Business Letter and Email Writing: Exercises, Samples, and Discussion

From 53.94 C$ /h

In this course, we will discuss and practice many ways to write friendly, easy-to-understand business letters and emails and get good reader feedback (good quality replies). In my career as a businessman and teacher, I have learned that the most effective letters reflect a positive, natural sounding, reader-focused writing style.

We will begin by writing inquiry letters, replies to inquiries, and routine letters (for example, shipping matters, accounting matters, payments, status reports, and other routine topics). We will also deal with "Bad News" letters, such as overdue payments, complaints, claims, and other issues.

Extra information

I can conduct classes in person (Tokyo) or online (Zoom). The class content is based on my book. I would ask that you purchase the book for personal study and ease of class discussion. A laptop computer is recommended.

Location

Use Ctrl + wheel to zoom!

At student's location :

Around Tokyo, Japan

Online from Japan

About Me

I attended the University of Hawaii (MA, ESL) and eventually became a professor of English at Sophia University (Faculty of Liberal Arts, Tokyo), where I taught English Composition, Critical Reading, and Business Writing. I am now retired but still enjoy teaching business writing and creating writing materials. My interest in written communication began in the 1960s when I worked as a claims adjuster in Hawaii for a casualty insurance company. Through this employment, I began to understand that the most effective business letters reflect a positive, natural sounding, and somewhat personalized writing style, regardless of the topic matter.

I continue to enjoy sports (running, biking, and hiking) and playing music (guitar-vocal).

Education

BA Speech Communication, University of Hawaii
Focus: Communication theory, public speaking, rhetoric, the science behind communications, and intracultural communication.

MA ESL (English as a Second Language) University of Hawaii
Focus: Second language learning, language analysis, language pedagogy, sociolinguistics and applied linguistics.

Experience / Qualifications

Insurance Adjustor (Hartford Insurance Group) 4 years
Insurance Sales (Mutual of Omaha) 1 year
English Professor (Sophia Univ. Facult of Liberal Arts, Tokyo) 30 years
Tokyo University of Science (東京理科大学) Adjunct Professor: 4 years
NYU School of Professional Studes, Tokyo Adjunct Professor: 5 years

Age

Adults (18-64 years old)

Seniors (65+ years old)

Student level

Intermediate

Advanced

Duration

60 minutes

90 minutes

The class is taught in

English

Japanese