Better Business Writing-How to Write Right

Good business writing is spare, clear, precise and concise. Readers notice when subjects and verbs don't agree, punctuation misses the point or the content is confusing. This 60-minute business writing training shows how a few basic grammar, punctuation and usage rules can make your documents clearer and shorter.

You'll work on specific words instead of generalities, active vs passive voice, and cutting unnecessary words, doublets, wordy habit phrases, dependent clauses, connecting words and “due to” explanations.

The session then covers building well-organized arguments: introductions and summaries, avoiding elevator analysis, and ordering facts, interpretations and evaluations. Extra tips cover rounding numbers, acronyms and cutting “of” and parentheses. No English degree is needed.

• Replace vague and inflated words with sharper, clearer ones
• Use punctuation to make documents tighter and easier to read
• Build focused explanations and recommendations with a logical sequence
• Apply the techniques through before-and-after examples

Writing clearly and concisely

• Clear writing
• Specific words vs generalities
• Active vs passive voice
• Unnecessary words and phrases
• Doublets and redundancies
• Wordy habit phrases
• Wordy dependent clauses
• Unneeded connecting words
• Wordy “due to” explanations

Writing well-organized, logical arguments

• Introductions and summaries of the integrated argument
• Avoiding elevator analysis
• Bringing order to facts, interpretations and evaluations
• Making words count

Extra readability tips

• Rounding numbers, acronyms, and removing “of” and parentheses

Many people had little formal training in practical grammar, punctuation and logical development, and good writing takes practice. This session helps you sharpen the skills you already have.

It is useful for lenders, credit analysts and managers, loan review and work-out officers, senior lending and credit officers, bank executives and directors, and also auditors, loan administrators, marketing, retail and operations staff who need to explain or persuade in writing.

• Credit Analysts
• Credit Managers
• Loan review officers
• Work-out officers
• Commercial lenders
• Credit Risk Managers
• Chief Credit Officers
• Senior Lenders
• Senior Lending Officer
• Bank Director
• Chief Executive Officer
• President
• Board Chairman

A frequent speaker, instructor, advisor and writer on credit risk and commercial banking topics and issues, Martin J. "Dev" Strischek principal of Devon Risk Advisory Group based near Atlanta, Georgia.  Dev advises, trains, and develops for financial organizations risk management solutions and recommendations on a range of issues and topics, e.g., credit risk management, credit culture, credit policy, credit and lending training, etc.  Dev is also a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (FASB’s) Private Company Council (PCC).  PCC’s purpose is to evaluate and recommend to FASB revisions to current and proposed generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) that are more appropriate for privately held firms.  He also serves as the PCC’s representative to FASB’s Credit Losses Transition Resource Group supporting the new current expected credit loss (CECL) standard to be implemented in fiscal year 2019 for public companies and 2020 for private firms.

The former SVP and senior credit policy officer at SunTrust Bank, Atlanta, he was responsible for developing, implementing, and administering credit policies for SunTrust’s wholesale lines of business--commercial, commercial real estate, corporate investment banking, capital markets, business banking and private wealth management. He also spent three years as managing director and credit approver in SunTrust’s Florida commercial lending and corporate investment banking areas, respectively. Prior to SunTrust, he was chief credit officer for Barnett Bank’s Palm Beach market. Besides stints at other banks in Florida, Kansas City, and Ohio, his experiences outside of banking include CFO of a Honolulu construction company, combat engineer officer in the U.S. Army, and college economics instructor.

A graduate of Ohio State University and the ABA Stonier Graduate School of Banking, Dev earned his M.B.A. from the University of Hawaii. Mr. Strischek serves as an instructor in several banking schools, including the Stonier Graduate School of Banking, and the Southwest Graduate School of Banking. His school, conference, and workshop audiences have included participants drawn from the ABA, RMA, OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC, FFIEC, SBA, the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and the AICPA.

Mr. Strischek has written some 200 articles on credit risk management, financial analysis and related subjects, and he is the author of Analyzing Construction Contractors and instructor of  a contractor analysis workshop. A past national chair of RMA and former RMA Florida Chapter president, Dev has consulted on credit risk issues with banks in Morocco, Egypt, and Angola through the US State Department’s Financial Service Volunteer Corps (FSVC).