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Collaborative Business Writing
Sample
Corporate Training Materials
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preface .............................................................................................................................................. 3
What is Courseware? ................................................................................................................................ 3
How Do I Customize My Course? .............................................................................................................. 3
Materials Required ................................................................................................................................... 4
Maximizing Your Training Power .............................................................................................................. 5
Icebreakers ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Icebreaker: Friends Indeed ........................................................................................................................ 7
Training Manual Sample ..................................................................................................................... 8
Sample Module: What is Collaborative Business Writing? ....................................................................... 9
Instructor Guide Sample ................................................................................................................... 17
Sample Module: What is Collaborative Business Writing? ..................................................................... 18
Activities ......................................................................................................................................... 27
Quick Reference Sheets .................................................................................................................... 29
Certificate of Completion ................................................................................................................. 31
PowerPoint Sample .......................................................................................................................... 33
Full Course Table of Contents ........................................................................................................... 38
Preface
What is Courseware?
Welcome to Corporate Training Materials, a completely new training
experience!
Our courseware packages offer you top-quality training materials that
are customizable, user-friendly, educational, and fun. We provide your
materials, materials for the student, PowerPoint slides, and a take-
home reference sheet for the student. You simply need to prepare and
train!
Best of all, our courseware packages are created in Microsoft Office and can be opened using any
version of Word and PowerPoint. (Most other word processing and presentation programs support
these formats, too.) This means that you can customize the content, add your logo, change the color
scheme, and easily print and e-mail training materials.
How Do I Customize My Course?
Customizing your course is easy. To edit text, just click and type as you would with any document. This is
particularly convenient if you want to add customized statistics for your region, special examples for
your participants’ industry, or additional information. You can, of course, also use all of your word
processor’s other features, including text formatting and editing tools (such as cutting and pasting).
To remove modules, simply select the text and press Delete on your keyboard. Then, navigate to the
Table of Contents, right-click, and click Update Field. You may see a dialog box; if so, click “Update entire
table” and press OK.
(You will also want to perform this step if you add modules or move them around.)
If you want to change the way text looks, you can format any piece of text any way you want. However,
to make it easy, we have used styles so that you can update all the text at once.
If you are using Word 97 to 2003, start by clicking the Format menu followed by Styles and Formatting.
In Word 2007 and 2010 under the Home tab, right-click on your chosen style and click Modify. That will
then produce the Modify Style options window where you can set your preferred style options.
For example, if we wanted to change our Heading 1 style, used for Module Titles, this is what we would
do:
Now, we can change our formatting and it will apply to all the headings in the document.
For more information on making Word work for you, please refer to Word 2007 or 2010 Essentials by
Corporate Training Materials.
Materials Required
All of our courses use flip chart paper and markers extensively. (If you prefer, you can use a whiteboard
or chalkboard instead.)
We recommend that each participant have a copy of the Training Manual, and that you review each
module before training to ensure you have any special materials required. Worksheets and handouts are
included within a separate activities folder and can be reproduced and used where indicated. If you
would like to save paper, these worksheets are easily transferrable to a flip chart paper format, instead
of having individual worksheets.
We recommend these additional materials for all workshops:
Laptop with projector, for PowerPoint slides
Quick Reference Sheets for students to take home
Timer or watch (separate from your laptop)
Masking tape
Blank paper
Maximizing Your Training Power
We have just one more thing for you before you get started. Our company is built for trainers, by
trainers, so we thought we would share some of our tips with you, to help you create an engaging,
unforgettable experience for your participants.
Make it customized. By tailoring each course to your participants, you will find that your results
will increase a thousand-fold.
o Use examples, case studies, and stories that are relevant to the group.
o Identify whether your participants are strangers or whether they work together. Tailor
your approach appropriately.
o Different people learn in different ways, so use different types of activities to balance it
all out. (For example, some people learn by reading, while others learn by talking about
it, while still others need a hands-on approach. For more information, we suggest
Experiential Learning by David Kolb.)
Make it fun and interactive. Most people do not enjoy sitting and listening to someone else talk
for hours at a time. Make use of the tips in this book and your own experience to keep your
participants engaged. Mix up the activities to include individual work, small group work, large
group discussions, and mini-lectures.
Make it relevant. Participants are much more receptive to learning if they understand why they
are learning it and how they can apply it in their daily lives. Most importantly, they want to
know how it will benefit them and make their lives easier. Take every opportunity to tie what
you are teaching back to real life.
