Writing Well: Small Business Workshop Series with Amy Lee Bell, summer 2025

“The one easy way to become worth 50 percent more than you are now — at least — is to hone your communication skills — both written and verbal.” - Warren Buffett

Writing Well: Small Business Workshop.

Times and dates subject to change if you purchase this class before April 1st, 2025.

7:20-8:35am CST on Mondays, June 2nd-July 7th

After purchasing this class, you will receive downloadable instructions via email.

Writing is an essential part of business operation! Join our small group as we tackle some of the concepts that will make the biggest difference in your skill level! You'll receive expert guidance and plenty of hands-on experience in this fun, interactive 6-week workshop.

We will emphasize quality over quantity of concepts, so we may not get to everything. If attendees are interested in more hands-on writing practice after the workshop series is over, we plan to offer virtual monthly workshops as extension activities.

Each attendee should download the free app: IEW Writing Tools Lite.

Projected Writing Well: Small Business Workshop Syllabus

Session 1: Icebreaker and Introduction to Writing Strategies

1. Welcome and Introductions (~10 mins). 
2. Icebreaker: TBA (~15 mins). 
3. Introduction to Writing Strategies: Organizing your thoughts with an outline (~20 mins). 
4. Hands-on Activity: Crafting Attention-Grabbing Introductions and Hooks (~20 mins). 
5. Q&A and Optional Homework Assignment: Write a short blurb about your business for the next class. Add a hook (~10 mins). 

Session 2: Harnessing ChatGPT for Effective Business Writing

1. Review Homework Blurbs (~15 mins). 
2. Lecture: Utilizing ChatGPT Literacy & Manipulation (~15 mins). 
3. Hands-on Activity: Crafting Business Blurbs and Hooks with ChatGPT (~5 mins). 
4. Hands-on Writing: Sentence Openers (~20 mins). 
5. Group Analysis: Improving GPT-generated Blurbs (~10 mins). 
6. Q&A and Optional Homework Assignment: Refine your business blurb (~10 mins). 

Session 3: Elevating Your Writing Through Word Choice

1. Recap and Feedback on Homework Blurbs (~15 mins). 
2. Lecture: Word Choice Improvements and Writing Tools (~15 mins). 
3. Group Activity: Outlining a content calendar for your business (~25 mins). 
4. Hands-on Writing: Crafting Concise and Engaging Sentences (~15 mins). 
5. Q&A and Optional Homework Assignment: Apply word choice and/or sentence opener improvements to an existing paragraph from your website or social media page (~5 mins). 

Session 4: Effective Brainstorming for Business

1. Quick Review of Previous Homework (~10 mins). 
2. Lecture: Business-Related Brainstorming Methods--overview of Medici, Six Thinking Hats, Reverse Thinking, etc. (~10 mins).
3. Group Exercise: Develop Business Ideas Using Brainstorming Techniques (~40 mins). 
4. Hands-on Writing: SWOT Analysis for Individual Businesses (~10 mins). 
5. Q&A and Optional Homework Assignment: Outline a content calendar for your business (~5 mins). 

Session 5: Crafting Compelling Content for Business Growth

1. Review Content Calendar Homework (~10 mins). 
2. Lecture: The Importance of Content Marketing + Strategies (~20 mins). 
3. Group Discussion: Applying Content Marketing in Different Industries (~10 mins). 
4. Hands-on Activity: Crafting a Blog Post Outline (~30 mins). 
5. Q&A and Optional Homework Assignment: Write a draft of your business blog post (~5 mins). 

Session 6: Putting It All Together for Local Impact

1. Review Blog Post Drafts (~15 mins). 
2. Group Discussion or Clarifying Activities (~20 mins). 
3. Hands-on Writing: Finalize Blurb with Local Tourism in Mind (~15 mins). 
4. Group Activity: Crafting an Elevator Pitch for Local Tourism (~20 mins). 
5. Q&A and Closing Remarks: (~5 mins).

Amy Lee Bell is a registered writing instructor through the Institute for Excellence in Writing. You can visit her instructor page here.

No refunds unless the class is canceled. If a participant is unable to complete the series for some reason, they will still have access to our weekly class recordings. :)