RTO No: 41257

CRICOS Code: 03622A

Student Guide

BSBWRT401 Write complex documents

BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Table of Contents

Table of Contents 2
Overview 3
Learning outcomes 6
Topic 1: Plan Documents 7
Topic 2: Draft text 14
Topic 3: Prepare final text 16
Topic 4: Produce document 18
Review and Assessment 20

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Overview
Introduction
 The Student Guide should be used in conjunction with the recommended reading and any further
course notes or activities given by the trainer/assessor.

Topics Content
Topic 1: Plan Documents  Introduction
 Business Documentation
 File management
 Software Review
 Planning

Topic 2: Draft text  Drafting

Topic 3: Prepare final text  Reviewing

Topic 4: Produce document  Production

 Formats

Unit review and Assessment Tasks

Recommended text
The following text is recommended for this unit:
Business Communication Handbook, by Judith Dwyer 10th Ed (2015)
Chapter 17 Write emails, memos and short reports
Chapter 18 Write long reports
Chapter 19 Write technical documents and proposals

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Content
The Student Guide includes:
 Topics for the unit
 Activities
 Links to websites containing relevant information
 (if the links are broken, copy and paste into a web browser).

Activities:
The trainer/assessor will provide a simulated work environment therefore, the activities provided in the
Student Guide:
 Reflect real life work tasks.
 Are performed to industry safety requirements as relevant.
 Use authentic workplace documentation.
 Require you to work with others as part of a team.
 Require you to plan and prioritise competing work tasks.
 Involve the use of standard, workplace equipment such as computers and software.
 Take into consideration workplace constraints such as time and budgets.
 Activities will either be self-directed or carried out as part of group or team work.
 Read through the activity carefully and ask the trainer/assessor for guidance if required.
 Time will be allocated for completing the activity, along with class discussion and feedback.
 Some activities may require you to submit work to the trainer/assessor for feedback. Where this is
the case, it will be indicated at the bottom of the activity.

Video clips:
 If presented in class, take part in any class discussions, providing feedback and contributing to
debate and arguments.
 If directed to watch the video in self-study, or independently in class, then take notes so that
contributions to any future class discussions can be made.

Roleplays:
The trainer/assessor will direct class roleplays.
When undertaking these activities ensure that you understand the purpose of the roleplay and take part as
if you are in a professional situation to provide your fellow classmates with a true-to-life experience.
Roleplays rely on your ability to act in a manner which imitates real life situations and can provide you with
depth of understanding and practical skills.

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Homework/Self-study
At the end of each session the trainer/assessor will direct you to complete any activities, questions or
reading from the day’s session as homework.
Further to this, time should be spent in self-study reading topic notes, independent research, completing
project work or watching webinars/video clips that relate to an area being covered.
Any work that you submit should be:
 Professionally typed and presented, using headings, consistent style and layout.
 Your own work and not copy and pasted information from the internet.
 If you are using information researched, reference and source the material or link.
 Submit your work to the trainer/assessor within the timeframe allocated.

Folder management and naming documents

As a guide, keep all work for this unit in a folder that has the unit code as its name, along with the name of
the student. Any activities and assessment tasks should then be saved to this folder.
Save documents logically within the folder structure, include:
 Unit code
 Task number
 Task name
 Your last name (optional)
 The date or version number (optional)

Back up
Always have a backup of work on a different device. If the college has a student network drive this would
be the safest option, however, a backup to a USB or removable hard drive should also be undertaken. If
using a USB to save files, then ensure a backup is kept on a laptop or home computer.

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Learning outcomes

By the end of this unit, students will be able to have the skills and knowledge required to plan documents,
draft text, prepare final text and produce documents of some complexity.

Outcomes include:
 Planning documents
 Drafting text
 Preparing final text
 Producing document

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Topic 1: Plan Documents

The writing process

The writing process can be viewed graphically as follows:

Plan

Business
Produce Draft
documents

Review

Business Documentation
Businesses use documents for a range of purposes. Business documents range from brief email messages
to complex legal agreements and are created using a range of different software.
Many document are prepared by staff within the business, while others are drafted by professionals from
outside of the company, such as accountants and lawyers.

Activity: Business documents

Discuss with the class what type of business documents have you come across? What software were
the documents created with?

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Business Documents
Most organisations have their own guidelines for producing documentation. This can include:

using a style guide, which is a set of policies and procedures

for writing business documents

the use of company templates, which presents a consistent

professional image

consultation of stakeholders to ensure only the relevant

information is included or to consult on what can be
distributed to both internal and external stakeholders

planning – inputs and outputs required

editing – draft, proof-reading, approval to send

form filling/procedures to follow

file management – filing documents correctly both

electronically and manually.

