Business report writing is a skill often overlooked by both employees and employers at the recruitment stage. Yet it is an essential skill for operation in most organisational departments.
Consider the numerous instances where reports are required - monthly sales reports, project progress reports, research and evaluation reports. The list is endless.
And if any organisation is competing in today?s work environment, then a good business proposal is integral to winning more business expansion opportunities.
Bev Riemer, specialist training consultant at Corporate College International says, "Most of us did not receive formal training on how to write such reports and proposals effectively.'
So we asked Bev to give us some good advice on making report and proposal writing more professional.
Report versus Proposal. What?s the difference?
Many people use the terms "business report? and "business proposal? interchangeably. However, the key difference between the two written forms lies in the purpose. Riemer explains that a business report?s key purpose is to inform its readers of details or events from the past.
In contrast, a business proposal focuses on the future with the aim of persuading its readers to some form of action.
Riemer does add that confusion may occur when some reports grow into proposals. This occurs when a "recommendations? section is added to a business report, prompting some future action or event.
Therefore it is integral to remember the past and future foci to differentiate between reports and proposals respectively.
Renewed call for assistance with Report and Proposal Writing
Riemer mentions that there is a renewed call for assistance with report and proposal writing. She attributes this need to a lack of formal training on these forms of writing in both the secondary and tertiary education systems.
Therefore, when an employee enters the organisation and is asked to write a report or proposal, they are unable to do so without some apprehension.
In today?s working context, e-mail is the new king of communication. Reports and proposals reach their audiences primarily through this form of communication. This means that more attention needs to be paid to the way in which the written word is delivered.
"The average manager receives 200 e-mails in a day. They are overwhelmed by the written word. This calls for language to be used more succinctly. Less is more since your report or proposal is competing with e-mails from other employees,' explains Riemer.
Common problems associated with Business Reports and Proposals
Riemer, an expert facilitator of business and report writing, identified two common problems associated with report and proposal writing.
? Inappropriate language
New styles of communication with their abbreviated forms of language such as text messaging and Mxit have interfered with the way people write. These short forms find their way into business writing and this is highly inappropriate given the type of audience being addressed in the corporate environment.
? Lack of clear framework
Riemer further explains that employees are not achieving the purpose/s of their reports or proposals because they are not using a clear framework in the form of a template. This leads to inconsistency every time an employee submits a report.
Using computer software to enhance reports and proposals
Riemer highlighted graphics as an important point of interest when using computer software. Representing information through colour pie-charts and bar-charts makes for more interesting reading. This breaks the monotony of pages of text.
However, Riemer warns that the computer software used to generate the report or proposal must be easily available to the readers. Do not expect your reader to download special software in order to open your document. Chances are that your report or proposal will remain unopened in this case.
A Basic Report or Proposal Writing Template
In her experience, Riemer often encounters employees from different departments in one organisation using various templates to generate reports and proposals. This creates inconsistency in the organisation.
"Organisations should agree on a standard template for all departments to use to ensure consistency,' she explains.
It is in the best interests of the organisation to standardise their report and proposal templates. Employees enter and exit organisations through natural attrition. If standard templates are available, new employees can easily generate the required reports or proposals and organisational consistency is maintained.
Valuable Business Report and Proposal Writing Tips
The current work climate is characterised by quicker turn-around times and longer meetings. Given organisational time constraints, Riemer provided Skills Portal readers with valuable advice to produce professional reports or proposals.
Firstly, she reiterates that an agreed organisational template should be maintained for consistency. This is timely advice for the HR professional profiling jobs within the organisation.
Employees that are required to produce reports or proposals as part of their roles should be made aware of the company templates and these should be easily available.
In compiling reports or proposals, Riemer suggests that the following three questions be asked:
1. Why am I writing this report? This question establishes the purpose of the report.
2. Who am I writing this report/proposal for? This question establishes who the readers of the document will be.
This in turn influences the type of language that needs to be used i.e. if your audience is a group of software developers, technical jargon relating to the field would be easily understood.
This is in stark contrast to, if the same proposal was being sent to a group of HR officers.
3. What am I writing about in this report/proposal? This question focuses on the content of the report or proposal and influences the structure of the document e.g. whether to use headings and sub-headings or not.
Lastly, Riemer shares the ABCs of professional report and proposal writing as follows:
A - Accuracy
Make sure that the correct information is conveyed, both in the grammatical and technical sense.
B - Brevity
Ensure that the content of the report or proposal has been condensed efficiently. The use of bullet points and lists need to be considered in this instance.
C - Clarity
This refers to the clearness of structure e.g. the use of numbering. When using headings and sub-headings, ensure that the same pattern is followed throughout the report or proposal.
D - Design
The look and feel of the report or proposal plays a pivotal role in influencing the reader. Consider using colour and fonts that are suited to the professional context.
Page layout and line spacing are also important. Too much information can agitate the reader.
E - Emphasis
This is closely associated with the purpose of the report or proposal. At the end of the report, the question that needs to be answered is, "Have I achieved the purpose of this report/proposal??
Corporate College International (CCI) has recently launched a new course called Writing Professional Business Reports and Proposals which Bev Riemer facilitates.
Click here for more information
Full details for Corporate College International available here.
