7 Steps to Better Written Policies and Procedures
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Good for Beginning and Intermediate (3.5)
  • Precise and concise policy & procedure style guide
  • Great for Book for Writing Well Written Policies and Procedu
  • Okay for P&P but not for just Procedure Writing
  • A helpful book on writing style
7 Steps to Better Written Policies and Procedures
Steve Page
Manufacturer: Process Improvement Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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  1. Establishing a System of Policies and Procedures Establishing a System of Policies and Procedures
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ASIN: 1929065248

Product Description

"7 Steps to Better Written Policies and Procedures" focuses exclusively on the Writing Format, a method of writing used to lay out the content of policies and procedures in a logical sequence for easy reading and understanding by readers. This book is based on Chapter 4 of the "Establishing a System of Policies and Procedures." Exercises are presented based on a real-life case study. Answers are presented that represent "good" and "not so good" answers. Do the exercises and compare your answers. Make improvements in your writing skills by doing the exercises. Sample policies and procedures are presented at the end of this book.

Download Description

Policies and procedures WORKBOOK that helps you write better policies and procedures through exercises, answers, and examples. This book is an expansion of the 4th Chapter (Writing Format) of the first book of the series, "Establishing a System of Policies and Procedures." Use a writing process and editing checklists to help you check your own work to assure consistent, logical, and effective policies and procedures are developed, written, and published. The reviews and testimonials will tell the story on writing policies and procedures. Procedure writers of all ages and experience can benefit from the methods and techniques presented in this book not only for writing policies and procedures but also for writing ordinary, routine business letters, emails, and documentation. This book takes a comprehensive look at the writing format, a seven section outline-format used to make sense of processes and research notes. This writing format is rigid in the number of sections but flexible with the content that fills each section. Each chapter guides you through each section by discussing, and providing exercises and examples, the do's and don'ts of how to write good policy and procedure content. The writing format is a key feature of this book. The exercises, scenarios, and examples make up the remaining features not to mention the writing process and editing checklists found in the introductory material. A case study, borrowed from one of my books, "Achieving 100% Compliance of Policies and Procedures," is used for scenarios and exercises. A chapter is devoted to each section of the writing format; each chapter has the following subheadings: 1. Sample template 2. Purpose 3. Paragraph Format/Sentence Structure 4. Common mistakes 5. Scenario for exercises 6. What to look for 7. Exercises 8. Good answers 9. "Not so good" answers 10. Checking your work 11. Summary

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Good for Beginning and Intermediate (3.5).......2005-12-30

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE ELECTRONIC EDITIONS OF "ESTABLISHING A SYSTEM OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES" ... AND ... "7 STEPS TO BETTER WRITTEN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES".

As a technical writer, I had mixed feelings about these books.

On the one hand, I thought they did an excellent job of presenting a simple, structured approach for developing and maintaining policies and their associated procedures in a systematic and consistent way. I think people who are new or relatively new to the work of developing such documentation should find these books to be valuable aids.

On the other hand, as someone who has been developing administrative and technical documentation for a number of years, I didn't find much here that was new to me. In many ways, I felt these books were an excellent presentation of "what I already know".

I felt the strongest points of the books were:

1) "The Writing Format" - The author makes it clear that the structure he uses for developing documents (which he calls "The Writing Format") is the core of his entire approach to developing policies and procedures. This simple, effective structure will be VERY helpful to those who've never had to develop standardized documentation before or for those who have yet to find a systematic approach for developing consistent documents.

2) Policies and Procedures in Support of Business Goals - All too often, policies and procedures are developed without the required connection to the ideas and realities that define the businesses for which they are being developed. Mr. Page does an excellent job of making it clear what a big mistake this is and suggests some ways to avoid this pit fall.

3) The Development Process - Many managers I've worked with over the years seem to think that good policies and procedures are something anyone can sit down and write in a few minutes. NOT true. Mr. Page does an excellent job of outlining the overall TEAM process by which good policies and procedures must be conceived, researched, drafted, reviewed, approved, published and continually revised and updated.

