Writing Effective Reports

Most people in business know their own minds and opinions and can contribute to conversations, meetings and debates without too much difficulty. Some people are highly articulate and can express themselves so that other people know exactly what they mean. When it comes to putting their thoughts in writing, however, these same people can often hit trouble. The ability to think logically and sequentially suddenly deserts them. Asking them to produce a written report can prompt a reaction which is similar to that which occurs when they’re asked to present to a large group of people. It seems a daunting task.

There are a numbers of key principles which, if followed, can guide even a novice through from a wary beginning to a confident conclusion. This training course explains these guidelines and will help participants to produce reports of excellent quality.

Participants will:

• Confidently produce reports that achieve their goals
• Structure the information to guide the reader logically through the text
• Apply key principles to make their reports more effective
• Devise an action plan to improve their report writing skills

This course is designed for individuals who need to produce effective reports and would like an overview of the process and the skills to do so.

Understanding Report Writing

• What is a Report? Definitions and purpose.
• The importance of good report writing
• The crucial differences between reports and other methods of communication
• Report Writing – what goes wrong
• The key principles of report writing

Planning

• Establishing the purpose of the report
• Putting the objectives in writing
• Researching the topic
• Scope of the report
• Organising points into related groups

Writing

• Structuring the report using the four P’s
• Writing clearly by using Plain English, short words, sentences and paragraphs
• Measuring readability using the Fog Factor
• The importance of punctuation
• Using the active and passive voice appropriately
• Abbreviations and Acronyms
• Making the report easier to read using tried and tested methods
• How a good report is packaged – from the title page to the bibliography and references

Checking

• Checking: content, purpose, spelling and grammar

Video Content

• The Video Arts production ‘Report Writing – The Art of Writing a Good Report’ is used to reinforce the learning. This programme’s engaging and humorous plot sets out six memorable steps to successful report writing.

Workshop

• Participants reports are reviewed in a safe environment to identify strengths and areas for improvement.

Action Planning

• Participants devise a personal action plan to improve their report writing skills.

Pre Course Activity

• Participants are invited to bring a sample of reports they have produced to review and refer to during the course.

“I now have a clear understanding of how to structure, plan and prepare a report. The trainer was very good at explaining some complex ideas. I learned a lot more than I anticipated and I am looking forward to putting the skills into practice.” Holly Inglesfield, Lifelong Learning UK

“I learned the need to write objectively within reports – something I thought I had been doing already!” Kate Barnett, Youth Justice Board

“The trainer made it interesting and even assessed my areas of weakness so I now know which areas to work on in the future to develop further.” Jaspreet Matharoo, Lifelong Learning UK

• Conducting Effective Meetings
• Assertiveness at work