Imagine if you were more persuasive. Effective. Influential.

  • Learn skills and techniques you can immediately apply to your work.

  • Filled with plenty of exercises that allow you to put theory into practice.

  • Entertaining and easy to understand.

  • Taught by a former newspaper editor and journalist with extensive business writing experience.

A business writing course that covers all the essentials – and then some

This practical course will show you how to:

  • use short sentences effectively
  • write in the active voice – and know when to use the passive
  • use positive language
  • make your writing stronger and more confident
  • apply the right tone of voice 
  • use plain English to express complex ideas
  • avoid jargon
  • deliver bad news
  • show, rather than tell, to create a picture in the reader's mind  
  • cut copy
  • use the inverted pyramid style
  • structure and frontload content
  • put the reader first
  • format your writing to make it easier to scan and read
  • use the power of three (a rhetorical device) to become more persuasive
  • avoid common grammar and punctuation issues 
  • proofread your own work
  • use style guides
  • craft effective headlines.


This course explains how to apply these techniques to almost anything you'll need to write, including business emails, letters, reports, briefs, tenders and grants.

A flexible online course that fits your schedule

  • Study whenever and wherever you want

    Everyone learns at their own pace – which is why this course allows you to stop, start and replay a video lesson whenever you want.

  • Redo the course as many times as you need

    Most courses only give you access for a year. This business writing course is different, giving you full access for five years after enrolling.

How is this business writing course taught?

  • There are six videos that each take between 45 minutes to an hour and a half. You can pause and resume each video whenever it suits you.

  • Every time you’ll learn a new technique – such as writing in the active voice – you’ll then be given exercises to allow you to practice it until it becomes second nature.

  • As the course progresses, the exercises become progressively more complex, allowing you to gradually put all the techniques you’ve learnt together.

Hear from other people who've taken the course:

“Dan’s online Business Writing Course is an eye opening experience. It’s simple to access and what you learn can be used immediately. People want to feel heard, so learning to write clearly is a game changer. I recommend this course for people who have something to say.”

Tilly Haughton – GMHBA

“I would highly recommend this course to anyone wanting a clear, helpful guide to business writing.”

Christy Tesoriero – Macquarie University

“It was a really useful workshop. It helps you think about how you write and the words you use. I learnt a lot about the importance of using plain and everyday language. I will definitely be using what I have learnt in my job.”

Paige Wall – Australian Super

“Thanks for a great course. Learning to write simply and effectively has been invaluable.”

Nat Ord

“I've done a few writing workshops in my career and this was the best.”

Tara D'Souza – ACCAN

One-on-one feedback when you need it

If you want personalised feedback – or to workshop your own content – we can arrange a one-on-one Zoom session for an additional fee.

Invest in yourself

The writing skills you'll learn in this course will help you for the rest of your life.

You will receive:

  • a PDF handbook filled with practical writing tips and techniques

  • a digital certificate of completion.

Learn from someone with over 25 years of writing and business communications experience.


Dan Kaufman

[email protected]

Dan Kaufman worked as a journalist and an editor for over 25 years, primarily at The Sydney Morning Herald. During that time he wrote for and edited almost every section – from business and technology to health and science.

He has also: 

  • taught at the University of Sydney, UTS and the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ)
  • worked as a content specialist, copywriter and communications manager
  • taught business writing courses for over a decade to a wide variety of organisations, from government departments to corporations, across almost every industry.


He is the director of Media Survival.

Who is this business writing course for?

This course will help anyone who wants to make their writing more effective. 

Participants come from a wide range of industries and organisations, from government departments to corporations. 

Whether you're new to the workplace or are an experienced executive who wants a refresher, this business writing course will make you a stronger, more confident writer.

Writing in plain language is at the heart of this business writing course

Almost every organisation – from government departments to financial firms – are increasingly required to write in plain language. 

Often confused with plain English (which is about using the simplest and clearest words possible), plain language is a broader concept that focuses on making writing as usable and effective as possible in addition to being clear and easy to understand.

Almost everything – even legal and financial information – can and should be written in plain language. This business writing course explains why and how to do this.