Style Guides
A style guide is important in relation to development of business documents. A style guide includes
standards for the writing and design of documents. The aim of a style guide is to establish and enforce
style to improve communication.
Look at this example Style Guide from the ABC:
https://about.abc.net.au/abc-editorial/the-abc-style-guide/

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Activity: Styles

Visit at least 3 websites - look at the logo, content and structure of each page.
List down: The web source, the name of the business, the type of style used throughout the website.
Why is it important for a company to have a style used for writing documents?

Discuss your responses in a class discussion facilitated by your trainer/assessor.

File Management
Part of the process of writing documents is being able to save and store them with an appropriate name
and in the appropriate place. Organisations have standards that can specify how documents should be
saved and where.

Discuss:
 The difference between files and folders
 Why creating folders is important
 Understanding how to navigate around a computer, including network drives, hard drives, external
drives and Cloud storage.
 Creating and saving a file – the importance of using an appropriate and relevant name.

Activity: File Management

Check the folder structure in either your network drive or USB (or both). The trainer/assessor will most
probably have their own unique structure for you to follow.
For example:
Student Name/BSBWRT401/Class exercises/Activity 1.1.doc
Student Name/BSBWRT401/Assessment Tasks/Assessment 1/report.doc
Student Name/BSBWRT401/Assessment Tasks/Assessment 1/email.doc
Student Name/BSBWRT401/Assessment Tasks/Assessment 2/shortanswerquestions.doc

Discuss your responses in a class discussion facilitated by your trainer/assessor.

Software Review
This unit requires you to be able to use the main features and functions of digital tools to complete work
tasks, in particular the skills required to create complex documents. This course refers to Microsoft Word,
however any word processing package could be used.

The following links to the office support website for Microsoft Word, which provides a list of videos and
tutorials for the Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced user: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/word-
for-windows-training-7bcd85e6-2c3d-4c3c-a2a5-5ed8847eae73

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Planning
The planning phase is very important when developing a document. This phase will help you to decide:
The target audience
who you will communicate with/who needs to know?
The timeline
what is the timeline?
Purpose
why are you communicating about this topic?
Topic
what do you want to communicate?
Context
what is the background? Format and structure—how you will do it?
Key points
are they in a logical order?
Requirements
what are they?
Logical sequencing
of data, information and knowledge
An overview of structure and content.

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Document purpose and format

An important part of the planning process is to identify the purpose of the document as this will impact on,
for example, the type of document you develop and the format. For example, if the purpose of the
document is to communicate with a customer, an email written in a professional tone will be required.
However, if you want to present a proposal to management, then this would need to be in a more formal
form such as a report and written in a professional, formal manner.

Tone of document
The audience, purpose and method of communication all have an influence on the tone of the document.
The overall tone of a written message affects the reader.
The following questions are important in considering the tone of a business document:
 Purpose of the document
 Audience
 Objective of the communication
For example:
 To accept an offer of employment, the tone should be appreciative and enthusiastic about starting
the new job.
 To apply for a new position, the tone needs to convey confidence.
 In communicating a new work procedure to staff, the tone will be polite and concise.
Some general guidelines when considering tone:
 Be confident.
 Be courteous and sincere.
For example:
Not: You didn't read the instructions carefully, thus your system has shut down.
But: The system may automatically shut down if any installation errors occur.
 Use appropriate emphasis and subordination: emphasise the main point by using a short and
simple sentence at the top of the document. Other supporting or subordinate ideas can be in longer
compound sentences
For example: Emphasis: Smoking will no longer be permitted on the premises
Subordinate: The WHS Committee has finished considering evidence on passive smoking and they have
decided, in the interests of all employees that smoking will no longer be permitted on the business
premises.
 Use non-discriminatory language: Make sure your writing is free of sexist language and free of bias
based on such factors as race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, and disability.
Some examples:
Not: Chairman
But: Chairperson
Not: After the girls in the office receive an order, our office fills it within 24 hours.
But: When orders are received from the office, they are filled within 24 hours.
Not: Executives and their wives
But: Executives and their spouses
Not: Connie Green performed the job well for her age.
But: Connie Green performed the job well.
Not: Dear Gentlemen:
But: To Whom it May Concern:
 Stress the benefits for the reader: write in a way that shows what you can do for the reader
 Example: Not: I am processing your order tomorrow.
 But: Your order will be available in two weeks.

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

It is important to write at an appropriate level of difficulty, matching the style of writing to the reading
abilities of the audience.

