Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Welcome to Unit Two of Professional Writing. Now that you've determined your audience,
crafted your main point, and created an outline, it's time to draft your message. In this unit,
you'll learn how to reinforce your main point and persuade your audience, while avoiding
the common errors that can distract your readers. A first step is to connect with readers through
a personalized salutation, like "Dear Mr. Smith" or "Dear Sales Team". Calling your
audience by name lets them know the message is for them, and it goes a long way toward
making your writing work. Next, you'll work on drafting a message that consistently supports
your main point. In the subject line, the title, section headers, and in topic sentences.
More than this, though, you'll learn how to create a clear, compelling story in your writing,
conveying complex ideas in a way your readers can easily comprehend. And you should be compelling,
but also fair, with your audience and with your sources, so in the last part of this
unit, we'll look at some of the ethics of writing, using appropriate sources and giving
credit for words and ideas that are not your own. When you're done with this unit, you'll
have a complete draft ready. The learning and the writing should take about an hour
and twenty minutes to complete. Good luck!