Keep an open mind. Many trainers find that they learn something each time they teach a
workshop. If you go into a training session with that attitude, you will find that there can be an
amazing two-way flow of information between the trainer and trainees. Enjoy it, learn from it,
and make the most of it in your workshops.
And now, time for the training!
Icebreakers
Each course is provided with a wide range of interactive Icebreakers. The trainer can utilize an
Icebreaker to help facilitate the beginning of the course, as it helps “break the ice” with the
participants. If the participants are new to each other, an icebreaker is a great way to introduce
everyone to each other. If the participants all know each other it can still help loosen up the
room and begin the training session on positive note. Below you will see one of the icebreakers
that can be utilized from the Icebreakers folder.
Icebreaker: Friends Indeed
Purpose
Have the participants moving around and help to make introductions to each other.
Materials Required
Name card for each person
Markers
Preparation
Have participants fill out their name card. Then, ask participants to stand in a circle, shoulder to
shoulder. They should place their name card at their feet. Then they can take a step back. You
as the facilitator should take the place in the center of the circle.
Activity
Explain that there is one less place than people in the group, as you are in the middle and will
be participating. You will call out a statement that applies to you, and anyone to whom that
statement applies must find another place in the circle.
Examples:
Friends who have cats at home
Friends who are wearing blue
Friends who don’t like ice cream
The odd person out must stand in the center and make a statement.
The rules:
You cannot move immediately to your left or right, or back to your place.
Let’s be adults: no kicking, punching, body-checking, etc.
Play a few rounds until everyone has had a chance to move around.
Training Manual Sample
On the following pages is a sample module from our Training Manual. Each of our courses
contains twelve modules with three to five lessons per module. It is in the same format and
contains the same material as the Instructor Guide, which is then shown after the Training
Manual sample, but does not contain the Lesson Plans box which assists the trainer during
facilitation.
The Training Manual can be easily updated, edited, or customized to add your business name
and company logo or that of your clients. It provides each participant with a copy of the
material where they can follow along with the instructor.
Sample Module: What is Collaborative Business Writing?
Collaborative writing is often simply defined as a project or piece of
work that is created by a multiple of people combined together. It
has become especially useful in many companies that prefer
employees to work together on a project or require a large
assignment to be divided into smaller parts in order to be
accomplished on time. After each employee has finished their
share, a group leader or editor works to assemble the parts
together to create a final work or project.
Coming together is a beginning.
Staying together is progress.
Working together is success.
Henry Ford
Clarifying the Objective
Once a collaborative project has been created, it is important to clarify the
objective and outline what needs to be completed. Some objectives will
outline the necessary components that need to be completed, as well as
address which employee should complete it. Collaborative writing can be
tough to start, so it’s best when members have some sort of shared goal and
are aware of shared responsibility and accountability. Once the objective is
established and the members know their role, they can benefit from the shared resources, authority and
eventual rewards of working together.
Define the objective:
What are we doing this project for?
What do we hope to accomplish?
What parts/aspects need to be addressed in the project?
What processes should be done in the project?
Practical Writing Approaches
Collaborative business writing has become a great tool to better design group
processes and procedures used in a company. Because of this, collaborative writing
has become a practical writing approach that many companies have begun to adapt
for their employees. In collaborative business environments, each employee is able
to contribute to the project as a whole, while still being able to edit or revise work
as needed. Many collaborative groups even allow for coworker’s to make comments
on or edit each other’s work, allowing more views and ideas throughout the project. In addition, since
the collaborative writing process can be done almost anywhere, it is easier for employees to include
work from a variety of areas, such as from across the state, the nation or even the world. 0
Benefits:
Improves collaborative processes
Increase member communication
Edit/peer review project segments
Increase contributions from multiple parties
Collaborative Writing Strategies
There is a number of different collaboration writing strategies that companies
can use to fit the project they need completed. Some strategies rely on a
small group of employees working on one piece at the same time. Other
strategies involve multiple employees working on projects in individual roles
to bring together later. Companies will choose a strategy to use based on a
number of factors, including the size of the project, number of employees
involved and what sort of deadline the project has.
