Report writing: increase your impact & influence

Understand how business report writing differs from academic formats by using a reader-focused, concise, top-down structure that starts with what you'll say, then presents the body and the conclusion.

Identify the report's purpose by clarifying audience and goals, then inform, analyze, and compare costs year over year, make recommendations to influence readers to act, and seek clarity when needed.

Develop a compelling report outline and content strategy, learn four strategies to improve readability, and master writing an effective executive summary with practical examples.

Create a logical report outline by grouping questions into sections with headings, prioritizing readers' key questions, and aligning sections like impact of losses and recommended actions.

Use more verbs to energize business reports, reduce word count, and boost clarity by converting nouns to verbs and presenting data clearly.

Use simple language to keep reports easy to read, engaging, and concise in a time-poor business world, and explain abbreviations or terminology when needed.

Learn to avoid certain phrases, rephrase sentences to be more concise and to the point, and use your judgment to preserve meaning without losing it.

Improve report flow by choosing the right structure: use bullet points, numbering, or small paragraphs to guide readers. Avoid unintended hierarchy and tailor the approach to the report type.

Proofread your report after writing to catch mistakes affecting credibility, and learn 11 common mistakes and five strategies, plus download cheat sheet 'proofreading on a page' in the bonus section.

Apply five practical proofreading strategies—breaks, spell check, text-to-speech, print-and-annotate, and a final scan—to improve your reports and reader impact.