All in all, I think Mr. Page's books make excellent documentation development reference guides. But, as someone who has been developing administrative and technical documentation for several years, there were a few things I found disappointing:

1) Formatting - The visual formatting of Mr. Page's documents is VERY simple and, in my opinion, does not take very full advantage of the enhanced visual tools available in today's word processing programs. Designing documents that are visually simple to follow and help the user immediately recognize the logic of the document they are using is much easier with some of today's enhanced word processing capabilities. I would have enjoyed seeing examples of more sophisticated yet still straight foreward approaches to presenting information.

2) Editing - Especially in "Establishing A System of Policies and Procedures", I was surprised by the number of editing errors I found. They were not the sort of errors that make the book ineffective, but they detracted from the professionalism of the presentation.



I think for MOST people tasked with developing policies and procedures for a corporate or professional environment, these two books will be very good reference guides. But, if you've been developing successful documentation for a number of years and doing so with considerable skill and creativity, there may not be much new for you here.

5 out of 5 stars Precise and concise policy & procedure style guide.......2005-12-07

The format that Stephen Page lays out is concise and allows for "precision writing" by giving the author of any policy and procedure the appropriate building blocks that such a document should have. Now in the Sarbanes Oxley era the need to document internal controls - and the policies and procedures that frame those - can be documented in an easy to use, standardized format that reduces wordiness and makes the writer, reader and user focus on what is really important - the content.
Great job Stephen!

5 out of 5 stars Great for Book for Writing Well Written Policies and Procedu.......2002-11-08

This book is just what is advertised, how to write better policies and procedures. It advocates the use of a writing format that makes for easy-to-read policies and procedures, a format that I know from conferences is used worldwide by many companies. This book is for procedure writers, not technical writers. And this book is not high-level, it is very detailed to the extent that my company has bought more than 25 of these books to hand out to each person who writes policies and procedures. While the book is very simple, it is still by far the best book I have read on the subject. I find the competition too convulted and they don't stay on the point. Not so with this author's books.

Jay

2 out of 5 stars Okay for P&P but not for just Procedure Writing.......2002-08-12

This book is fine if you are looking for a guide to create a Policy & Procedure manual where the procedures are at a high level. You should, however, look elsewhere if you are looking for a guide on how to write clear, easy-to-use procedures. The format for the procedures in this book is similar to the technical writing style of 20 years ago and is not suitable for procedures that will actually have to be followed by the end-user. You should look to Nancy J. Campbell's "Writing Effective Policies and Procedures," Blake & Bly's "The Elements of Technical Writing," or an Information Mapping seminar if you are interested in creating "user-friendly" procedures.

4 out of 5 stars A helpful book on writing style.......2002-07-06

I was pleasantly suprised how helpful this book was. Steve demonstrates how to write a procedure so it will be understood by those who use it. His book certainly showed me many of the flaws in my procedure writing. The examples of "what not to do" point out styles that are inappropriate for procedures.

Steve also explains how to format a procedure for ease of use.
Crisp: 50 One-Minute Tips to Better Communication, Revised Edition: A Wealth of Business Communication Ideas (Fifty-Minute Series Book)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Great tool for getting back to communication basics!
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Phillip E. Bozek
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Book Description

This course will teach you the critical skills to conduct and participate in effective meetings, revise and clarify your writing and speaking, and create and execute engaging presentations and teleconferences.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Great tool for getting back to communication basics!.......1999-12-08

Book includes 17 one-minute tips to improve meetings. Includes tips for before, during and at the end of the meeting. Also includes 16 one-minute tips to improve business writing. There's also a section with tips to improve your presentations.

I was looking for some basic presentation items to include in a train-the-trainer session. But as I got to looking at some of the other tips, I realized that I could benefit from them, too.

The book has some excellent exercises. The one on 'Are You Paying Fines For Your Company Meetings?' is meant to heighten awareness about the cost of poorly run meetings. Another exercise provides a checklist of items to consider when calling a group meeting that could interfere with productivity. Those are just a few of the really good material covered by this well-done book.
Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure: Tools and Techniques for Writing Better Lyrics (Songwriting Guides)
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • have to agree with the below review
  • Excellent tool
  • Outstanding
  • Book Review ý James Linderman
  • Deeply disappointing
Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure: Tools and Techniques for Writing Better Lyrics (Songwriting Guides)
Pat Pattison
Manufacturer: Berklee Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0793511801

Book Description

Veteran songwriter Pat Pattison has taught many of Berklee College of Music's best and brightest students how to write truly great lyrics. Her helpful guide contains essential information on lyric structures, timing and placement, and exercises to help everyone from beginners to seasoned songwriters say things more effectively and gain a better understanding of their craft. Features examples of famous songs for study, including: Be Still My Beating Heart * Can't Fight This Feeling * It Was a Very Good Year * Tickle Me * and more.

