How to view the outlines

Click on the links below to expand and view the course outlines for the three parts of The Good Documents Series.

How to view the program samples

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• Part 1: Bad Documents^®
  • Introduction to the series
  • Navigating through the program
  • What this course is not about
  • High stakes
  • The discovery process
  • The business communication landscape
  • Counterproductive behaviors
    • Document destruction
    • The problem with Microsoft Word
      • Problem no. 1: Multiple versions
      • Problem no. 2: "Track Changes"
    • Problems with hard copy
    • The Usual Suspects
      • Vehemence
      • Strong language
      • Virtual meetings
      • Blaming
      • Sarcasm or irony
      • Venturing out of your realm
      • Attributions to others
      • Limited information
      • Rumor
      • Speculation
      • Violations of individual privacy
      • The Hero Syndrome
  • Conclusion
• Part 2: The Good Documents Toolkit^™
  • Introduction
  • The legacy of our schools
    • The writing process
  • The Good Documents Toolkit
    • Ground rules [optional]
    • The Reader Outcome
    • Choosing your medium
    • The Reader Outcome exercise
    • The Satellite Outline
  • Narrowing your distribution
  • Tactics for the real world
    • Deleting obsolete drafts
    • Managing Track Changes
    • Managing meeting notes
    • The Usual Suspects revisited
    • Dealing with the writing of others
  • Final Exercise
  • Conclusion
• Part 3: Email Excellence^®
  • Introduction
    • Readers Under Pressure, Part A
    • Readers Under Pressure, Part B
    • The New Landscape
    • The New Standard
  • The Email Excellence Toolkit
    • ORSON
      • A fact of life
      • Exercise
      • Implications for email
    • Orienting
      • Introduction to Orienting
      • The "SUBJECT:" line
      • Stating your purpose
      • "Connecting"
    • Spelling Out the details
      • An example
      • Editing in stages
      • Chunking your information
      • Formatting
    • Nailing down
  • Conclusion