Write Effectively: A Quick Course for Busy Health Workers / Edition 1

by Tim Albert

Overview

Many people are surprised by the range of what they have to write: reports, letters, applications, minutes, essays, protocols, policy statements, articles...the list goes on. They also have to face a constant procession of emails, which people tend not to count as 'real writing', but which are every bit as important - and which even the decisive can take two hours or more a day to deal with.At the same time we seem particularly ill-prepared for all this writing. The task is badly defined, time-consuming and difficult.Courses on how to do it are rare. Agreement on 'good writing'seems to be rarer still and the whole process often appears to be more about internal power squabbles than external communication. Not surprisingly, many writers in the health services dislike it and avoid it whenever possible. Others proceed reluctantly, without confidence - and without any satisfaction at the end of each writing task. This book sets out to help you by showing you what writing is all about. It will give you some tools that will enable you to do it with confidence. I would be lying if I said that you will come to enjoy writing (some suffering is inevitable, even desirable), but as you go through this book you should be able to approach each writing task in a more confident manner, and therefore your output should be more effective. More important, you should be able to take control of your writing, and once you have grasped the essentials you will have a powerful tool to help you achieve your goals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781846191350
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	08/08/2008
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	6.56(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Tim Albert (Author, Editor and Trainer, UK)

Table of Contents

Part 1: The quick course. Session 1: how can we help? Session 2: so what’s your real problem? Session 3: what is effective writing? Session 4: getting started – the BRIEF. Session 5: sorting the information. Session 6: putting together a plan Session. 7: writing the first draft – and enjoying it! Session 8: rewriting – ask the Big Five Questions. Session 9: rewriting – sweat the details. Session 10: get others to help (not hinder). Epilogue: bringing it all together. Part 2: After sales service. Part 3: Some points on design. Part 4: Lists for the very keen.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Angela L Prush, AS, AAS, RRT (William Beaumont Hospitals)
Description: This is a fun and easy to follow workbook designed to identify and help solve misgivings about writing. Each of its 10 sessions contains exercises with the goal of allaying the fear of writing by increasing confidence and effectiveness in one's writing.
Purpose: The purpose is to give readers some tools that will enable them to write with more confidence. This is useful to anyone who has ever stumbled through any piece of writing.
Audience: This workbook is designed as a quick course for busy health workers, but because of its simplicity, anyone, professional or college level, would benefit. The author teaches courses on writing and editing skills.
Features: The 10 sessions include exercises, tables, and diagrams for improving writing. Four post-session sections offer additional help with writing and dictionaries on the parts of speech, grammatical terms, and punctuation. This innovative workbook keeps readers actively involved through all the sessions.
Assessment: This is a very useful resource for all who do not have complete confidence in their writing ability. The author's approach is innovative and fun.

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