Some examples of writing strategies that will be discussed later:
Parallel construction
Sequential writing
Integrated writing
Collaborative Writing Patterns
A collaborative pattern refers to the ‘pattern’ in which employees
will work together to complete the project. These patterns can be
used with a set collaborative strategy or they can be used as an
independent tool. The collaborative pattern that is used will focus on
what members of the team will complete what tasks and how the
rest of the team will work to support the main goal. Different patterns require a single person to
perform a task, such as creating an outline or editing peer submissions, while other patterns require a
group of employees to work on one task together in order to complete it. The collaborative pattern of
the team depends on a number of factors, such as the type of project at hand, how many members are
available, and the individual talents of each team member.
Common collaborative patterns:
The team collectively plans and outlines the project, and each employee completes their own part and is later compiled together into a whole piece.
One individual of the team plans and writes a project draft while the group later revises it
The team plans and writes the draft as a group while one or more other members revise the draft without any additional input.
One member will dictate various parts of the project while another member transcribes and edits a final draft.
Case Study
Ginger has been assigned to write a proposal that provides ideas for ways of improving
employee proficiency and has asked to include her department coworkers in the process.
Ginger knew this would best be done if they collaborated on the writing portions. She
hoped that if her coworkers worked together it would generate ideas for the proposal
and streamline the process of putting these ideas into words. Ginger used a writing
strategy that involved having each employee work individually and then bring the pieces
together. Based on this pattern, she decided she could manage the outline of the project as well as edit
the employee’s work together to form the final proposal. This way, Ginger can get several different
opinions from the department, but will be able to present them in an organized fashion to the
management board.
Module Two: Review Questions
1. Establishing what can help clarify the objective of a collaborative project?
a) A shared goal
b) Salary ranges
c) A designated work space
d) Parking spaces
2. Which of the following is a question to ask when establishing an objective?
a) What am I going to be paid for this?
b) What hours will each employee need to work?
c) What does this project hope to accomplish?
d) What sort of timeline will we need to create?
3. Which of the following is one benefit of utilizing a practical writing approach?
a) Decrease employee down time
b) Improve the group collaboration process
c) Better determine the group’s rate of efficiency
d) Increased employee merit
4. What is one example of a practical writing approach of collaborative writing?
a) Dividing employees into unrelated groups
b) Enabling a communication tree only between certain employees
c) Asking all employees to work in one area
d) Enabling employees to peer review their contributions
5. What factors can effect what type of writing strategy is used in a project?
a) The size of the project
b) The number of employees on the team
c) The deadline assigned to the project
d) All of the above
6. Which of the following is not a type of writing strategies?
a) Dimensional writing
b) Sequential construction
c) Parallel writing
d) Integrated construction
7. Collaborative writing patterns determine what in a project?
a) What employees will be compensated for the project
b) What type of tools the team will use
c) What employees complete each task
d) What office the project will need to be completed in
8. Which of the following is a factor that can affect a collaborative writing pattern?
a) The scheduled hours of each team member
b) The individual talents of the team members
c) The workspace provided
d) The topic of the project at hand
9. Ginger was assigned to write a proposal in order to increase what?
a) Employee proficiency
b) Employee morale
c) Manager incentives
d) Parking spaces
10. Why did Ginger want employees to finish their assignments individually?
a) To make the job easier
b) To challenge the other employees
c) To make her job seem important
d) To gain their own perspective
Instructor Guide Sample
On the following pages is a sample module from our Instructor Guide. It provides the instructor
with a copy of the material and a Lesson Plans box. Each Instructor Guide and Training Manual
mirrors each other in terms of the content. They differ in that the Instructor Guide is
customized towards the trainer, and Training Manual is customized for the participant.
The key benefit for the trainer is the Lesson Plan box. It provides a standardized set of tools to
assist the instructor train that particular lesson. The Lesson Plan box gives an estimated time to
complete the lesson, any materials that are needed for the lesson, recommended activities, and
additional points to assist in delivering the lessons such as Stories to Share and Delivery Tips.
Sample Module: What is Collaborative Business Writing?
Collaborative writing is often simply defined as a project or piece of
work that is created by a multiple of people combined together. It
has become especially useful in many companies that prefer
employees to work together on a project or require a large
assignment to be divided into smaller parts in order to be
accomplished on time. After each employee has finished their
share, a group leader or editor works to assemble the parts
together to create a final work or project.
Coming together is a beginning.
Staying together is progress.
Working together is success.
