| Hi Everybody, | | | | that they are well-written, reliable and easy to read. |
| Today I'm starting a new series of articles on Report | | | | They are challenging to write because you have to |
| Writing. | | | | collect, summarize and interpret quantities of data for a |
| You know them, those things that cause you the most | | | | specific audience (reader/user). They are also written |
| anguish in your business life. They hold your business | | | | for a specific purpose and you need to compile your |
| success in their pages and your failure is guaranteed | | | | report with this purpose in mind. |
| by your roller-coaster approach to writing them. | | | | A further challenge in report writing is to present your |
| So what is this monster? | | | | report in a format that is both professional and |
| A report is defined as an account of some event, | | | | appealing to the reader. It therefore must be typed, the |
| situation, project, etc, prepared for the benefit of | | | | spelling and grammar checked, it must be proof-read |
| others, which usually provides information obtained | | | | and neatly collated. |
| through research and or investigation. | | | | There are many types of reports: financial, progress, |
| With many other forms of written communication you | | | | project, research, case- study, proposal, cost-benefit |
| can be a little creative and put your own slant on your | | | | analysis, health and safety, technical, periodic, |
| words, in a report you must not. (Well, in theory, | | | | workplace accidents, useless, full-of-it and the list goes |
| anyway!) | | | | on...But I want to discuss mainly to reports for use in |
| This does not mean that reports need to be dull and | | | | the business environment. |
| boring. It does, however, mean that in a business report | | | | So what is a good report? |
| you need to differentiate clearly between what is fact | | | | Sorry...there's no objective opinion of a "good report". |
| and what is opinion. Your facts need to be reliable and | | | | When someone defines a report as "good" they are |
| accurate, your opinions objective and based on fact. | | | | referring to one which effectively conveys what the |
| A report is as much a communication tool as it is a | | | | writer wants and can be used by the audience to |
| decision making tool and as such can have | | | | whom it is directed. |
| far-reaching consequences. It is therefore important | | | | |