best practices, and how to make and receive calls professionally. You’ll also learn some best practices for using a cell or smart phone, and how to record and leave effective voicemail messagesÂ
40 Minutes
- Recognize why the telephone is such an important business tool
- Recognize general best practices for using the telephone
- Recognize best practices for making and receiving calls
- Identify examples of best practices for using a cell phone
- Recognize examples of appropriate recorded voicemail greetings
- Recognize appropriate examples of leaving voicemail messages
Using the Parts of Speech
Effective business writing is one of the most important communication skills in the workplace today. By writing well, using clear sentences and correct grammar, you can ensure your message is communicated to and understood by your intended audience.
Unfortunately, the opposite is also true – poorly structured sentences can not only cause confusion, but may also damage your reputation.
In this course, you’ll learn about the fundamental elements for better writing – the parts of speech. These are the building blocks of sentences, so learning about them can help you skillfully combine words into meaningful sentences. This course describes the eight parts of speech and shows how to use them effectively and correctly.Â
50 Minutes
- Identify the parts of speech in a given sentence
- Recognize the correct use of nouns in given sentences
- Identify correct use of perfect and progressive tenses
- Recognize how modal verbs are being used in given sentences
- Distinguish between active and passive voice
- Recognize the correct use of adjectives and adverbs in given sentences
- Recognize how to use the parts of speech
Getting the Details Right: Spelling Basics
Spelling errors are all too common, and are one of the main culprits behind poor business writing. A wrong letter here, an extra letter there, and your reader may lose confidence in your communication skills and overall competence as a professional. That’s why writing well doesn’t just mean writing persuasively – it also means knowing the rules, as well as the exceptions, of spelling.
In this course, you’ll learn how to spell words with prefixes and suffixes, and how to form the plural and possessive forms of words. You’ll also learn general rules on how to spell correctly, as well as some handy tips for better writing in generalÂ
50 Minutes
- Identify the meaning and function of prefixes and suffixes in given words
- Recognize the correct way to spell words with prefixes
- Recognize the correct application of spelling rules for words with suffixes
- Recognize the correct plural form of given nouns
- Identify examples of words that follow the rules for forming possessives
- Recognize the correct application of spelling rules for given words
- Recognize the correct way to spell given words
Abbreviating, Capitalizing, and Using Numbers
Writing well is not just about constructing logical sentences. It also involves the correct use of abbreviations, capital letters, and numbers in your business writing. Knowing how to use them consistently is a strong asset to have as part of your communication skills.
In this course, you’ll learn the basic rules of capital letters, abbreviations, and numbers. You’ll learn how to correctly abbreviate titles, names, locations, and countries, as well as how to capitalize direct quotes, titles, names of organizations, and product names, among other elements. In addition, you’ll explore other key elements for better writing – the forms and uses of numbers with dates and time, money, fractions, and symbols.Â
0.6 Hours
- Recognize the correct application of basic rules for abbreviating words
- Identify correct abbreviations of given words
- Recognize the correct application of basic rules for capitalizing words
- Identify appropriate capitalization for headings, lists, and colons
- Recognize how to capitalize places and events correctly
- Recognize the correct application of basic rules for using numbers
- Identify the correct use of numbers in given examples
- Use abbreviation, capitalization, and number rules in written communications
Using Punctuation Marks
Punctuation is the collection of marks used to separate sentences and their parts. Although appropriate punctuation is an undervalued part of your communication skills, it can make your business writing clear and less likely to be misinterpreted.
In this course, you’ll learn the standard rules and guidelines for using punctuation marks, including the correct use of periods, question marks, and exclamation points. You’ll learn a crucial aspect of better writing that often causes much confusion – how to correctly use commas. The course includes rules for better writing such how to use different connecting and separating marks, like colons, semicolons, dashes, and hyphens. In addition, it shows how to properly use apostrophes, parentheses, brackets, and quotation marks.Â
50 Minutes
- Recognize examples of correctly applied rules for using end punctuation
- Recognize how to use commas correctly
- Recognize how to use semicolons and colons correctly
- Identify the correct use of apostrophes in given examples
- Recognize how to use quotation marks appropriately in written communications
- Identify the correct application of rules for using parentheses and brackets
- Use punctuation marks correctly
Creating Well-constructed Sentences
Syntax is the grammatical term for arranging words to create logical phrases, clauses, and sentences. Well-constructed sentences express an idea by using the parts of speech in a logical order, and are essential for effective business writing. A misplaced modifier might get a chuckle out of the reader, but it reflects poorly on your communication skills.
In this course, you’ll learn some of the fundamentals for better writing – the parts of a sentence, such as the subject and predicate, as well as phrases and clauses. You’ll examine subject-verb agreement, as well as agreement between pronouns and their antecedents. You’ll also discover some techniques for writing well, such as how to identify and fix common types of sentence errors.Â
0.6 Hours
- Recognize the parts of a sentence
- Identify phrases and clauses in given sentences
- Recognize sentences that have the correct subject-verb agreement
- Identify examples of pronouns and antecedents that agree in person, number, and gender
- Identify ways to fix sentence fragments
- Recognize how to fix comma splices and run-on sentences
- Identify the sentences with misplaced or dangling modifiers
- Use sentence elements correctly to build grammatically correct sentences
Troublesome Words and Phrases: Common Usage Mistakes in Writing
The many nuances and conventions in the English language make it diverse and interesting; however, when it comes to writing well, they can also cause some difficulties. For better writing skills, you must familiarize yourself with some of the most common errors of usage.
In this course, you’ll learn how to use commonly confused words correctly, including word pairs that sound alike and those that have related meanings. You’ll explore often misused verbs – for example, affect and effect or apprise and appraise – that can impede professional business writing. You’ll also learn some idiomatic combinations of verbs and prepositions that can be confusing and will put your communication skills to the test.Â
50 Minutes
- Identify the correct use of words from similar sounding word pairs
- Recognize the correct way to use words with similar but not identical meanings
- Recognize the correct usage of commonly misused verbs
- Identify the correct way to use commonly misused terms
- Recognize the appropriate preposition to use in given examples
- Identify the correct way to use words in given examples
