Regards

* Technical Writing Courses from Wikiversity -
http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Technical_writing
These courses provide substantial background information and lots of specific, practical instruction, as well as links to tools (software, online resources, etc.) and practice exercises (including case studies). Examples and exercises are work-related and are useful for managers and professionals as well as technical doc writers.

* The Tongue Untied: A Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Style [Univ. of Oregon]
http://grammar.uoregon.edu/toc.html

A good place to go for a concise grammar refresher. The site gives clear definitions, several examples, practice exercises, and quizzes.

Either or both could be used to supplement your coaching!

And thanks for your great posts!

Mike Greer
The Best Free Training blog
Inspired Project Teams blog

Plan
Although I find it difficult to routinely follow this rule, I know it’s the best way to start any project. Start with a plan. Ideally, a complete outline of the correspondence if you can, but if that’s not going to work, at the least make sure you have a clear idea where you’re going and how you intend to get there. Don’t ramble on hoping your reader will put it all together in the end. Believe me; they won’t get to the end.

Let the You Shine Thru
Remember that writing is personal; even technical writing has fragments of personality scattered throughout. Write naturally. But not necessarily how you talk – speaking and writing are separate crafts and are processed differently by the brain – endeavor to write using a tone and language that is natural to who you are.

Write with Power
Use active, forceful, powerful verbs. Use verbs that convey action, movement, and purpose; avoid verbs that are passive and simply indicate existence or equivalence (e.g. “Our company is a leading manufacturer of…” vs. “Our company leads in the manufacture of…”). Never use a verb in a sentence that you wouldn’t do. For example, if you wouldn’t “interface” with a business partner, PLEASE don’t write it. A pet peeve of mine is the use of adverbs. Sure, you’ll have to use adverbs occasionally, but most of the time you should strike the adverb and choose a better verb.

Don’t Use Big words
As tempting as it may be, avoid excessive technical jargon. Be natural, not pretentious.

Take a Position
Be for something or against something. As in life, people can tend to avoid standing for something in their writing. Their language is too diplomatic. Boooo-ring! Stand up, build an argument, and convince your reader that you’re right. Loose the opinion words “think”, “seem” and “believe”; they are weak. Stand for something. Tell me what you know. Convince me.

Close em’
Have a conclusion. People spend excessive amounts or energy on introductions, and slack on conclusions. Tell your reader why they bothered to read your piece. Remember, the conclusion is the part your reader is going away with — make it count.

Make it compelling
Hook ‘em early. Start with the headline, which should say why I should read this. Then write a strong introduction that draws your reader in and makes them want to read on. Tell a story, make a bold statement, and offer up a surprising fact. Don’t open with "According to CNN…" or "According to top economists…". YAWN!

Editor
Every good writer needs a great editor. If possible, have a trusted reader who excels at writing and specifically editing; fortunately for me, my wife is a prolific writer. Call her if you like, but she is a budding capitalist, and she now charges $575 an hour. If that’s not ideal for your budget, edit yourself. Walk away and let it rest for a few hours or even a day or two. You’ll be surprised how much crud you find when you approach your writing with fresh eyes.

Brevity
(My wife told me to stop here.)
And last but not least, remember that shorter is always better. Mark Twain one said, “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” My personal thought on brevity is that the best writing gets the point across in as few words as possible. Don’t be afraid to rewrite when you’re done – in the world of writing they commonly use the phrase “first draft” for good reason.

Practice… Practice… Practice…

Ps. When I was done writing this, I searched the web on writing skills – WOW, there’s a wealth of information out there. I came across copyblogger.com that had tremendous amounts of usable information; don’t be afraid to explore.

Best regards!

http://managersmagazine.com