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars have to agree with the below review.......2006-03-14

I thought the below review from 'an amazonian' was a bit negative and bought it anyway. After reading it however I have to agree with everything they stated.

My advice is only get this book if you really, really struggle with lyric form and structure because otherwise you might find that you've wasted your money. I did.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent tool.......2006-01-29

This book to great for the songwriter who needs that extra push from ok songs to great songs. Whether you are starting from scratch or revising songs already written, this book will help you see your songs with an objective eye. Not only will you write better but you'll listen better. You'll learn to listen to hit songs and figure out why they are hits. Great tool for any songwriter.

5 out of 5 stars Outstanding.......2005-03-04

This book is a well written book with fresh ideas that can be very helpful to a songwriter. I would highly recommend this book to any aspiring songwriter.

5 out of 5 stars Book Review ý James Linderman.......2002-12-18

Simply put, to know Pat's work is to revere it. He is the absolute master of the craft of lyric structure and it's consequential impact on the quality of a song. Period!

Pat Pattison has been teaching lyric song writing and poetry at Berklee College of Music since 1975, and has played an integral part in developing Berklee's songwriting program, which was the first complete songwriting degree program to be offered anywhere, and is arguably the best in the world. Among the many other vast contributions Pat makes to the music industry, he also spends a lot of time writing in Nashville, works for TV and film, and does a ton of workshops and clinics all over the world.

In the forward of "Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure" Pat indicates that "This is not a general book on lyric writing...it's specific purpose is to help you handle your lyric structure more effectively."

This is great because, instead of trying to deal with all aspects of lyric writing in a diluted overview, Pat instead, offers a very concentrated and detailed discourse on the aspect of song craft that seems to be most absent in most songwriters background...the deliberate use of structure.

Throughout the book Pat uses an analogy, comparing lyric writing to juggling. When you juggle, you start with one ball and work on attaining that skill before adding a second, third or fourth ball, or before attempting to juggle with flaming batons or chainsaws.

The first "ball" we want to try and juggle in our lyric development is the identification, study and manipulation of a lyric phrase. Pat is very skilled in providing perfect examples to show; how to match lyric phrases with the musical ones they sit on, how to write sections of a song with balanced or unbalanced sets of phrases, and how to contrast balanced and unbalanced sections to create a feeling in your listener that the song is moving forward to another section, or is resolving; coming to rest to end that collection of ideas.

This is very cool to know, especially if you are like me and really struggle with lyrics and usually find that, after a lot of frustration, that a structural oversight or flaw is often the problem.

Enough about me...back to the book.

The remaining chapters in the book break your lyric into syllables, rhyme schemes, song parts like; verses, choruses and those dreaded bridges. It then takes a concentrated look at song form and where to place the hook...you know, the part that makes your listener remember that you have a song.

The thing that Pat Pattison's books do better than any other books out there, is that they make people write purposefully objective rather than aimlessly subjective. He does it in a way that channels creativity rather than controlling it and he does it with a sense of style and humour that is very engaging.

I can now see why the publisher decided to name this book, Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure because essential is just how I would describe it.

1 out of 5 stars Deeply disappointing.......2002-01-20

Pat Pattison's book on lyric structure can be recommended only to musicians who are ill at ease with words, and even they will find that the book is padded to three or four times the length it should be.

Pattison's lyrics and the lyrics he quotes (by Sting and Steely Dan for example, as well as "Can't Fight This Feeling"!) are both of poor quality. They use cliched images and tired idioms, and they abuse the apostrophe in a parody of the language of regular Joes ("Leave 'em hangin' . . .").

But worse than this, the book is padded with needless "exercises" repeated over and over to illustrate obvious points. (For example, Pattison reveals to us that if a song lyric's lines go from longer to shorter, the pace will speed up, and if they go from shorter to longer, the pace will slow down. Now, we're asked, does this example speed up or slow down? How about this one? How about this one?)No one, even the most non-verbal student at Berklee, where Pattison teaches, needs this.

