As much as I love writing, business report writing was not always my favorite. As a creative, I used to perceive them as too rigid and overly structured. However, what I ended up realizing is that not only are they powerful tools to communicate your ideas in any business setting. They’re also a compelling way to express yourself creatively at work and in business, contrarily to popular (and negative) common perceptions.
If you’ve been in business for some time, you know how important it is to properly write business reports. These come in many formats and can be used for different purposes, yet they share the same essence and guiding principles. Most importantly, they can be used to successfully write your way to being positively noticed at work.
Successful business writing is not just reserved to a select few only. Neither is it restricted to a few guidelines that can prevent you from truly expressing your ideas. Instead, it boils down to understanding a few key pointers and being authentic to your own voice.
Here are 7 tips to successfully write any business report:
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Start with the end in mind
Before you even begin putting pen to paper, begin with the end objective in mind. What are you trying to accomplish in this report? What message are you sending to your audience? What are you trying to obtain through this report?
Defining your objective will set the direction for your report. When writing an audit report for instance, your objective is to express an opinion, whether positive or negative, resulting from the audit work performed as related to a certain process. Your objective will be to support this opinion throughout the report and clearly back up the results of your work. If you’re writing an informational report in which you’re not expressing any opinions for instance, your goal is simply to share information.
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Know your audience
Your business report has an intended audience in mind. Do you know who this audience is? Are you writing to a Board of Directors, your direct supervisor, or the head of the company? The nature of your audience will help you determine the nature, amount and extent of information included. You would not want to include highly detailed and analytical data if the report is intended for a strategy executive. Similarly, you wouldn’t want to skip on the numbers and financials section if your report will be read by financial analysts and accountants.
When in doubt, ask your direct manager whether the report is strictly for him/her, or if they intend to share it with other departments or higher-ups. If you’re a business owner, make sure that you’re clear as to who the report will be distributed to.
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Find and organize your data
Business reports are organized around data. While you must build a compelling story around it, the data is still at the center of it. Set aside enough time to collect, understand and organize the data you will need to build a convincing report. When in doubt, go back to the report’s objective, and ask yourself if the data you’re collecting is supporting the goal(s) you’re trying to achieve through this report.
Once you have found the data you need, you can now use it to flesh out your report.
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Tell a story around the data
The next step is to create a story around the data you have gathered. Build the story so that it naturally evolves and integrates the data. What is the data telling the readers or the audience you intend it for? Each data point should naturally flow to the next, so as to create a logical flow.
At the end of the day, the information you have aggregated is meant to tell a story with a beginning, a middle and an end.
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Set your key sections
While there are many types of business reports, they should include the following basic sections:
- Title
- Executive Summary
- Introduction
- Main body
- Conclusion or recommendation
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End with the beginning in mind
As you may have noted from the various sections listed above, the Executive Summary appears at the beginning of the report. As its name indicates, it is the summary of the major areas outlined in the report. The Executive Summary usually identifies the key findings, as well as the next steps to take.
Keep in mind that while your manager may read the entire report, other higher executives may limit themselves to the Executive Summary. This is why it’s important to outline the report’s key points. However, you should keep it to one or two paragraphs only.
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Clean up time
Don’t forget this last step, which may be one of the most crucial ones. Edit your document to reflect your company’s style guide, and check for any grammatical or syntax errors. Another tip is to ensure that the document is easily readable, by structuring it in a scannable way, with bullet points, sub-heads and even bold print, as applicable.
You may even have someone critique or review your report before submitting it. Some of the questions to ask your reviewer include:
- Is the language clear and understandable?
- Are your main points and recommendations apparent?
- Is your report free of errors?
In conclusion, here’s a quick recap of the 7 steps to follow whenever writing a business report:
- Start with the end in mind
- Know your audience
- Find and organize your data
- Tell a story around the data
- Set your key sections
- End with the beginning in mind
- Clean up time
Now your turn: What are your best tips to write business reports?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sister.
