Effective Business Writing in English: Writing with Professionalism

Thursday, May 20th and 27th
Place: Hotel Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza

8:30 am – 4:00 pm

This seminar is geared towards professionals in the business environment who want to improve their writing skills in English in order to communicate effectively through written messages. It has been prepared to help professionals at different levels of the organization who prepare and use written documents in their daily work.

Participants will acquire and practice techniques that will help them produce correct, clear, complete, concise, concrete, and courteous messages. Written documents will also follow professional format and layout that will improve readability and demonstrate professionalism.

Integration of Concepts through Hands-on Activities!

To achieve these purposes, participants will do the following:
Discuss the basics of effective business communication theory
Evaluate, edit and write original documents as indicated in cases given
Identify and evaluate instances of Spanish-English language interference
Review troublesome vocabulary, grammar and syntax

Thematic Content

I. General Introduction to theoretical aspects of effective business writing
A. Purpose
B. Primary and secondary audiences
C. Communication flow
D. Channels and means of communication

II. The Writing Process
A. “C” qualities of written communication
B. Appropriate vocabulary and language use
C. Use of positive language
D. Bias-free language
E. Word choice for clarity and concreteness

III. Writing powerful sentences in English
A. Basic sentence patterns - Review of basic grammar, capitalization and punctuation
B. Active vs. Passive voice

IV. Strategies for writing effective documents
A. Prewriting, Writing, and Revising (PWR)
B. Keep it Short and Simple (KISS)
C. Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action (AIDA)

V. Writing common business correspondence
A. Document format and layout: informative memos, letters, request for action or collaboration, good and bad news, sales letters, claim and adjustment letters, business reports,etc.
B. Routine good news and goodwill messages
C. Negative messages
D. Persuasive and sales messages


Emilda C. Rivera Pacheco, M. Ed., Ed. D.
Dr. Rivera Pacheco completed a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education with a Major in Teaching English from the Inter American University (IAU). She completed a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education with a Major in English and a Doctoral Degree in Curriculum and Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR).

Throughout her thirty-seven years of professional experience, she has taught English courses ranging from pre-basic ESL through intermediate and advanced courses, as well as courses in business communication and technical writing in English. As an academic administrator, she has held positions as program director and coordinator of institutional programs and departmental committees throughout her career. At present she is Assistant Professor at the Department of Business English and coordinator of the Business English Writing Center and Language Laboratory at the College of Business Administration, UPR.

At present, Dr. Rivera is a member of the Association of Business Communication (ABC), the Delta Kappa Gamma International Society of Women Educators, and the Puerto Rico Teachers of English to Second Language Learners (PR-TESOL).