EditPros now teaches
Brush-up training sessions
for associations, conferences
and employees of businesses

     As technically proficient as workers have become in the use of computers, the increased reliance by business organizations on electronic communication technology during the past two decades has paralleled a significant decline in literacy skills. The efficiency and automated features of word-processing, e-mail and other software applications have enabled greater speed—at the expense of language proficiency. The grammatical, word usage and sentence construction errors that have become common often result in embarrassment and misunderstandings that can damage customer and employee relations, and undermine the reputation of an organization.
     That's why EditPros partners Marti Smiley Childs and Jeff March are introducing a trio of "Brush-up" training sessions designed for association meetings, conferences and employees of Northern California business organizations. EditPros provides business writing and editing services.
     The class sessions are intended for people throughout an organization who rely on and initiate written communication—workers in clerical, financial, production, sales, marketing, and management capacities. The classes provide a foundation upon which participants can regain and bolster confidence in their language skills, improve the quality of their writing, and avoid embarrassment resulting from errors in composition. They'll also learn techniques of crisp, concise writing and sentence structure strategies that they can use to communicate more clearly and persuasively.

The three "Brush-up" sessions are:

• Business Writing Brush-up;
• English Grammar Brush-up; and
• Business Editing Brush-up.

The Business Writing Brush-up session will help participants write effective and persuasive memos, letters and reports. The session covers proper use of active and passive voice; metaphors and similes; techniques to create emphasis and strength; jargon and colloquialisms; misused and misunderstood words and phrases; gender neutrality; and other topics.

The English Grammar Brush-up session covers essential information about the parts of speech; subject-verb and pronoun agreement; parallel construction; transitional techniques to help develop persuasive arguments; pretentious and bloated language; problems with modifiers and punctuation; and other common grammatical and structural difficulties.

The Business Editing Brush-up gives participants a foundation in techniques to analyze, refine and improve writing—their own as well as drafts prepared by colleagues. They'll learn to identify redundant and superfluous language; to recognize flaws in reasoning and logic, including inductive and deductive reasoning and syllogisms; and to recast reprimanding language with a more diplomatic tone. We'll even discuss tactful approaches in critiquing the writing of others.

     The three-hour sessions, which include practice exercises and numerous practical examples as well as a good measure of fun, are intended for presentation at the work sites of employers and at conferences and conventions.
     Marti and Jeff provide writing and editing services for businesses, trade organizations, educational institutions and government agencies throughout California and as distant as Massachusetts. They are co-authors of Echoes of the Sixties, a book published by Billboard Books, New York, profiling the adult lives of recording artists who first achieved fame in the 1960s. For more specific information about Brush-up curriculum content, fees and availabilities, send an e-mail message to Marti or call (530) 759-2000.