Pattison's points about structure would make a worthwhile ten- or twenty-page handout, or an acceptable chapter in a book on lyric writing. To inflate them into an entire book, however, is a reprehensible con.
Crisp: Better Business Writing, Fourth Edition: Techniques for Improving Correspondence (Fifty-Minute Series.)
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  • I am interested to buy this book, would like to review
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Book Description

After completing this book, you will have the critical skills to improve your spelling, punctuation, usage and style, while avoiding the pitfalls of business writing, and creating persuasive and more effective memos and letters. Ten key techniques for effective communication will help you grow more confident in your ability to express yourself clearly. Good business writing is as important as ever. Being able to recognize and correct problems, avoid redundancies, and define your communication goals are all critical factors for effective business writing.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars 7 page paperback !.......2000-01-20

It seems a good book that so many people already bought, but it should not be a 7 page paperback. Can anyone tell more about it?

5 out of 5 stars I am interested to buy this book, would like to review.......1999-07-28

I would like to review this book before i buy is that possible, please let me know. thanx
Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming: A Step-by-Step Guide to Better Rhyming and Lyrics (Songwriting Guides)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Practice sesions clear and concise, The book is nice1
  • Not this book alone
  • Excellent Inspiration Tool!
  • Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming
  • Very Good - Needs Rhyming Dictionary
Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming: A Step-by-Step Guide to Better Rhyming and Lyrics (Songwriting Guides)
Pat Pattison
Manufacturer: Berklee Press
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Book Description

This book has a very specific purpose: to help songwriters find better rhymes and use them more effectively. Rhyme is one of the most crucial areas of lyrics writing, and this guide will provide all of the technical information necessary to develop your skills completely. The exercises and worksheets help experienced writers take a fresh look at their techniques, and prevent novices from developing bad habits. Use this book to start writing better than ever before!

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Practice sesions clear and concise, The book is nice1.......2007-05-22

A simple technique to understanding the work words do in poerty and song writing. The practice is gentle and not difficult to perform.
Of all the praise I could heap upon Pat Pattison, the one bonus dimension is that of nuances, which are able to enhance poetry through the use of subtile qualities that words may possess, such as, shades or implications or reflections as to a more appropiate choice of words for a greater Songwriting experience: Essential Guide to Rhyming: A Step-by-Step Guide to Better Rhyming and Lyrics (Songwriting Guides)]].
I have sent this book to collegues and students to share the potential for skill enhancement.

5 out of 5 stars Not this book alone.......2006-01-19

I think this book is the greatest, but practically on the
first page, the author proves to his readers that they must
use a rhyming dictionary to create. Going it alone is pure
"silly". He says "finding rhymes is almost never a creative act. It is a purely mechanical search."
Well, I have a small rhyming dictionary by Webster, but this is
not a good one at all. I need specifically The Complete Rhyming Dictionary, edited by Clement Wood (Doubleday) because "it divides rhymes into Masculine, Feminine, and three-syllable rhymes."
Once I get that, then I can really work with Pattison book and
learn.
So if you are buying this book also buy the Wood Rhymer right away and save postage.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Inspiration Tool!.......2003-04-19

This book explains rhyme and its importance to writing and inspiration. The author lays out the approach to writing much differently than I have been approaching it for years. This has opened up a whole new level for me in lyric writing - inspiration is much less of an issue because of this book. I highly reccomend this book for beginners, but it can improve even the best lyrical writings. This book is filled with exercises to improve your writing, and if you take the time to do them, you will be a better writer.

You will need a rhyming dictionary to use this book, as it is primarily an instruction on getting the most from your rhyming dictionary. This book explains how you can put a complete idea together using only a rhyming dictionary.

5 out of 5 stars Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming.......2002-11-30

I happened to mention to a couple of friends of mine that I was reviewing a book on rhyming this month and one of them said, " What a dumb thing to write a book about, dude, I mean, a word either rhymes with another word or it doesn't...so you don't need a whole book for that, duh!?!"

My other friend was shaking his head in affirmation of this noble theory.

This confirms that I really need to do whatever it takes to find some smarter friends.