Methods of communication
Business documents are mainly a formal written document and fortunately it is possible to use same kind of
tone (formal) for most business messages.
When writing business emails, it is important to check the tone used before sending the email. Emails are
sometimes written quickly and do not have the same formatting or content as a longer business document.
It is easy to inadvertently convey a flippant or sarcastic tone, which can be damaging to a business
relationship. Because emails can be easily shared, it is important to get the tone right. Well-chosen words
create a personal, professional tone in email. You can’t rely on emoticons – such as this smiley: – ) – or
abbreviations, BTW for by the way – to set the tone in your e-mail. You should choose words because they
carry meaning to all readers, some of whom may not understand emoticons or abbreviations. Furthermore,
these are not an acceptable form or business communication.
As with any business writing, communicating on social media will depend on the audience. A business is
posting content for their audience, so the right ‘voice’ needs to be created. While it is important to use
engaging and interactive language, it is also important to be consistent with the overall tone of the
business.

Structure of a business document and logical writing

An important feature of a document is to ensure it is structured in a clear and logical fashion. This will assist
with writing in a clear and logical way, as well as make it easier for readers to understand.

Activity: Further reading and discussion

Read the information about structuring a report at the following link:

http://studyskills.curtin.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/RW-Structure-PDF.pdf
Write down key points of the article.

Discuss your responses in a class discussion facilitated by your trainer/assessor.

Activity: Further reading and discussion

Read the information about logical writing at the following link:

https://www.writerscollegeblog.com/create-perfect-logical-flow-in-your-writing/
Write down key points of the article.

Discuss your responses in a class discussion facilitated by your trainer/assessor.

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Activity: Project - Write a report - Part A Planning

Use the following scenario and instructions to plan a report that you will be sending on behalf of Beans &
Books bookshop. You will be required to plan, draft, review and write a final document for distribution
and storing. After completing each part of the project you are required to submit to your trainer/assessor
before continuing with the next part.

Scenario: Beans and Books bookshop is a small but intimate café-style bookstore in Glebe, Sydney.
The shop also sells coffee and has comfy chairs. The owner is interested to find out what other
bookstore’s in the CBD offer so that he can start to identify the direction that the bookstore should take.
He would like a research report that contains:
 A brief description of at least 6 café-style bookshops in Sydney CBD or surrounding area.
 A list of services or products that they offer
 Location and size
 If possible an image of each
 An overall map showing the location of each bookstore
 Events that they hold
 An analysis of the area the bookstore is located:
 Community profile of the area (relevant statistical information could be used such as population,
demographics, etc) See ABS or http://home.id.com.au
 A conclusion of findings

Task: Plan the document

In a word processed document plan the structure of the report. Include:
 Title page
 An outline contents page
 Introduction
 (The purpose of the report)
 Formatting
 Requirements
 Sequence of information
 Conclusion
 Bibliography

Submit a copy of your plan to your trainer/assessor for feedback.

Activity: Word Processing tutorial

Continue to work through the tutorials to support your learning and understanding of the software being
used.

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Topic 2: Draft text

Additional information
The following links may assist in drafting a range of business documents:
 Formal letter: https://www.usingenglish.com/resources/letter-writing.php
 Memo:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/professional_technical_writing/memos/sample_
memo.html
 Email: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/effective-e-mail-communication/
 Reports: http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/report-writing-format.html

Drafting
After planning how you will draft your document it is now time to research the information (if needed for the
document), organise it and then write it.
Organise your information in the order that it will appear in your document. It should be:
 relevant
 clear
 concise
 logical

It is always good to follow a process and stick to it so that you do not forget to include anything. You could
write down your own plan, or follow one similar to below:

Write down all the key points that you would like to include in the order that they should
appear.

After writing your first draft, check back to the plan and ensure you have included everything
and followed the criteria that you initially set out.

Check if any additional information is required – this could be identifying any gaps, collecting
additional material or information, asking questions, checking the appropriateness to the
audience, ensuring the initial objectives are being met.

Sort through any further information gathered and organise it into a logical order.

Draft the text of the document.

Read through your draft. Check that the order is correct and that it is accurate. Check back
again to your plan to insure everything has been included.

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Graphics
Including graphics in a document can help with readability.
Images are a form of graphics and can be inserted into a word document by:
 Inserting as an object
 Inserting as an image from your computer
 Copy and pasting
 Embedding from another document
Once an image is in a document it can be manipulated so that the format and/or appearance can be
changed. The image can also be arranged on the page in a range of ways.
Use the following tutorial to learn how to insert an image: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/insert-
pictures-3c51edf4-22e1-460a-b372-9329a8724344

Word processing software also include functions that can help you to create graphics. Use the following
information to learn how to use SmartArt:
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/create-a-smartart-graphic-fac94c93-500b-4a0a-97af-124040594842

PROJECT: Write a report - Part B Draft

Draft the report. Use your plan to draft the report and ensure that you refer to the organisational style
guide and document policy.
You may like to research a report on the Internet to help structure your own report. The following
provides a good guideline for research report writing:
http://www.ets.org/research/policy_research_reports/publications/report/2012/jefb
Use graphics to enhance the readability of the report.

