Report Writing

Writing a report step by step. Planning to proofing - for a polished, professional, persuasive business report.

Last updated 2022-01-10 | 4.5

- Save time when planning a report by knowing the essential questions to ask
- Increase the impact of a report by understanding its purpose
- Structure complex information and ideas confidently and quickly (under five minutes)

What you'll learn

Save time when planning a report by knowing the essential questions to ask

Increase the impact of a report by understanding its purpose

Structure complex information and ideas confidently and quickly (under five minutes)

Decide what sections to include in the report - and what should go where

Delight readers by making the report easy to navigate and digest

Create a visually attractive report that's kind to the eye

Avoid the common pitfalls that damage your credibility as a report writer

Know exactly what to include in your executive summary (and what not to include)

* Requirements

* Access to word processing software
* Pen and paper
* It's helpful to have a specific report writing project in mind - but isn't essential

Description

Lacking confidence about your business report writing skills because you've never had any formal training in writing reports?

Panicking because you're supposed to be writing a business report and you've no idea where to start?

Sick of wasting hours worrying about how to knock all that research into a logical shape?

Or maybe you write business reports regularly but you're just not getting the results or feedback you'd like from your reports?

If any of these sound like you, stop worrying now! Because this course will take you through the process of business report writing - step by step and with downloadable cheat sheets.

What's more, your guide is a Cambridge graduate and teacher with years of experience helping people write business reports that have impact.

Report writing: take the pain out of planning and the sweat out of structuring!

For most people, the hardest part of report writing is getting started. In this course, you're going to learn how to shave hours, days or even weeks off the report writing process through intelligent planning. You'll learn what questions to ask so you're not reinventing the wheel when you sit down to write your report.

But best of all, you'll discover a miraculous technique that will completely revolutionise how you go about structuring your reports. I developed this technique while working with a client who had been tearing his hair out at that early shaping stage. With my help, in under five minutes he went from having no clue about how to order his report to imposing a clear, coherent, logical structure on his ideas.

I've since gone on to share this technique with other report writers and trust me they're always blown away by its power and simplicity. I can't wait to share this technique with you - and you'll be glad I did!

Report writing with impact to win readers over

But this course won't just save you time as a writer. It will also help you save your readers time - and they will love you for it!

The American novelist Elmore Leonard famously advised writers to leave out the parts that readers skip. And I'm going to be showing you how to leave out the parts of a report all, yes ALL, readers skip. The pointless parts every report writer thinks are helping readers, but are really hindering them.

And I'll be busting some myths about that all important executive summary. It's the only part of your report you can guarantee everyone will read, so you'll want to make sure it's as powerfully persuasive as it can be. I'll show you how.

Stand out from the crowd with a report that looks as good as it reads

Finally, I'll be showing you how to take your almost-finished report up a notch with simple design and layout tips from a seasoned design professional. You'll even discover one little design trick that's been scientifically - yes, scientifically - proven to boost your credibility and persuasiveness with readers.

So what are you waiting for? Let's get that report written today!

Who this course is for:

Anyone who's never written a business report before and doesn't know where to start
Anyone who lacks confidence in their report writing skills - either because they've never been formally trained in report writing or because they're not getting the results they want from their reports
This course is not for students writing college reports. The emphasis is on writing reports in a business or bureaucratic context.

Course content

6 sections • 35 lectures

Welcome! 2 lectures

How to get the most out of this course Preview 02:39

Meet your instructor, Dr Clare Lynch. Learn what to expect from this course on report writing.

Activity: Download your course workbook Preview 17 pages

Use this workbook as you progress through the course. It's full of cheat sheets to help you write your report.

First, PREPARE for success 6 lectures

Introduction to preparing for success Preview 00:12

Report writing preparation: what this section covers.

Researching your report efficiently Preview 04:23

How to research your report efficiently. How to avoid descending into the rabbit hole of digital data - and stay in the flow of writing your report without getting distracted.

Defining your purpose Preview 03:33

There are many different reasons for writing a report. But, as we see in this lecture, one purpose underlines them all.

Three questions you MUST ask before writing Preview 03:34

Three things to get straight in your head before you sit down to write your report.

NEW Practice activity: Answer the three key questions Preview 00:17

An opportunity to practice the report-writing technique taught in the previous lecture.

Preparing for success: key points to remember Preview 00:15

A quick reminder of what we've covered in this section on preparing to write your report.

Next, PICK a winning format for your report 7 lectures

Picking a format for your report: introduction Preview 00:12

What you'll learn in this section on picking a winning format for your report.

Meeting expectations for your report: defining your brief Preview 04:15

Why a good brief is essential - and will stop you going off track when writing a report.

The sections of a report Preview 06:46

Terms of reference? Appendices? Learn what these and other report elements are for - and whether you need to include them.

NEW Practice activity: establish your brief Preview 00:15

Now's the time to firm up your brief so you can deliver a report that meets expectations.

Executive summary - tips Preview 03:59

It's just a summary of the whole report, right? Wrong! Here's why.

NEW Practice activity: write your executive summary Preview 00:14

Use this template to craft the most important part of your report: your executive summary.

Report formats: key points to remember Preview 00:30

A quick reminder of what we've covered in this section on picking a winning format for your report.

Now, PLAN and PRESENT your ideas POWERFULLY 13 lectures

Planning and presenting your report: introduction Preview 00:14

What you'll learn in this section on planning and presenting your ideas powerfully in your report.

Structure your report in 5-minutes Preview 06:26

Ditch mind mapping and everything you learned about writing at college. Here's how to get your ideas down on paper - quickly and painlessly.

NEW Practice activity: outline your report Preview 00:15

An opportunity to put into practice the report writing technique I showed you in the previous lecture.

How to make your writing flow 1: powerful paragraphs Preview 05:08

How to organise your thoughts into logical paragraphs.

How to make your writing flow 2: ordering paragraphs logically Preview 01:41

A handy tip for checking if your paragraphs are in the right order.

Practice activity: Put these topic sentences in the correct order Preview 00:37

How easy do you find it to return these sentences to their original order?

How to make your writing flow 3: ordering your sentences Preview 04:14

How to keep your reader with you by crafting sentences that follow on naturally from each other.

NEW Practice activity: draft your report Preview 00:57

It's time to write your report!

Signposting your report Preview 06:34

Dos and don'ts for using signposts to guide your reader through your report.

NEW Practice activity: add, edit or remove signposting Preview 00:41

Make your report easy for your reader to navigate by including helpful signposts.

Report writing style: tips for readability Preview 05:14

Buzzword bingo, acronym soup - and other no-nos that will turn your report's readers off.

NEW Practice activity: improve your report's readability Preview 00:41

Increase the readability of your report by editing out tech talk and biz babble.

Planning and presenting your ideas powerfully: key points to remember Preview 00:32

A quick reminder of what we've covered in this section on presenting your ideas powerfully when writing a report.

Finally, POLISH and PROOF like a PRO 5 lectures

Polishing your report: introduction Preview 00:17

What you'll learn in this section on polishing and proofing your report.

Design tips for report writers Preview 06:24

Expert insights on how to make your report look as good as it reads.

Polishing and proofing your report: tips Preview 06:55

How to maximise your chances of catching the errors that will diminish your credibility.

NEW Practice activity: proofread your report Preview 00:15

Use the attached checklist to polish your report to perfection.

Proofing and polishing: key points to remember Preview 00:25

A quick reminder of what we've covered in this section on proofing and polishing your report.

Final thoughts 2 lectures

Download your course certificate Preview 01:59

How to get hold of your course certificate.

Bonus lecture: Discounts on my other courses Preview 00:52

Congratulations on finishing the course!

Continue to add to your business writing skills with discounts on my other courses.