Business Writing With Impact

INTERNATIONAL TRAINING ON BUSINESS WRITING WITH IMPACT

COURSE BACKGROUND

Clear, concise, and impactful writing is a critical skill in today’s fast-paced and information-saturated professional environment. Whether communicating with partners, donors, colleagues, or clients, professionals need to write with clarity, purpose, and influence.

Unfortunately, many organizational documents—such as memos, emails, briefs, and reports—fail to communicate their messages effectively. Common issues include overly complex language, lack of structure, unclear calls to action, or misalignment with audience expectations.

To address these challenges, the Environmental Capacities and Sustainability Institute (ECAS) offers this course to help professionals develop high-impact business writing skills. The training focuses on practical techniques for planning, drafting, and editing documents that inform, persuade, and inspire action.

Participants will gain tools to improve their written communication across a range of formats—ensuring that their messages are not only read but remembered.

COURSE OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Apply principles of clear and effective business writing.
2. Tailor written communication for diverse professional audiences.
3. Structure emails, memos, briefs, and reports for maximum impact.
4. Edit for clarity, tone, and professional style.
5. Convey complex information in a simple and persuasive manner.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

After a successful completion of this intensive course participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of:

• How to plan and structure professional documents with a clear purpose.
• Techniques for writing clear, concise, and action-oriented messages.
• Strategies for adapting tone and format to different readers and platforms.
• Tools and frameworks for editing and polishing your writing.
• Best practices for writing emails, memos, executive summaries, and briefings.

DURATION AND PROGRAM
TARGET PARTICIPANTS

This course is designed for professionals working in public, private, or non-profit sectors who are responsible for creating internal or external business communications. It is ideal for program managers, communications officers, administrative personnel, technical staff, and anyone looking to enhance their ability to write effectively in a professional context.

TRAINING STYLE

The modules will be taught through PowerPoint presentations, and lectures and will include a case study/field visit, breakout sessions, case studies and other interactive discussion components.

The course will also include a few guest speakers, both in person and via Zoom and other online learning platforms for overseas speakers. This provides useful real-world insights alongside the more theoretical aspects of the course.

The conference faculty shall consist of experienced decision makers, as well as practitioners and representatives from established educational and research institutions active around climate change, engineering and international development. Throughout the course, theoretical presentation of concepts will be moderated and more group discussions and plenary engagements will be optimized. PowerPoint presentations will be made by facilitators and resource persons, to highlight key concepts before embarking on group work.

TRAINING MODULES

No	Module	Details
	Foundations of Business Writing	This module builds a strong foundation in the principles and characteristics of effective business communication. Topics: Characteristics of effective business writing Understanding audience and purpose Common writing pitfalls and how to avoid them
	Structuring Your Message	Learn how to organize content logically and clearly to strengthen message delivery. Topics: The pyramid principle and other structuring techniques Outlining documents before writing Writing effective introductions and conclusions
	Clarity, Style, and Tone	This module focuses on how to express ideas clearly, with the appropriate tone and style. Topics: Writing in plain language Active vs. passive voice Professional tone and inclusive language
	Writing Key Business Documents	Gain practical experience writing common business communication formats. Topics: Writing impactful emails and memos Drafting concise reports and executive summaries Creating compelling briefing notes
	Editing and Reviewing for Quality	Learn how to polish your writing for clarity, flow, and correctness. Topics: Self-editing techniques Peer review and feedback tools Common grammar and punctuation issues
	Practical Writing Lab	A hands-on module where participants apply their learning to real-world writing tasks. Topics: Writing and revising a professional document Peer feedback and group editing sessions Final presentations and reflections

9. GENERAL NOTES

• Training manuals and additional reference materials are provided to the participants.
• Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be issued with a certificate.
• We can also do this as a tailor-made course to meet organization-wide needs. Contact us to find out more: info@ecasiafrica.org.
• Payment should be sent to our bank account before the start of training and proof of payment sent to: info@ecasiafrica.org.

ABOUT ECAS INSTITUTE

The ECAS Institute designs and delivers independent and targeted training, research, and consulting services. Our work focusses on climate change and resilience building, carbon markets, renewable energy, nature-based solution, biodiversity conservation, agriculture and food systems, We are located in Nairobi Kenya and work across the African region. We have implemented training and research assignments in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Somalia, Malawi, Rwanda, Congo, and South Africa. Globally, we have supported our partners from the UK, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Germany, and USA.