Songwriters need to be expert rhymesters and despite what the rest of the world might think about it being the most natural thing in the world, it's an ability that's got to be developed to the extreme for us to be able to write great songs to the extreme.

Enter: the book!

Songwriting: Essential guide to Rhyming by Pat Pattison.

Pat begins this book by describing the number one "rhyme crime" in the business, transitive verbs. It's the rhyme that you find when a good rhyme doesn't show up so you flip the sentence upside down and jam it into your song like, "My love for you is not a fake, your heart I will now pledge to take".

By the time the listener gets to the verb "take", they have to try to remember that the "heart" was the object. It forces the listener to think backwards as they listen forward and this confusion will not attract your listener to your work.

Yoda, from Star Wars speaks almost exclusively, using transitive verbs like, "Much to learn, you still have". This may work for Yoda but it has no place in a song, so unless Yoda suddenly gets a major label deal...

Back to the book.

Pat offers some great solutions for transitive verbs and also solves the other problem that goes along with them which is how to express universal themes without cliché rhymes. This will be amazing stuff to check out.

Pat also deals with a problem that I have whereby, I don't really like to write with a dictionary and a thesaurus and a stack of grammar books on my piano but he writes convincingly that a good rhyming dictionary is good to keep at arms reach since rhyming is a purely mechanical thing and may help find you the word you need fast enough to keep your muse on track. This now makes a lot of sense to me.

Through the remaining chapters, Pat shows you all the types of rhyming available to you and if your anything like me and don't know all that much about; masculine and feminine rhymes, identity, mosaic rhymes, perfect and imperfect rhymes, additive and subtractive rhymes, assonance and alliteration then you need to get your hands on this book.

The real point of the book, really, is to lay out the rhyme types and let them expand you opportunities to BOTH say what you mean AND rhyme. The book presents the rhyme types in descending order, from the closest to perfect rhyme to the most remote rhyme types. And better, the book shows you how and when to use the different rhyme types.

This is the last of the three books by Pat Pattison that I have had the pleasure of reviewing in these last three issues of The Muse's News. They were, "Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure", "Writing Better Lyrics", and "Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming".

I have almost run out of superlatives to express the value of the material in Pat Pattisons books but I would have to say that his books actually define lyric writing for me and have impacted my work like no other outside influence. If this is what you want to bring to the table for your next songwriting project, hit a good bookstore...

5 out of 5 stars Very Good - Needs Rhyming Dictionary.......2002-08-16

This book does an excellent job of explaining the types of rhymes available to songwriters. How to choose the appropriate rhyme, and where to find it in a rhyming dictionary. I have had no previous experience in lyric writing or poetry and it was very easy reading, yet there is enough depth to last a very long time. You will need a rhyming dictionary for the exercises in this book, Pattison recommends 'The Complete Rhyming Dictionary' by Clement Wood. Overall this book is excellent for beginners, with enough content to assist more advanced lyricists.
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  • Good
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All TitlesAll Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
EntertainmentEntertainment | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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  1. All You Need To Know About the Music Business: 6th Edition All You Need To Know About the Music Business: 6th Edition
  2. Guerrilla P.R.: How You Can Wage an Effective Publicity Campaign...Without Going Broke Guerrilla P.R.: How You Can Wage an Effective Publicity Campaign...Without Going Broke
  3. Guerrilla Marketing Excellence: The 50 Golden Rules for Small-Business Success (Guerrilla Marketing) Guerrilla Marketing Excellence: The 50 Golden Rules for Small-Business Success (Guerrilla Marketing)
  4. Start and Run Your Own Record Label, Revised and Expanded Edition Start and Run Your Own Record Label, Revised and Expanded Edition
  5. Legal Aspects of the Music Industry Legal Aspects of the Music Industry

ASIN: 1885726031

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A classic!!!!!!!!!.......2006-07-03

I always been a fan of Kashif both as a singer and producer. I highly recommend this book to gain greater insights in the Music business or any business. It was a great buy along with a couple of manuals I purchased from Musicbrains.net entitled the Indie label Kit on amazon. You can also check kashif out at Brooklynboy.com