Henry Ford
Clarifying the Objective
Once a collaborative project has been created, it is important to clarify the
objective and outline what needs to be completed. Some objectives will
outline the necessary components that need to be completed, as well as
address which employee should complete it. Collaborative writing can be
tough to start, so it’s best when members have some sort of shared goal and
are aware of shared responsibility and accountability. Once the objective is established and the
members know their role, they can benefit from the shared resources, authority and eventual rewards
of working together.
Define the objective:
What are we doing this project for?
What do we hope to accomplish?
What parts/aspects need to be addressed in the project?
What processes should be done in the project?
Estimated Time 7 minutes
Topic Objective Discussing the reasoning of clarifying a group objective.
Topic Summary
Clarifying the Objective
Discuss the various methods used to clarify a collaborative objective and why
it is important to the project’s success.
Materials Required Flipchart/board and marker
Planning Checklist None
Recommended Activity
Discuss with the class the different components of a project. Ask the group
how these components could be confused/mislead/complicated if the
project’s objective had not been clarified in the beginning. Write some of
their answers on the board/flipchart.
Stories to Share Share any personal or relevant stories.
Delivery Tips Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions What is the purpose of clarifying a collaborative project?
Practical Writing Approaches
Collaborative business writing has become a great tool to better design group
processes and procedures used in a company. Because of this, collaborative writing
has become a practical writing approach that many companies have begun to adapt
for their employees. In collaborative business environments, each employee is able
to contribute to the project as a whole, while still being able to edit or revise work
as needed. Many collaborative groups even allow for coworker’s to make comments
on or edit each other’s work, allowing more views and ideas throughout the project. In addition, since
the collaborative writing process can be done almost anywhere, it is easier for employees to include
work from a variety of areas, such as from across the state, the nation or even the world. 0
Benefits:
Improves collaborative processes
Increase member communication
Edit/peer review project segments
Increase contributions from multiple parties
Estimated Time 8 minutes
Topic Objective Discussing the benefits of collaborative writing
Topic Summary Practical Writing Approaches
Discuss the various practical writing approaches for collaborative writing.
Materials Required Flipchart/board and marker
Planning Checklist None
Recommended Activity
Since the class knows the general definition of collaborative writing, ask
them to describe various situations where it can be considered a practical
approach. Why or why not? Write some of these answers on the board.
Stories to Share Share any personal relevant stories.
Delivery Tips Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions Why is collaborative writing considered a practical approach for businesses?
Collaborative Writing Strategies
There is a number of different collaboration writing strategies that companies
can use to fit the project they need completed. Some strategies rely on a
small group of employees working on one piece at the same time. Other
strategies involve multiple employees working on projects in individual roles
to bring together later. Companies will choose a strategy to use based on a
number of factors, including the size of the project, number of employees involved and what sort of
deadline the project has.
Some examples of writing strategies that will be discussed later:
Parallel construction
Sequential writing
Integrated writing
Estimated Time 7 minutes
Topic Objective Review the various types of collaborative writing strategies.
Topic Summary Collaborative Writing Strategies
Discuss the purpose of different types of collaborative writing strategies
Materials Required Flipchart/board and marker
Planning Checklist Bring simple diagrams or flowcharts of the different types of writing
strategies for the class to view.
Recommended Activity
Show the different flowcharts and diagrams of various types of collaborative
writing strategies and discuss how they seem to function. Ask the class to
name some sample projects or assignments in which different strategies
would be best suitable. Write some of their examples on the board.
Stories to Share Share any personal, relevant stories.
Delivery Tips Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions How are collaborative writing strategies helpful?
Collaborative Writing Patterns
A collaborative pattern refers to the ‘pattern’ in which employees
will work together to complete the project. These patterns can be
used with a set collaborative strategy or they can be used as an
independent tool. The collaborative pattern that is used will focus on
what members of the team will complete what tasks and how the
rest of the team will work to support the main goal. Different patterns require a single person to
perform a task, such as creating an outline or editing peer submissions, while other patterns require a
group of employees to work on one task together in order to complete it. The collaborative pattern of
the team depends on a number of factors, such as the type of project at hand, how many members are
available, and the individual talents of each team member.
Common collaborative patterns:
The team collectively plans and outlines the project, and each employee completes their own part and is later compiled together into a whole piece.
One individual of the team plans and writes a project draft while the group later revises it
The team plans and writes the draft as a group while one or more other members revise the draft without any additional input.
One member will dictate various parts of the project while another member transcribes and edits a final draft.
