What are Professional Development Workshops?
The Office of University Writing has partnered with Human Resource Development (HRD) to facilitate workshops focused on professional writing and communication. These workshops are taught by experienced Office of University Writing staff to fulfill writing and communication development needs identified by the Human Resource Development team.
What Workshops are Being Offered?
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Approaches to Professional Communication I: Understanding the Task and Making a Plan
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Approaches to Professional Communication II: Revising and Editing for Clarity and Conciseness
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Writing Professional Email I: Basics for Beginners
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Writing Professional Email II: Mastering the Art of Email Communication
Who Should Attend?
All full time employees are eligible to attend. TES employees may attend as space allows.
When and Where Does it Happen?
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Approaches to Professional Communication I: Understanding the Task and Making Plan: August 29 from 2:30-4:30 p.m., HRD 1206, 1550 E Glenn Ave.
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Writing Professional Email I: Basics for Beginners: September 24 from 2:30-4:30 p.m., HRD 1206, 1550 E Glenn Ave.
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Approaches to Professional Communication II: Revising and Editing for Clarity and Conciseness: October 24 from 2:30-4:30 p.m., HRD 1206, 1550 E Glenn Ave.
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Writing Professional Email II: Mastering the Art of Email Communication: November 6 from 2:30-4:30 p.m., HRD 1206, 1550 E Glenn Ave.
Registration Details
Registration is free, but required and space is limited. You must register via Fast-Train on AU Access.
HRD-OUW Partnership Workshop Descriptions
This introductory workshop lays a foundation for approaching professional communication effectively. Participants will learn how to consider the audience, purpose, format, and constraints in professional communication situations, and to make a plan for completing any communication task. Participants will work with common scenarios to practice composing written responses and revising existing drafts. Participants will also practice planning out complicated writing tasks by setting obtainable goals and estimating time needed to complete the task by a specific due date.
Building on Approaches to Professional Communication I, this workshop focuses on revising and editing written drafts for clarity and conciseness. Strategies for proofreading and editing will be illustrated. Participants will practice these strategies on a variety of written drafts, compare revisions, and discuss their effectiveness considering audience, purpose, and format. Participants are encouraged to bring a piece of their own professional writing to revise using the featured strategies.
This introductory workshop focuses on the basics of writing effective professional emails for a range of audiences and purposes. It includes strategies and discussion about when to use email and not; how to format different types of email; and best practices for email in an academic institution. Participants will consider specific email scenarios, practice revising email samples to be more effective, and have the opportunity to ask specific questions related to their own use of email in the workplace.
This workshop will offer strategies and best practices for communicating via email, including guidance on how to: craft or respond to difficult messages; balance friendliness with concision; effectively edit your messages before sending; manage your email inbox; and increase the chances recipients will read your messages and respond in a timely manner. It will also touch on legal issues related to digital communication. Participants will consider specific email scenarios, practicing revising and writing emails, and have the opportunity to raise questions related to their own professional context.
