Skills Enhancement on Report Writing Techniques in the Public Sector

Course Overview:

A technical report is more than a mere representation of facts about a situation. An effective report can move people towards taking a desired course of action. Moreover, the quality of a report can influence how its subject matter is perceived by the reader. In this course, we will describe the different types of reports. We will master the structuring and scoping of reports, from conception to completion. We will also learn to write for our specific audience with a tangible sense of purpose. Finally, we will discover a logical approach towards developing visual aids to support our representation of the facts, conclusions, and recommendations that comprise the report.

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course, the participants will be able to:

Write purposeful business and technical reports that meet readers' requirements
Utilize different templates and report types to achieve reporting objectives
Generate reliable conclusions effectively by researching, analyzing and organizing information
Provide evidence-backed recommendations to support management decision making
Use visual aids appropriately to support the presentation of information
Apply advanced methodologies to make every report a winning report

Course Coverage:

Topic 1: The Report Writing Process:

Report writing overview
5 easy Steps to report writing
Understanding your audience
Articulating intended purpose
Planning content and style
Employing essential writing building blocks
Business writing: express or impress?

Topic 2: Reporting Structure:

Structuring tools
Arranging different sections of a report
Writing captivating introductions
Conducting research and analysis
Delivering evidence-backed findings
Deriving unbiased conclusions
Tools and methodologies for deriving recommendations
Bringing it all together: a cohesive and coherent report
Storytelling elements

Topic 3: Report Types and Templates:

Recognizing different reporting structures
Matching reports to situations
6 reporting types
Investigative reports
Progress and status reports
Periodic reports
Instructional reports
Proposals
Financial reports
Reporting templates

Topic 4: The Power of Visual Aids:

Using visual aids
Principles for designing visual aids
Recognizing different visual aids
The role of visual aids
Applying principles of design
Using images, diagrams, graphs, charts and tables for impact
Integrating visual aids into a Report
Essential visual aid checklist

Topic 5: Reports That Win:

Elements of Winning reports
Using writing tone effectively
Applying scientific tools and methodologies
Mastering the 'so what?'
Building rapport
Mastering editing techniques

Targeted Groups:

This course is perfect for those who are required to prepare technical reports such as engineers, safety officers, technicians, accountants, managers, and others