Estimated Time 10 minutes
Topic Objective Review different types and components of collaborative writing patterns
Topic Summary Collaborative Writing Patterns
Apply various types of collaborative writing patterns to sample projects
Materials Required 01-Collaborative Writing Patterns
Planning Checklist None
Recommended Activity Complete the worksheet in groups of 3-4. Share group answers with the
class.
Stories to Share Share any personal, relevant stories.
Delivery Tips Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions How can a collaborative writing pattern change a project?
Case Study
Ginger has been assigned to write a proposal that provides ideas for ways of improving
employee proficiency and has asked to include her department coworkers in the process.
Ginger knew this would best be done if they collaborated on the writing portions. She
hoped that if her coworkers worked together it would generate ideas for the proposal
and streamline the process of putting these ideas into words. Ginger used a writing
strategy that involved having each employee work individually and then bring the pieces
together. Based on this pattern, she decided she could manage the outline of the project as well as edit
the employee’s work together to form the final proposal. This way, Ginger can get several different
opinions from the department, but will be able to present them in an organized fashion to the
management board.
Estimated Time 5 minutes
Topic Objective Outline the What is Collaborative Business Writing case study.
Topic Summary Case study
Discuss Ginger’s process of completing the collaboration project.
Materials Required None
Planning Checklist None
Recommended Activity Discuss the outcome of the case study. How would the outcome of Ginger’s
project changed if she had used different strategies/patterns?
Stories to Share Share any personal, relevant stories.
Delivery Tips Encourage everyone to participate.
Review Questions What steps or processes did Ginger use to establish the collaborative
project?
Module Two: Review Questions
1. Establishing what can help clarify the objective of a collaborative project?
a) A shared goal
b) Salary ranges
c) A designated work space
d) Parking spaces
It is important to clarify the objective of the collaborative project from the beginning. One way
of accomplishing this is to establish a shared goal for the collaborative team.
2. Which of the following is a question to ask when establishing an objective?
a) What am I going to be paid for this?
b) What hours will each employee need to work?
c) What does this project hope to accomplish?
d) What sort of timeline will we need to create?
When attempting to clarify an objective for a collaborative group, it is important to ask a series
of questions to determine what the project is for. One common question is asking what the
group/project wants to accomplish with this work.
3. Which of the following is one benefit of utilizing a practical writing approach?
a) Decrease employee down time
b) Improve the group collaboration process
c) Better determine the group’s rate of efficiency
d) Increased employee merit
One benefit of using collaborative writing as a practical approach is the ability to improve and
construct the group collaboration process. In this approach, many companies are able to
determine how they want to form collaboration groups and what processes/procedures would
work best.
4. What is one example of a practical writing approach of collaborative writing?
a) Dividing employees into unrelated groups
b) Enabling a communication tree only between certain employees
c) Asking all employees to work in one area
d) Enabling employees to peer review their contributions
One example of using a practical approach to collaborative writing is allows for employees to
peer review each other’s contributions made to the group.
5. What factors can effect what type of writing strategy is used in a project?
a) The size of the project
b) The number of employees on the team
c) The deadline assigned to the project
d) All of the above
The size of the project, the employees involved, and the deadline of the project are all factors
that can effect what type of collaborative writing strategy is chosen for the project.
6. Which of the following is not a type of writing strategies?
a) Dimensional writing
b) Sequential construction
c) Parallel writing
d) Integrated construction
Dimensional writing is not a type of collaborative writing strategy. Integrated, parallel and
sequential are types of collaborative writing strategies.
7. Collaborative writing patterns determine what in a project?
a) What employees will be compensated for the project
b) What type of tools the team will use
c) What employees complete each task
d) What office the project will need to be completed in
Collaborative writing patterns determine what tasks need to be completed and what employee,
or employees, is assigned to complete them.
8. Which of the following is a factor that can affect a collaborative writing pattern?
a) The scheduled hours of each team member
b) The individual talents of the team members
c) The workspace provided
d) The topic of the project at hand
Collaborative writing patterns focus on team members and the tasks involved. The individual
talents of each team member can effect what type of writing pattern can be used for a project.
9. Ginger was assigned to write a proposal in order to increase what?
a) Employee proficiency
b) Employee morale
c) Manager incentives
d) Parking spaces
Ginger was assigned to write a proposal for ideas that can help increase employee proficiency in
the office.
