Business Writing Courses

Business writing encompasses all the types of writing you do in professional settings, from reports and emails to slides in Powerpoint presentations to resumes and cover letters. Regardless of where you work, and whether you are a high-level executive or applying for your first job, having strong business writing and communication skills is important for getting your ideas across effectively and achieving your professional goals.

Learning about business writing in English is essential for native English speakers as well as those speaking English as a second language. If you aren’t fluent in English, using proper spelling, grammar and word choice in your professional communication will ensure you are properly understood and make a strong impression. But even native English speakers can benefit from improving their business writing, as being able to write more concisely and persuasively can help you stand out from the competition and open new career opportunities.‎

Business writing skills can help advance careers in almost any field. Even if the only writing you do at your job is emails or presentation slides, strong business writing skills help you get your point across, convey a business-appropriate tone, and leave a good impression. Business writing skills are particularly important in the context of a job search, where a polished, professional resume and cover letter can go a long way towards helping you stand out from other applicants.

If you have truly superior business writing skills, you can pursue a number of careers as a full-time writer. Copywriters and copyeditors, for example, are typically responsible for writing short but tremendously impactful copy for advertisements, brand messaging, and other channels. Similarly, content writers help companies find audiences on the web by writing engaging and helpful long-form articles to reach customers looking for information. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, professional writers earned a median annual salary of $63,200 in 2019, and may work for companies like advertising agencies and publications or as freelancers.‎

Yes! Whether you’re a native English speaker or learning English as a second language, you can find great opportunities to improve your business writing skills on Coursera. You can take individual courses or Specializations spanning multiple courses about business writing from top-ranked schools like University of Colorado Boulder, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Washington, and University of Maryland College Park. And, because Coursera lets you learn remotely on a flexible schedule, you can pick up these valuable business writing skills while continuing your existing work or family life.‎

The skills and experience you need to already have before starting to learn business writing would likely be a good grasp of grammar and spelling, solid business comprehension, good listening skills, an interrogative nature, and good interpersonal skills. As you begin to learn business writing, you may grow your skills in helping people research and write articles, documents, press releases, blog posts, and more. These are the types of skills that can help you as you begin to learn business writing.‎

The kind of people best suited for roles in business writing might be financially minded people who also have a knack for researching and writing intriguing articles. Or it might English majors, who somehow get introduced to the world of business and fall in love with that world. In either case, it takes a certain kind of passion to love business writing. It also takes a grasp of the fundamentals of understanding balance sheets and cash-flow statements. Both of these figure heavily into understanding a company’s financial status, in order to write clearly about the company.‎

You may know if learning business writing is right for you if you are excited about interviewing business leaders and learning about their motivations to score high results in the world of business. You might like to capture small stories on your own, using a voice recorder for interviews and your mobile phone for pictures. Understanding the basic fundamentals of writing and having good personality traits can also help to bring you into the field of business writing. If you are this type of intrepid explorer who’s on the hunt for uncovering the latest news in the big tech or auto companies, then learning business writing might offer a suitable path for you.‎

The types of places that hire people with a background in business writing can range from business websites to financial firms that need content on their sites. You might write business stories for a city newspaper or a local radio station website. There are many opportunities to utilize your business writing talents. You can start your own business blog, focusing on topics that are important to you. When you learn business writing methods and insights, you may be able to use these tools to advance your role to a more senior position.‎