How to write a punchy report

It’s not just about perfect grammar; you need to catch the reader’s attention by being clear and accurate, writes TANIA NGIMA

One of the most useful but taken for granted skills in careers and business remains being able to write good reports. This skill is easily extended into arenas such as studies and even job applications.

However, good reports are not just about perfect grammar; you need to catch and hold the reader’s attention, give the perfect amount of information; neither too much nor too little and most importantly, a report needs to be clear and accurate.

Structure

The structure of a report will depend on its purpose. If preparing a quarter one performance report in lieu of your appraisal, for example, you need to tie your objectives for the year and the quarter to actual deliverables and of course, show your performance in the most positive light.

Being able to draw this connection early in the report sets the stage for the reader and makes it easy to hold his or her attention. While reports are different, they tend to follow largely the same structure; the introduction, the main body that includes the main discussions and finally the conclusion, summary or recommendations.

It is important and probably even time saving to come up with a quick draft of the structure before you start to write the actual report, this will help with logical flow and you can tweak this for most impact.

Easy to read

‘Be kind to your reader’ is a phrase used quite a bit in relation to any written work. Having pages upon pages of text presented without any regard for proper formatting or eyesight fatigue will not win you any favours, no matter how stellar the content is. Try, if you can to use the following:

•Use headings for each paragraph addressing a different topic and put this in bold to create variety in the text and focus the reader’s interest and attention.

•Use bullet points where appropriate.

•Stick to the rule of three as much as you can, it is said that the short-term memory is only capable of holding onto about three items of information. This also applies to presentations.

•When you get to the end of a report, ensure that you highlight the main message in the report, the most important points that you want to get across.

Context specific

Always remember the context in which you are writing your report with respect to technical language, diagrams, pie charts and visual tools.

Tailor the report for the specific individuals, for example, a report on equipment performance in quarter one to the directors will be different from a report on the same to the engineers in charge of repairs. Always ensure that any facts presented in the report are accurate, true and verifiable.