Report & Business Writing

For most organisations, the written word still plays a vital part of communication - but is it done as well as it could or should be? Our business report and writing courses can help...

Do you find reports difficult to write - and even more difficult to read? Do you either avoid writing if you can, and leave it to the last minute - or spend draft after draft agonising to get it right? If you do, these training courses will help you be more effective on paper, and even make the process easier and enjoyable.

Report writing: the 7-step plan overview

Too often, report writers try to get everything right at once. Under this process, report writing becomes more focused, more effective, and easier.

Steps 1 to 3: preparation and planning

Who is it for? Why are you writing it? What does it need to say? How will it be presented: report? letter? email? text? 4 key questions to ask - and to answer.

Step 4: getting the structure right

Reading is always easier if there is a clear and logical structure, one that helps the individual messages, and the overall case being made, to flow. There are a number of ways to structure your written work, so what are they, and which should you use?

Step 5: getting the tone right

It's not what you say, it's the way that you say it. How formal or informal should the language be? Should it be written in the active or passive tense? Are technical terms a useful shorthand, or jargon?

Step 6: layout and visuals

Much written work can be helped by the use of appropriate visuals - including the use of space, determined by layout. So what are the principles that guide visual support, and how and where should they be used?

Step 7: the final check

Is the grammar correct? The punctuation? And the spelling? (After all, no one deliberately misspells!) Does it pass the readability test, and does it contain any ambiguities that are open to misinterpretation? These, and other checkpoints need to be addressed.

Who is business writing training for?

Our business writing courses are ideal for those with responsibility for writing reports and other written formats, and who wish to learn or review good practice in terms of format, content and style. The courses are particularly relevant for anyone who wants to:

• Know how to construct a report in a step-by-step manner, to ensure each element of a successful report is properly and separately attended to.

• Make clear and confident choices about purpose, structure, content and style of any written work.

• Use plain English to ensure business writing is clear, accessible and effective.

• Minimise or remove altogether the need for redrafts, and achieve written work that is 'right first time, every time'.