WRITTEN REPORT

WRITTEN REPORT

Written reports have emerged as very useful tools in decision-making in large organizations. Usually some vital decisions are taken and if companies have to survive and grow in competitive environments, quality and reliability of decisions must be world class. This requires great care while preparing the written reports. Six important steps are:

 Knowing the purpose of the report
 Visualizing the reader(s)
 Choosing the ideas
 Collecting all facts and data backing the ideas
 Organizing ideas in the most effective manner
 Writing, rewriting and rewriting


(1) Knowing the purpose of the report
Reports are generally investigative in nature. The senior management while appointing the task force or team to look in to the issue(s) must indicate the purpose. Sometimes, the purpose is vague in the beginning and after some initial exploration, the real purpose becomes clearer.
However, in all events, readers, even before they begin to go through the reports, should know the purpose of the writer. It is always difficult to grasp the ideas if the purpose of the report is not clear.
This highlights the importance of crafting a good title for the report. The wordings of the title of the report should cover the purpose in a precise, concise and specific manner.

(2) Visualizing the reader(s)
Reports should adapt to the mental frame of the readers. Since business reports have limited circulation, it is easier to visualize the possible readers and identify their business and professional background:
 Bosses, peers or subordinates
 Gender – man or woman
 Age – young, middle-aged or old
 Length of service with the firm – new or old associate
If report is meant for a larger group, the typical characteristics of the receivers must be visualized and borne in mind while writing the report. In short, writers must have a healthy love and respect for their readers – report has to attract and sustain their attention!

(3) Choosing the ideas
After knowing the purpose, the various ideas that come to mind must be written succinctly. Here effort should be made to jot down all the possible key words of the ideas that flash in the mind of the writer. After writing down the ideas, next step is to sequence them in some logical and systematic way for making it easier for the readers to understand and grasp the ideas.

(4) Collecting all facts and data backing the ideas
The writers must remember that the written report has to be a very compelling document supporting the ideas you want to sell to your superiors, peers and subordinates. Here writers should make a list of the ideas in the left half of the paper and then on the corresponding right half, write the data / facts that must be collected in support of those ideas. This draft action plan would save time and effort of the team who would collect the relevant data required for the subject.
Having collected all the relevant data, writers must edit in terms of the most suitable sequencing of the ideas for influencing the receivers. For ease of readability, all the data may not have to be put in the main body of the report – detailed tables, charts etc may be put in the appendices at the end of the report. Only the summary of the data may be put in the main body to ensure the write up moves forward with every paragraph.

(5) Organizing ideas in the most effective manner
The order in which the ideas will be presented is as important as the ideas themselves. The discipline of translating your thoughts in to appropriate words and organizing these thoughts and words logically has no equal in the intellectual training. This process of „wordsmithy‟ is very invigorating and satisfying to the writers of any communication, especially the business reports.

(6) Writing, rewriting and rewriting …..
It is well known secret of the industry that good authors, journalists and correspondents write, rewrite and rewrite…….. To be able to do it, contents have to be rewritten repeatedly with a view to improving them; it also requires an innate respect and love for the readers.
To revise any draft effectively, it should be read objectively and with a fresh mind from the viewpoint of the readers. Writers must read paragraph by paragraph and check the continuity of the ideas. Every word, figure and image must be checked thoroughly.
Wherever possible, consider suggestions from knowledgeable colleagues and subordinates.