Courses in
Professional Communication: Business Writing and Storytelling The Economist - Executive Education
Introduction
Learn how to craft accurate, engaging, and impactful pieces of writing for the business context.
Professional Communication: Business Writing and Storytelling is an online short course from The Economist designed to help business professionals attract and address broad audiences across various written formats. Based on the newspaper’s editorial practice, this six-week course offers a self-reflective journey through the craft and purpose of writing and storytelling, equipping you with the confidence to communicate with partners and employees. An accessible “tools not rules” approach to grammar unlocks practical skills for constructing cohesive sentences and paragraphs and shows how elements such as word choice, punctuation, and structure can maximize impact and clarity. You’ll also explore ways to source information accurately, learn to strengthen arguments with data visualisations and uncover methods for constructive and collaborative editing.
Enjoy a free three-month digital subscription with this executive-education course from The Economist. Read daily articles on Economist.com, listen to our podcasts, watch videos, browse newsletters, immerse yourself in our app or join us at exclusive events.
This course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service and may be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based professional bodies. The course has an estimated 50 hours of learning.
Note: should students wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is upon them. The Economist and GetSmarter accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.
About the certificate
Improve your business writing and earn an official certificate of completion from The Economist.
Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order to be issued a certificate, you’ll need to meet the requirements outlined in the course handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the course.
Your certificate will be issued in your legal name and sent to you upon successful completion of the course, as per the stipulated requirements.
Why choose GetSmarter?
GetSmarter, powered by 2U, is an online learning expert with over 10 years of experience in developing premium online short courses from the world’s leading universities and institutions. We are powered by 2U to support you in unlocking your potential through life-changing learning with an immersive and high-touch experience.
We deliver market-led courses that equip working professionals with the expertise required to upskill, reskill or kickstart a completely new career. Through a data-driven approach, we analyze future skills requirements and ensure all courses address this need. We ensure that leading universities and institutions are your expert guides and our people, technology, and resources are your engine – together we power more than just education, we power your potential.
Ideal Students
Is this course for you?
This course will benefit anyone seeking to improve their business writing and storytelling abilities. Participants who are looking to communicate with more conviction will learn how to craft narratives that hook and convince their readers, whether they are employees, partners or clients. Individuals will gain practical skills in sourcing, writing and editing content, and in the effective use of data visualisation.
Program Outcome
You’ll walk away with:
- An understanding of the importance and impact of professionally written content.
- Practical writing, editing and data-visualisation skills for creating clear and compelling business communications.
- A writer’s toolkit based on The Economist’s editorial approach, helping you to navigate questions of structure, word choice and style.
- The ability to source, structure and convey information in a way that is accurate, engaging and ethical.
- Insights into the craft and psychology of writing, are designed to help you become a more self-reflective writer.
Curriculum
GetSmarter's learning model is designed to help you, as a working professional, improve your skills without compromising on work and family responsibilities. The coursework is broken up into weekly, manageable bite-sized modules, with incremental deadlines, designed to help you pace yourself over the duration of the course and allow you the legroom to work when it suits you best.
At the beginning of each module, you'll be presented with the course content and assignments necessary for completion. You also have access to your Success Adviser who will help you manage your time, and support you with any administrative or technical queries you might have.
Enhance your ability to craft clear and compelling written communications as you work through the weekly modules of this online short course.
- Orientation module: Welcome to your Online Campus
- Module 1: Planning for impact
- Module 2: Crafting your structure
- Module 3: Choosing words that work
- Module 4: Writing clear and engaging sentences
- Module 5: Making data beautiful and compelling
- Module 6: Editing your work
Please note that module titles and their contents are subject to change during course development.
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Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
By improving your skills and industry knowledge, you'll have an influence on the success of your organization. Why wouldn't you ask your boss to help you fund your studies if it's going to have an impact on the way you do business?
Of our past students, 37 per cent have received financial assistance from their employers. You can ask for help, too.
If you are a Learning & Development (L&D) manager, or involved in training and upskilling for an organization, you can request information regarding our corporate offering on our GetSmarter for business page.