Personal Effectiveness Effective Report Writing classroom

This course is only available as an in-house option.

About the course

Most people writing reports are highly competent from a technical perspective. However, there is a need to develop a common language and style for reports to make the documents more efficient and effective. Particularly important is the ability to present technical information in a way that is easily understood by managers beyond their own business function. For reports to be successful they need to have the following characteristics:

Focused on key business issues
Objective but also persuasive
Easy to read and understand
Action orientated
Have a common corporate style
Consistent with the company’s branding and values

This course is introduced with an investigation of the type of reports the delegates have to produce. These are then used for case study exercises during the day. We also like to see examples of current work in advance of the course– both good and not so good.

Learning objectives

Ensure that a report writing brief is correctly interpreted and developed
Establish the correct scope and depth for a document
Define precise communication objectives in relation to the report’s audience
Structure the argument effectively and persuasively
Use a style of plain English that improves understanding and raises level of interest
Produce an effective and attractive layout using Shipley elements where appropriate
Package the report with an interesting title, executive summary. contents page, etc.

What's covered?

Definition: Defining the key issues to be covered and the ‘question’ being asked
Communication objectives: precise objectives for what we want the readers to know, feel and do
Research methods: primary and secondary
Report types and structures
Principles of plain English
Principles of page layout and document design
The role of supporting elements such as the executive summary