Business reports come in all shapes and sizes from brief one-page duty reports to multichapter analyses. There is no set work report format since each one needs a unique style and structure. They key thing to keep in mind is why your boss needs the report. Focus on giving her the precise information she needs to make a well-considered business decision.
Know Who You Are Writing For
It is crucial that you understand why you are writing the report or you may include incorrect information. Be direct and ask your supervisor what he is going to do with the report. Is it for his eyes only or will he be distributing the report to higher-ups or multiple departments? Will a strategy person be reading it or a numbers person? Remember, you may not be writing just for your boss. Your report should speak to the end audience and be clear enough that readers can quickly grasp what is important.
Gather Your Data
The data are the centerpiece of your report. Your words are only there to help your readers understand the data. So, spend some time collecting and organizing all the statistics, financial data, tables, graphs and metrics you need. Place these on a page. The data will form the body of your report and you will build the words around it. Use the data to decide the key points you are going to be making, then write a few bullet points that highlight these areas. Make sure each point flows logically from the next. Use the bullets to help you flesh out the main part of your report.
Lay Out the Key Sections
Whatever the type of report, it will consist of the following sections:
- Title
- Executive summary.
- Introduction – why you are writing the report, the background to it and your method for gathering information.
- Main body – the areas you have bulleted. Use sub-headings
here if you have a lot of information.
- Conclusion or recommendation, based on your findings.
These sections are your layout, then start filling in the detail. Most people find it easier to write the main body of the report before filling out the introduction and conclusion.
Finish With the Executive Summary
Although it appears at the beginning of your report, the Executive Summary will be the last thing you write. That's because it's a summary of the major areas listed in your report. What are the key findings? What should happen next? While your supervisor will read the whole report, some high-level decision-makers might only read the Executive Summary, so make sure it lists the salient points. Keep it short. One or two paragraphs is enough, or you can list the information as bullet points.
Final Checks
If your company has a style guide, edit your document to make sure it is compliant. Otherwise, check you are writing in clear English and use industry terminology consistently. Make the report easy to scan by including sub-heads to describe the paragraphs that follow and pull out main facts using bold print. This will help your supervisor to find the information she needs. If there is time, have someone peruse your report and critique it. Is the language clear and simple? Do your main points and recommendations come through clearly? Finally, proofread for spelling and grammar errors. You will lose credibility if you forget to run a basic spell check.
Video Transcript
Hi, so your coworkers creating the headings for report, what advice would you give her? And I think these are like what, three multiple choices or something. Um Okay, so the first thing you put is in close headings and quotations. I would avoid quotations at all costs. I mean it's really looks doesn't look that we do quotations in headings heading to be original things without quotations uh use headings that contain eight or more words that's false. It should be eight or less. You don't want long headings. We're talking about the title right now. Okay. Like you don't want H beta rewards and a title eight or less. Air Less makes more sense. Alright. Capitalize and underlying carefully and correctly. That's correct. That's yeah, this is the that's the right answer. If that if that's multiple choice, it's just kind of how it looks in the how this looks to me. Um So yeah, I mean the first two are really wrong and the third one's right. So there you go. Have a good day.
2. Report Formats and Heading LevelsYour coworker is creating the headings for a report. What advice should you give her?Keep headings short but clear.Parallel construction is not important.Use three to four headings per report page.Points:
1 / 1Close ExplanationExplanation:To create effective headings, follow a few basic guidelines: use appropriate heading levels, strive forparallel construction, use first- and second-level headings for short reports, capitalize and underlinecarefully, keep headings short and clear, do not use headings as antecedents for pronouns, andinclude at least one heading per report page when appropriate.Review the following report excerpt, and complete the sentence.To: Tracy SmallmanFrom: Diane Martinez, Rene GuzmanDate: June 8, 2009Subject: Online Certificate Program Status ReportThe following status report provides an update on the progress of the Online Certificate Program. The