Professional Writing (saylor.org)

Offered by Saylor.org,
Professional Writing (saylor.org)

Professional Writing is designed to provide adult learners with the basic skills they need to write effective documents in the workplace.

Professional Writing is designed to provide adult learners with the basic skills they need to write effective documents in the workplace. In this course, you will learn how to analyze your audience so that you can write prose that is both clear and persuasive. You will practice writing common business documents, such as emails, memos, proposals, and presentations. You will also learn how to effectively edit these documents for maximum impact.

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Define professional writing, and identify the major genres of professional writing.
Conduct basic audience research to determine for whom he or she is writing and why.
Determine the main point of your document, and summarize your main point in one sentence.
Use concrete characters rather than abstract nouns.
Identify and explain how to avoid the most common ethical problems in professional writing.
Reinforce the main point in the most strategic locations throughout the document.
Adapt and revise messaging for different contexts and audiences.
Identify common problems that prevent writing from being easily understood by a variety of audiences.
Use multiple editorial strategies for revising and improving documents.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Cultural and Literary Expression in the English Renaissance (saylor.org) Saylor Academy
Saylor.org

Cultural and Literary Expression in the English Renaissance (saylor.org)

At the outset of the 16th century, Europeans tended to dismiss English literature as inferior to continental literary traditions; the educated Englishman was obliged to travel to the continent and speak in other languages in order to “culture” himself. By the end of the Renaissance, however, some of the greatest works in the English language—from Shakespeare’s dramas to Thomas More’s Utopia—had been written. In this course, we will read and examine these works, situating them within their socio-historical and literary contexts, while attempting to determine how the art of English language and letters came into its own during this dynamic period.

Legacy Course
Self-Paced
Business English: Meetings (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Business English: Meetings (Coursera)

This course will teach you vocabulary and skills related to participating in meetings. You will learn terms and phrases used both in email and in speaking to arrange, participate in, and conclude meetings. The goals of this course are to enable you to participate effectively in on-site meetings and teleconferences and to prepare you to write a proposal as an outcome of a meeting.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Inglés Empresarial: el márketing y ventas (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Inglés Empresarial: el márketing y ventas (Coursera)

If you work in marketing, sales, or advertising, you already know that effective communication is a requirement. This can be even more difficult when expressing your ideas in a persuasive manner in English. In this course, you will learn to use English more efficiently while joining successful global professionals around the world. Develop your skills along with authentic characters that work in marketing and also work hard to improve their communication skills. Learn from your successes and failures, reflect on your own style, strengths, and improvement areas.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Teach English Now! Foundational Principles (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Teach English Now! Foundational Principles (Coursera)

Through a series of engaging metaphors and stories, prospective and current EFL/ESL teachers will identify, summarize, and evaluate 7 basic language learning paradigms. Learners will be presented information on such foundational principles as motivation, risk taking, two different modes of learning, and balancing the teacher profession. Learners are also given an understanding of basic techniques founded on those principles, such as teacher talk, looking “ridiculous” in order to lower the affective filter, and networking. With these foundational principles in mind, ESL/EFL teachers will scrutinize common assumptions about language learning by comparing how they stack up to research-based core principles.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Career Planning: A Pathway to Employment (Coursera) Coursera
University System of Georgia

Career Planning: A Pathway to Employment (Coursera)

This course is designed to foster creative approaches to launching a new career. You will articulate best ways to make a first impression and analyze your strengths by creating a personal statement. You will identify appropriate elements to make your resume stand out from the crowd. You will also identify the most effective ways a cover letter can answer a job description, and how to best leverage social media in your job search.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Engagement & Nurture Marketing Strategies (Coursera) Coursera
Northwestern University

Engagement & Nurture Marketing Strategies (Coursera)

In this third course in the Social Marketing Specialization - "The Engagement & Nurture Marketing Strategies" - you will learn two of the most effective social strategies used by organizations today. You'll see real-world best practice examples and learn what metrics they use to gauge success. You will also learn the importance of infographics and the impact a well-designed landing page can have on your bottom line.

Oct 26th 2026
4 Weeks
Translation in Practice (Coursera) Coursera
Nanjing University

Translation in Practice (Coursera)

This course offers you basic but valuable techniques used by a good translator in the translation between English and Chinese. We’ll discuss what is translation, what is good translation, and learn about how to produce good translations. All the examples used in this course are taken from the course instructor's own translations of various genres and topics of writing.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Writing Skills for Engineering Leaders (Coursera) Coursera
Rice University

Writing Skills for Engineering Leaders (Coursera)

Engineering leaders must write extensively for their jobs, and their writing needs to be professional, reader-focused, and error-free. What leaders write in particular can affect productivity and the bottom line, so the written communication that leaders create must be clear and concise. In this course, you’ll learn essential writing skills that you can apply in your daily activities on the job as an engineering leader.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks