Report Writing

 

Objectives

Programme

Client comments

Open course

In-house course

Learning objectives

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• structure your reports effectively
• understand and meet the needs of your readers
• develop powerful arguments
• prepare executive summaries
• communicate your ideas clearly and concisely
• use tables, graphs and diagrams appropriately
• write compelling recommendations
• use editing techniques to improve the quality of your reports.

Morning session

An overview of report writing

• The value of reports as management tools
• The types of reports
• The secrets of success
• The five-stage approach to effective report writing:
  • Clarifying the objectives
  • Researching
  • Planning
  • Writing
  • Editing and proofreading

Getting the objectives clear

• Working with stakeholders to clarify needs and objectives
• Writing a statement of objectives
• Using your statement to focus your research

Planning before you write

• The importance of planning
• Preparing an outline
• Anticipating and answering possible objections
• Identifying the readers' needs
• Selecting the best tone and style

Structuring your report

• Why structure matters
• Essential principles - a clear message and a logical flow
• Models for structuring information reports
• Models for structuring research reports
• Using a template

Constructing an argument

• Techniques for forming arguments and building your case
• Finding the words that will help you achieve your objectives

Following the principles of 'plain English'

• Writing in a clear, straightforward style
• Getting to the point and being succinct
• Avoiding ambiguity
• Using appropriate headings in a clear hierarchy
• Using tables and diagrams to aid understanding
• Using bullet points to simplify or summarise

Afternoon session

Writing recommendations

• Linking your recommendations to your findings
• Sorting and ordering your recommendations
• Giving your opinions in a clear but balanced way

Writing an executive summary

• Understanding the purpose of a summary
• Choosing the appropriate structure
• Deciding what to include
• Knowing what to leave out

Editing your draft

• A review of editing techniques
• Improving the structure
• Questioning coverage and completeness
• Ensuring the readers' will respond with interest and action

Proofreading your report

• Key proofreading techniques
• Correcting inconsistencies and applying corporate style

Further development

• Reference sources
• Post-course support

More information

The Report Writing course is available both as an open course and as an in-house course, which we would run at your premises.

For further details about open Report Writing courses, including pricing and a list of venues and dates of upcoming courses, click here. For more information about the in-house Report Writing course, click here.

Top of page...

“Probably the best course I have attended. It was clear, well structured and delivered at the right pace. The exercises really brought it alive.”

Mark Gormley
Head of Asset Management
The Guinness Partnership

“I was very pleased with this course. I found there was a wealth of good advice and rules we can build into our report writing. Thank you for your high-quality work and input. It has been a good investment.”

Judith Shepherd
Head of Internal Audit
City & Guilds

“The evaluations were extremely positive with all scoring the session as very good or excellent. Participants also felt that the course was very relevant and that they learnt a lot that they could apply to their own reports.”

Amanda Hudson
Head of CPD and Training
Bradford Hospitals Trust

Summary

• 1 day
• 9.30am to 4.30pm
• Small groups
• Certificates
• A year of free support
• £395.00 + VAT
• 20% discount for registered charities

Venues and dates

The Report Writing course calendar

To book a course on-line simply click the date that interests you.

January 2018	February 2018	March 2018	April 2018
M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S
May 2018	June 2018	July 2018	August 2018
M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S	M T W T F S S

	Course will be held in London		Course will be held in Manchester		Course is fully booked
	Course will be held in Bristol		Course will be held in Exeter

Running the Report Writing course in-house

The Report Writing course can be run as in-house training anywhere in the world. If you have a group of staff who need the same skills, this option is convenient and cost-effective. It is powerful too, because we can provide a course that is specifically designed to achieve your objectives.

Tailored to your needs

The standard programme is available as in-house training, but you may prefer us to tailor it to match the needs of your staff and your organisation. Tailoring can include:

• adjusting the length of the programme
• adding or removing topics
• using your reports as examples and exercises
• incorporating your templates
• taking account of your style guide and tone of voice.

Flexibility

An in-house course is fully flexible. Tell us what you want to achieve and we will work with you to design a course to match. Tell us when you would like to run the course and we will find a date that suits you.

Free support

Every course we run comes with a year of free support for each participant. We recognise that people do not think of every question on the day of the training. Our support service gives them the opportunity to ask their tutor an unlimited number of questions in the year following the course. In this way they continue to build their skills and confidence.

Ask us for a quotation

The cost of an in-house course depends on a number of things, including its length, its location and how much preparation we need to do. We can readily give you a quotation, so please contact us to discuss your needs.