10. Why did Ginger want employees to finish their assignments individually?
a) To make the job easier
b) To challenge the other employees
c) To make her job seem important
d) To gain their own perspective
Ginger wanted to include a variety of ideas and perspective in the proposal. By asking the
employees to complete their assignment individually, the work would capture their individual
views and thoughts.
Activities
During the facilitation of a lesson Worksheet or Handout may be utilized to help present the
material. If a lesson calls for a Worksheet or Handout it will be listed in the Lesson Plan box
under Materials Required. The trainer can then utilize the Activities folder for the
corresponding material and then provide it to the participants. They are all on separate Word
documents, and are easily edited and customized.
Below you will see the Worksheets or Handouts that are utilized during the training of the
above lesson. They are located in the Activities folder and can be easily printed and edited for
the participants.
Sample Worksheet: Collaborative Writing Patterns
Use the following scenario to determine a collaborative writing pattern by outlining the tasks that need
to be completed and who will complete them.
Your manager has assigned your team to complete a new parking proposal to present to management.
Task # 1:_______________________________
Assigned to:_____________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Task # 2:_______________________________
Assigned to:_____________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Task # 3:_______________________________
Assigned to:_____________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Task # 4:_______________________________
Assigned to:_____________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Quick Reference Sheets
Below is an example of our Quick reference Sheets. They are used to provide the participants
with a quick way to reference the material after the course has been completed. They can be
customized by the trainer to provide the material deemed the most important. They are a way
the participants can look back and reference the material at a later date.
They are also very useful as a take-away from the workshop when branded. When a participant
leaves with a Quick Reference Sheet it provides a great way to promote future business.
Chief Editor Selection
The chief editor of the team is the person
generally responsible for reviewing and
editing all content submitted from other
team members. On top of this, they must
be able to organize all of this material
into a presentable final draft, depending
on what type of collaborative style the
team has chosen. It is important for the
chief editor to have good communication
skills with their team members, since
they will often need to communicate
with them about missing or impartial
submission or the possibility of certain
works needing revision.
Characteristics of a chief editor:
Be knowledgeable of the project
Be knowledgeable of correct
grammar/spelling/context
Have good communication skills
among team members
Be able to handle and organize
numerous submissions from team
members
Characteristics of Team Members
Finally, one of the most important parts of the collaboration
team is the team members themselves. After all, the
collaboration couldn’t occur without someone to work with.
Employees that want to work on collaboration teams must have
certain characteristics and mannerisms in order to work well
with the group. Team members should be willing to work with
others and engage in meaningful communication with them.
They must be willing to learn new tasks and assist other team
members when there is slack or lack of support. Effective team
members are not only willing to share in the team’s
achievements, but also in their set back and failures – knowing
that everything they do is done as a team.
Characteristics of effective team members:
Flexible in schedule and assignments
Have realistic goals and expectations in the group
Be willing to learn
Be willing to participate in various group activities
Able to assist team members if needed
Implementing Enablers
Enablers are a business tool used by team leaders that allow group members to be equipped with the necessary
information and ‘know-how’ to collaborate successfully with other team members, as well as ‘enable’ other team
members to do the same. The theory of implementing enablers is that once one or more employees are enabled
with the right information and structure to collaborate in the group, they will in turn spread to other team members
as well. Once every team member feels confident they have the right information to contribute to the group, they
will be able to collaborate more successfully. Enablers are a great tool for strengthening intergroup communication,
improving problem solving skills in team members, and help keep teammates focused on the project by keeping
everyone involved.
Collaborative Business Writing
www.corporatetrainingmaterials.com © Corporate Training Materials
Certificate of Completion
Every course comes with a Certificate of Completion where the participants can be recognized
for completing the course. It provides a record of their attendance and to be recognized for
their participation in the workshop.
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Collaborative B
usiness Writing
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Title
PowerPoint Sample
Below you will find the PowerPoint sample. The slides are based on and created from the
Training Manual. PowerPoint slides are a great tool to use during the facilitation of the
material; they help to focus on the important points of information presented during the
training.
