Two-day professional course

Business Writing: Emails and Formal Writing

Write with greater clarity, confidence and professionalism across emails and business reports

2 days7 focused sessions2 practical writing workshops

Write clearly, courteously and effectively

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:

Learning Outcomes

Write emails that are clear, courteous and easy to understand.
Minimise grammar mistakes in emails and simple reports.
Write emails of complaint or apology that achieve their objectives.
Write a well-structured simple report with recommendations.
Employ a clear, modern style of business writing.
Craft more effective sentences and paragraphs.

Programme

Course outline

Two progressive days combining expert guidance, practical analysis and coached writing tasks.

Day one

Clear, Modern & Effective Emails

Morning · Session 1

Writing Effective Emails

Through strong and weak examples, participants identify what makes an email effective and what to avoid. They challenge common misconceptions about tone and formality and learn to write warmly and professionally.

What makes a good email?
Applying the correct tone.
Formality and a modern writing style.
Winning over the reader.

Morning · Session 2

Structure, Grammar and Readability

Participants examine common Malaysian grammar mistakes and learn a reliable three-part email structure. They also explore sentence length, readability tools, clauses and the productive use of ChatGPT.

The keys to good writing.
Structuring an email in three parts.
Avoiding common email mistakes.
Writing with the correct tone, length, style and courtesy.
Writing with ChatGPT — the right way.

Afternoon · Sessions 1 & 2

Practical Email Writing Workshop

Participants apply the morning’s techniques to realistic workplace scenarios. Each writing task receives focused feedback from the trainer and fellow participants.

Requesting information or a quotation.
Replying to a request.
Asking for an adjustment.
Making a complaint or chasing payment.
Settling a problem or apologising.

Day two

Formal Writing & Business Reports

Morning · Session 1

Formality, Passive Voice and Coherence

Participants explore what formal writing means and how it differs from informal styles, then develop two grammar tools especially useful for clear report writing.

Understanding formality in writing.
Grammar: passive voice.
Grammar: linking words and coherence.

Morning · Session 2

Paragraphs, Data and Proofreading

Using practical examples, participants improve paragraph structure, describe charts and statistics, use parallelism for longer sentences and bullet points, and sharpen their proofreading.

Paragraph writing.
Describing charts and statistics.
Parallelism and bullet points.
Proofreading activity.

Afternoon · Session 1

Writing a Short Business Report

Participants learn to format and structure a concise report, including its introduction, terms of reference, executive summary, conclusions and recommendations.

Format of a short report.
Writing an executive summary.
Writing conclusions and recommendations.
Using a ChatGPT template.
Grammar: modal verbs for report writing.

Afternoon · Session 2

Report-Writing Workshop

The programme concludes with a coached writing workshop in which participants apply the day’s techniques to complete a short business report.

Report-writing task.
Trainer review and practical feedback.

Caledonia Language and Training Services

Business English training for Malaysia’s professionals

Course enquiriesemile@caledonia.com.my