4 out of 5 stars Good.......2006-05-20

Included in this package are over 100 music contract templates that will aid you in filling out every king of music contract imaginable, from the deals you set with music producers, to the deals with promoters, to the deals you have to make with agents. The contracts all have explanatory notes and underlining information explaining each the purpose of every line in the contract. As good as this set is, it doesn't compare to "101 Music Business Contracts - Updated Edition - Preprinted Binder / CD-ROM set containing over 100 contracts and agreements for recording artist, musicians, ... industry. Entertainment law at it's best!" By Ty Cohen, a more complete set with easier explanation and a more intelligent structure

5 out of 5 stars sherri.......2006-01-27

This is a great book. I first purchased Donald Passmans book "Everything You Need To Know About The Music Buiness' - a must have book for any interestd, but as a complete newbie also a bit overwhelming. This book is easier to read, gives a good introduction and overview of the topic and helps to simplify some of the things Passman talks about. I highly recommend them both if you're serious about this subject.

5 out of 5 stars A MUST FOR ALL WRITERS & PUBLISHERS.......2005-12-06

A real life look at the music industry. This is a must have for all involved in writing and publishing.

From Mark John Sternal
Author of "GUITAR: Total Scales Techniques and Applications"
"GUITAR: Probable Chords"
"Complete Guitar By Ear"
and, "The Twelve Notes Of Music"

4 out of 5 stars Kashif really tells it all on this extraordinary book.......2005-09-24

I'm blessed I purchased this book earlier this month and tells me right here how I need to know and learn all about the music and record industry. This is a Extradordinary, more good-reading, more instructional Must for all Music lovers, listeners, musicians, singers, singer-songwriters, composers, producers, artists, and/or any1 that's real interested of trying out in the music biz. I recommend Donald Passman's book "All You Need to Know About the Music Business" 2 include along and recommendarily Quincy Jones' memoir along w/ others.

I 'preciate the help of what R&B and Music legend, artist, and producer Kashif tryin' 2 say. 'Preciate everything u talked 'bout this book. Enjoy it. It's very interesting stuff and u can't turn your back from it.
Writing Fitness: Practical Exercises for Better Business Writing (The Fifty-Minute Series)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • Valuable skill builder
Writing Fitness: Practical Exercises for Better Business Writing (The Fifty-Minute Series)
Jack Swenson
Manufacturer: Crisp Learning
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:
  1. Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 0931961351

Book Description

Filled with practical business writing exercises and activities, this workbook covers basic organizational skills, clear and concise writing, spelling, punctuation tips, and much more. The focus is on ways to edit, tone, and clarify business memos, letters, and reports.

Learning Objectives: To give techniques for spelling accuracy. To discuss punctuation and capitalization rules. To explain principles of usage. To suggest ways to write memos, letters, and reports.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars Valuable skill builder.......1999-04-29

This workbook proved to be an excellent source for building business writing skills. Covers not only how to put a letter or memo together, but also punctuation, spelling, grammar, etc. Highly recommend!
How to Write Better Business Letters (Barron's How to Write Better Business Letters)
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • A complete and strongly recommended reference
  • excellent reference book to have at your desk
How to Write Better Business Letters (Barron's How to Write Better Business Letters)
Andrea B. Geffner
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

GeneralGeneral | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0764135392

Book Description

Updated to reflect uses of current word processing software and Internet communication, as well as to review standard business correspondence formats, this book instructs on how to write effective examples of every kind of business letter. It presents about 75 model letters in categories that include credit applications, letters of inquiry, orders of goods and services, formal business announcements, letters of recommendation, and sales promotional letters of the type used by direct marketers. This book also features examples of different letter formatting styles. The newly expanded chapter on e-mail correspondence includes discussion of effective presentation of Internet résumés.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars A complete and strongly recommended reference .......2007-05-10

Now in a fully updated and expanded fourth edition, "How To Write Better Business Letters" by Andrea B. Geffner is a complete and 'user friendly' guide to the art and science of writing effective and professional business letters. "How To Write Better Business Letters" provides clear and helpful information for making optimal use of word processing software in business correspondence, as well as communicating professional on the Internet through email. Enhanced with more than seventy examples of model letters (including credit applications, letters of inquiry, orders for goods and services, formal business announcements, letters of recommendations, direct marketing sales promotional letters, and more), "How To Write Better Business Letters" is a complete and strongly recommended reference for inexperienced and novice business personnel, and has a great deal of value in refreshing and enhancing the letter writing skills of even the more experienced entrepreneur or business manager.

