Words at Work:
A Beginner’s Guide to Professional Writing

Sean Trainor, Ph.D., and Anthony Coman, Ph.D.

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Words at Work is a free, open-source textbook, published by the University of Florida Libraries Press (forthcoming, 2027).

It provides early-career professionals with practical guidance on how to write reader-focused, back-end workplace messages that drive efficiency and build relationships.

Practical guidance

By practical guidance, we mean actionable guidance. We mean strategies and techniques that readers can immediately apply to the kinds of real-world writing challenges they face at school, at work, and at your internships – from a task as simple as scheduling a meeting to more complex challenges like persuading your boss to fund your dream project.

Reader-focused messages

By reader-focused messages, we mean messages that make readers feel valued – as professionals, as individuals, and as members of a culture. We mean messages that use “you” and “we” more frequently than “I”; that focus on what the reader needs to know rather than what the writer wants to say; and that seek, as best they can, to see the world from the reader’s point of view.

Back-end, day-to-day writing

By back-end, day-to-day workplace writing, we mean the messages that lubricate the gears of commerce – the unglamorous, quotidian emails, Teams messages, texts, memos, and letters that help individuals and teams get work done.

Efficiency and relationship building

By efficiency and relationship building, we mean writing that helps working professionals get work done quickly and enables them to develop friendly, trusting relationships with their colleagues, clients, and stakeholders.

Words at Work is here to ensure that, when the stakes are highest, your writing is at its strongest.