Submit the draft to your trainer/assessor.

Activity: Word Processing tutorial

Continue to work through the tutorials to support your learning and understanding of the software being
used.

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Topic 3: Prepare final text

Reviewing
After planning and then drafting your document, it should then be rigorously reviewed.
Proofreading and editing are important steps in the production of documents. A simple spelling mistake or
grammatical error, can really affect the credibility of your document.

Activity: Discussion

Think about a letter or document you have received with grammatical or spelling errors. How did it make
you feel about the organisation or the person who wrote it? What impression did you get?

Discuss your responses in a class discussion facilitated by your trainer/assessor.

Discussion: Brainstorm

Common errors
Think about the types of mistakes you have noticed in documents.
What common errors have you come across before?

Discuss your responses in a class discussion facilitated by your trainer/assessor.

Steps to review your document:

 Check the draft for suitability of tone
 Is it right for the audience?
 Has it achieved its purpose?
 Is the format correct
 Is the communication style appropriate
 Have organisational standards been met?
 Does it read well?
 Does it have any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes
 Is the sentence and paragraph construction clear
 Read your draft aloud
 Is the information written accurate?
 Proofread your document again
 Seek Feedback
 Ask a friend or colleague to read over your letter. It is important that they are honest and fair in the
feedback given to you. It will be important for not only ensuring that your document reads well
professionally but also will help you to improve any future document writing.

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

PROJECT: Write a report- Part C Review

Review the document by completing the following checklist:

Criteria Yes/No
Steps to review your document:
Check the draft for suitability of tone
Is it right for the audience?
Has it achieved its purpose?
Is the format correct
Is the communication style appropriate
Have organisational standards been met?

Does it read well?

Does it have any grammatical errors or spelling mistakes
Is the sentence and paragraph construction clear
Read your draft aloud

Once you are happy with your draft, have it approved by your trainer/assessor.

Activity: Word Processing tutorial

Continue to work through the tutorials to support your learning and understanding of the software being
used.

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BSBWRT401 Write complex documents Student Guide

Topic 4: Produce document

Production
The production of your document is the final step – this will include the design elements, style, structure
and preparation of the document for printing or sending digitally. Have one final check over and consider
the presentation, structure and format to ensure all requirements have been met.

As a final check you could follow the following steps:

Have all
Has the document Is the grammar
necessary
been re-read after and spelling
changes been
the changes? correct?
incorporated?

Have any
Is the document
organisational Is the style in the
consistent in the
guidelines been correct format?
style and format?
met?

Is the
Has it been Is it ready to
presentation
approved? print?
professional?

Sometimes it helps to print the document and then re-read it in printed format, or alternatively ask a
colleague to do so.

Formats
The format may be an issue if you are emailing the document as an attachment. This could be for a
number of reasons. For example the receiver may not have the same application as the document was
created and therefore may not be able to read it. PDF format is often used for this reason.
What does PDF stand for and why do we use it?
Visit the following site to find out more about why we use PDF formatting for sending documents digitally.
https://blogs.adobe.com/documentcloud/top-10-reasons-to-use-pdf-instead-of-word-excel-or-powerpoint/

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Activity: PDF document export

Using any document that you have typed, export it into a PDF format. In Word select File/Save As…. Or
File/Export. Change the file format to PDF.

Submit the draft to your trainer/assessor.

PROJECT: Write a report - Part D Produce Document

After your trainer/assessor has approved the report, any feedback or changes should then be
incorporated into the document and the new document saved as the final version.
You should have two versions. The draft version and the final version.
Undertake a final check of the document.

Save the report as a PDF document. Do not yet submit to your trainer/assessor.

Activity: Word Processing tutorial

Continue to work through the tutorials to support your learning and understanding of the software being
used.

PROJECT: Write a report - Part E Compose an email

 Write an email to Beans & Books bookstore, attaching the report (address to your
trainer/assessor).
 Ensure that the email has been planned, drafted, reviewed and finalised. The email should read
something like:
 Please find attached the research report for Beans & Books, as requested.
 Also include an overall outline of how you conducted the research and what the findings
concluded.
 The email should be informative and professional.

Finally, submit the report in PDF format to your trainer/assessor via the email constructed.

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Review and Assessment

The content of this unit has now been covered.

Review and completion

Ensure any outstanding activities, reading, role-plays, meetings, presentations or further tasks that require
observation or submission to the trainer/assessor has been completed.

Assessment Tasks
The trainer/assessor will discuss each task in detail – please ensure the assessment procedures,
submission instructions and deadlines are clear, and you understand any expectations.

Support
The trainer/assessor will provide support when required. If any reasonable adjustment is required please
speak with the trainer/assessor or college support services.

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