As you probably know we offer a Report Writing Course here at Business Training and over the past few weeks I’ve been looking at some of the Assignments that students have submitted. I must admit that I’ve been really impressed by the quality of most of the work I’ve seen. And for those of you who are still reluctant to write reports it just goes to show that it’s not difficult if you approach it in a logical, efficient way.
However, there are certain aspects of report writing that cause problems and below are some questions which people often ask. We hope that our tips will help you.
“When I have a report to write I can’t help putting it off until the last minute – I am always reluctant to start.”
This is a very common problem – and it doesn’t only apply to reports. Our advice here is to use ‘willpower’. Force yourself to set a day and a time when you will start writing the report (preferably allowing plenty of time before it’s due for completion). Ensure that you have no other small jobs to do which you can use as an excuse to avoid getting on with it. Then clear your mind before you start – it’s a matter of discipline.
Also, you must remember that most people put off tasks which they dread. So the more confident you are, the easier you’ll find it to start. Once your facts are assembled and you have planned the order get straight on with writing it. The main thing is to actually make a start – you can always revise it later to cut out padding and correct any grammatical errors.
Your first sentence is usually part of the Introduction; so tell the readers what they are going to read about or why the report is being written. You should already be confident of this information so take your pen (or whatever you use) and start to WRITE!
“How long should my report be?”
There is really no answer to the question of how long a report should be. It all depends on the purpose and the aims. Each report is different and so varies in length. You may receive a salesman’s weekly report which is only 100 words long, or the report of an aeroplane crash which is the size of a book. It all depends on circumstances.
Ideally, a report should be long enough to contain all the facts, but still as short as possible. This means that the style of writing should be direct and simple, and all superfluous material must be cut out ruthlessly. Your reports should be long enough to contain all the facts but as concise as possible. But when we say be concise, we do not necessarily mean brief. Remember, a long report can still be concise.
“How do I ensure that my report is relevant?”
In other words, how do you pinpoint exactly what is required? Many people ask for reports but don’t make it clear what aspect of a topic they want you to cover. If, for example, you were asked for a report on leasing company cars, would you be expected to simply collect facts or would the real intention be for you to collect facts and then show whether this would be more advantageous to your company than actually buying cars? Your employer would be at fault for not giving clear instructions but you would also be to blame for not asking what was required.
So, rather than waste time by writing a totally irrelevant report, go back and ask questions until you are sure of what is required.
Next, the use of a good title is helpful in making sure your report is relevant. Consider what your report is about, devise a satisfactory title and then keep checking back to ensure that the facts you are including and your general approach still fits in with it.
Finally, good planning is essential. Gather your information, decide what is relevant and leave out the rest. Don’t be tempted to include material simply because it is available!
“I find the ‘Conclusions’ section very difficult to write – it often simply repeats my ‘Findings’ or anticipates my ‘Recommendations’.”
This is a very common problem and one to which there is no easy answer except reading other peoples’ reports to see how they handle Conclusions.
However, it might be helpful to bear in mind that nothing new should be introduced at this stage in a report. The conclusions should simply be an unbiased comment on what has gone before. They should unify the report by reminding the reader of its purpose, summing up the main points and then directing them forward to the recommendations. Look upon your conclusions as either: (a) a summing up of facts at the end of the report if no recommendations are required or (b) a tool to help you formulate recommendations, if they are needed.
“I am never sure when to include graphs, tables, illustrations etc and which type is most relevant.”
You should only use them if they make a point more effectively than you can do in writing. Used properly they can help you avoid long complicated explanations, but used carelessly they can be very confusing.
Visual information should be placed either: (a) as near as possible to the part of the text which they explain, or (b) if there are a considerable number of charts, diagrams etc. they should be included in clearly labelled appendices.
But another way of looking at this could be to include any illustrations which are essential to understanding the report at the point in the text where they are relevant. All visual information that merely gives supporting evidence to which the reader may wish to refer should be included in appendices.
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. But remember, if you want much more detailed tuition on improving your report writing skills then we have just the course for you! It’s short, packed with information and you’ll find it a great help in boosting your confidence.
Author: Diana Nadin