5 out of 5 stars excellent reference book to have at your desk.......1998-06-22

i started using this book with my students who are learning english. they found the example letters very useful for reference when writing for their jobs. i really appreciated the excercises that are included to learn how to write right the first time. we both liked that it was a 'real book' and not one just for ESL.
Writing at Work: A Guide to Better Writing Administration, Business and Management
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Writing at Work: A Guide to Better Writing Administration, Business and Management
    Robert Barrass
    Manufacturer: RoutledgeFalmer
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0415267536

    Book Description

    This book is for those who have difficulty in getting thoughts into words or their ideas across, as well as those who are satisfied with their writing but are ready to consider the possibility of improving it. It is all about the ways in which writing at work is important - helping the reader to observe, remember, think, plan, organize and communicate.

    Write Better and Get Ahead at Work: Successful Methods for Writing the Easy, Natural Way
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • Gets The Job Done The First Time
    • Courses at TrainingBetter.com
    • Reconnects you to the joy of writing
    • Buy this book!
    • Better than most
    Write Better and Get Ahead at Work: Successful Methods for Writing the Easy, Natural Way
    Michael Dolan
    Manufacturer: Writers Club Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

    CommunicationsCommunications | Skills | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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    ASIN: 0595120199

    Book Description

    Write Better and Get Ahead at Work is:

    It’s worked for hundreds of people in the Writing for Action Workshops. Now let it work you.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Gets The Job Done The First Time.......2006-09-12

    I have had the pleasure of being a student in two of Mr. Dolan's courses. He has provided a valuable tool with this book to assist people in preparing clear and concise reports or other business communications. If anyone has a chance to (or priveledge) of taking a course with Mr. Dolan do so, it is well worth the effort.

    4 out of 5 stars Courses at TrainingBetter.com.......2003-10-10

    This book is used as a text for the online course "Writing for Action," at TrainingBetter.com

    5 out of 5 stars Reconnects you to the joy of writing.......2001-02-25

    "Everything you think about writing is wrong," says Author Michael Dolan, and he promises that his book can get rid of outdated ideas, change the way you think and make you a better writer. The book's goal is to remove outmodeled thoughts that prevent quick easy communication and to help people feel confident and comfortable about writing." It shows you how to begin and how to keep your reader's attention whether you are writing a letter, report, memo or novel. It helps you to define exactly what you want to say and to know exactly what you wish your writing to accomplish. A series of exercises teach you to develop your own style and to write rapidly and effectively. Mr. Dolan asks you to ignore problems of punctuation or choosing the exact word. He suggests you spend ten minutes each day writing down anything that is on your mind. This "free writing" is supposed to enable you to write better and faster no matter what you write This fun-to-read book is easy-to-follow and understand. It removes the inhibitions that make it difficult for you to write. It frees your inner potential for expression, allowing you to concentrate on the context, on what you are trying to say. When you know exactly what you want to say it is easy to write and easy for your reader to understand. Although the book is written especially for people writing letters, memos and reports for their office, it includes a "universal format" for writing anything. This is a book that can benefit professional writers as well as people getting ready to write their first memo. It reconnects you to the joy of writing.

    5 out of 5 stars Buy this book!.......2001-02-01

    Whether you are a student, a professional, or just enjoy writing for fun, you must buy this book! Dolan covers almost every possible aspect of writing, from essays to resumes, letters to brochures (even though he suggests paying a pro to create your brochure). My personal favorite is Chapter 11-"Sensible Mechanics Without a Bunch of Useless Theories and Rules." This book is a great tool to get you through those tough college courses, or just to use for reference.

    4 out of 5 stars Better than most.......2000-11-27

    I never knew a writing book could be fun to read. The author has a simple sense of humor that keeps things working. At first I didn't believe there was such a thing as his universal format for writing anything. But now I see how it works.

    I really got something I could use with my memos.

    Some of the exercises were a little weird. But you don't have to do them. I liked the cartoons too.

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    7. Best Answers to the 201 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions
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    9. Business Communication: Process and Product (with InfoTrac®)
    10. Business Communication: Process and Product (with InfoTrac®)

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