Full Course Table of Contents
Preface ..............................................................................................................................................7
What is Courseware? ................................................................................................................................ 7
How Do I Customize My Course? .............................................................................................................. 7
Materials Required ................................................................................................................................... 9
Maximizing Your Training Power .............................................................................................................. 9
Module One: Getting Started ........................................................................................................... 11
Housekeeping Items................................................................................................................................ 11
The Parking Lot ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Workshop Objectives .............................................................................................................................. 12
Module Two: What is Collaborative Business Writing? ...................................................................... 13
Clarifying the Objective ........................................................................................................................... 13
Practical Writing Approaches ................................................................................................................. 14
Collaborative Writing Strategies ............................................................................................................ 15
Collaborative Writing Patterns ............................................................................................................... 16
Case Study ............................................................................................................................................... 17
Module Two: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 19
Module Three: Types of Collaborative Business Writing .................................................................... 22
Construction – “Cut and Paste” .............................................................................................................. 22
Parallel Construction – “Puzzle” ............................................................................................................. 23
Sequential Summative Construction ....................................................................................................... 24
Integrating Construction ......................................................................................................................... 25
Case Study ............................................................................................................................................... 26
Module Three: Review Questions ........................................................................................................... 28
Module Four: Collaborative Team Members ..................................................................................... 31
Team Leader Selection ............................................................................................................................ 31
Chief Editor Selection .............................................................................................................................. 32
Characteristics of Team Members .......................................................................................................... 33
Ways to Build Collaborative Writing Team............................................................................................. 34
Case Study ............................................................................................................................................... 35
Module Four: Review Questions ............................................................................................................. 37
Module Five: Collaborative Tools and Processes ............................................................................... 40
Outlines and Storyboards ....................................................................................................................... 40
Collaborative Planning ............................................................................................................................ 41
Collaborative Revision ............................................................................................................................ 42
Collaborative Team Cohesion ................................................................................................................. 43
Case Study ............................................................................................................................................... 44
Module Five: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 45
Module Six: Setting Style Guidelines ................................................................................................. 48
Voice and Person .................................................................................................................................... 48
Format .................................................................................................................................................... 49
Consistent Spelling of Commonly Used Words ....................................................................................... 50
Numbers as Words or Figures ................................................................................................................. 51
Case Study ............................................................................................................................................... 53
Module Six: Review Questions ................................................................................................................ 54
Module Seven: Barriers to Successful Collaborative Writing .............................................................. 57
Hoarding ................................................................................................................................................. 57
Innovation ............................................................................................................................................... 58
Search ..................................................................................................................................................... 59
Knowledge Transfer ................................................................................................................................ 60
Case Study ............................................................................................................................................... 61
Module Seven: Review Questions ........................................................................................................... 63
Module Eight: Overcoming Collaborative Writing Barriers ................................................................. 66
Practice T-shaped Management ............................................................................................................. 66
Building a Network of Alliances .............................................................................................................. 67
Implementing Enablers ........................................................................................................................... 68
Assessing the Culture and Areas for Improvement ................................................................................. 69
Case Study ............................................................................................................................................... 70
Module Eight: Review Questions ............................................................................................................ 71
Module Nine: Styles of Dealing with Conflict .................................................................................... 74
Ensure that Good Relationships are the First Priority ............................................................................. 74
Keep People and Problems Separate ...................................................................................................... 75
Pay Attention to the Interests that are Being Presented ........................................................................ 76
Listen First, Talk Second .......................................................................................................................... 77
Case Study ............................................................................................................................................... 78
Module Nine: Review Questions ............................................................................................................. 79
Module Ten: Tips for Successful Business Writing Collaboration ........................................................ 82
Determine Purpose ................................................................................................................................. 82
Formulate Outline and Organizational Format ...................................................................................... 83
When Choosing a Team Leader, Remember… ........................................................................................ 84
Assign Writing Tasks and Associated Duties .......................................................................................... 85
Case Study ............................................................................................................................................... 86
Module Ten: Review Questions .............................................................................................................. 87
Module Eleven: Examples of Collaborative Business Writing ............................................................. 90
Writing Emails ........................................................................................................................................ 90
Writing Reports ....................................................................................................................................... 91
Writing Training Manuals ....................................................................................................................... 92
Writing Company Handbooks ................................................................................................................. 93
Case Study ............................................................................................................................................... 94
Module Eleven: Review Questions .......................................................................................................... 96
Module Twelve: Wrapping Up .......................................................................................................... 99
Words from the Wise .............................................................................................................................. 99
Review of Parking Lot ............................................................................................................................. 99
Lessons Learned ...................................................................................................................................... 99
Completion of Action Plans and Evaluations ........................................................................................ 100