Course description

If you write reports, briefings, committee papers or monthly updates at work, this course shows you how to plan, structure and write reports that busy people read, understand and act on.

You start with what a work report is and how to pin down its purpose, readers and decision. You plan with terms of reference, a clear scope and good questions, then learn the standard structure and the shorter formats. You write an executive summary that stands alone, write in plain English with the right tone, and use headings, numbering and layout so readers can find their way, including readers who use assistive technology. You present numbers fairly in tables and charts, draw conclusions the evidence supports, write SMART recommendations and handle personal data with care. Then you review, edit, proofread, get sign-off and present your report to a meeting.

There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, each with a worked example, common slips, questions people often ask and a short exercise to try, and each section ends with a short quiz. You follow Siofra, a customer services officer at a made-up housing association, as she writes her first full report, from the request to the committee meeting. Every section has a practice pack with a worksheet, an answer key and a cheat sheet, plus templates for five kinds of report, a planning sheet, executive summary exercises with model answers, before and after rewrites, a numbers and charts spreadsheet, a recommendations worksheet, an editing checklist, a proofreading exercise with an answer key and a glossary. The final project is an evaluation report written from a notes and data pack, with a model report to compare against.

What you'll learn

• What a work report is: what makes writing a report, progress, incident, investigation and evaluation reports, recommendation reports, committee papers, briefing notes and monthly updates, and the purpose, readers and decision behind each one.
• Planning a report: terms of reference, scope, the questions a report must answer, gathering evidence, a planning sheet and a timetable worked back from the deadline.
• The structure of a report: the standard parts, the golden thread, titles and introductions, method, findings and analysis, conclusions, recommendations, appendices and shorter formats.
• The executive summary: what goes in, a summary that stands alone, cover sheets and ask lines, and cutting a summary to a word limit.
• Plain English and tone: plain words, short sentences, the active voice, a neutral, confident and fair tone, wordy phrases, jargon and acronyms.
• Headings, layout and accessibility: message headings, numbering, signposting, lists, white space, accessible reports as GOV.UK describes them, templates and consistency.
• Numbers, tables and charts: presenting figures fairly, percentages and percentage points, averages, clear tables, simple charts with alt text and charts that mislead.
• Evidence, conclusions and recommendations: judging and citing evidence, sound conclusions, SMART recommendations, options and risks, and personal data in reports.
• Reviewing, sign-off and presenting: reviewing structure and argument, editing, proofreading and checking figures, feedback and sign-off, presenting to a meeting and what happens next.
• Final project: a short evaluation report on a made-up community centre's pilot drop-in, written from a notes and data pack, with a complete model report.

Who it's for

Office staff, team leaders, and public sector and charity workers who write reports, briefings, board or committee papers and updates as part of their job, or who are about to. You don't need any experience of writing reports.

What this course is, and isn't

This is an introduction to report writing at work. It isn't a professional qualification, and your own organisation's templates and house style always come first. It names no software or companies: tools are described by type, so the skills work wherever you use them. Public guidance, such as GOV.UK's writing and accessibility guidance, the Analysis Function's guidance on charts and the guidance on personal data from the Information Commission (still known as the ICO), is described as it read when the course was written. Siofra and every other person, organisation and figure in the course are fictional.

What will I learn?

• Explain what a work report is, choose the right type and pin down its purpose, readers and decision
• Plan a report with terms of reference, a clear scope, answerable questions, sound evidence and a timetable
• Structure a full report from title page to appendices, and choose a shorter format when it fits
• Write an executive summary that stands alone, with a clear ask, and cut it to a word limit
• Write in plain English with short sentences, the active voice and a neutral, confident and fair tone
• Use message headings, numbering, signposting and accessible layout, backed by a template and a style sheet
• Present figures fairly, with clear tables, simple charts, alt text, percentages and averages
• Draw conclusions the evidence supports, write SMART recommendations, compare options and handle personal data with care
• Review, edit and proofread a report, handle feedback, get sign-off and present it to a meeting
• Write a short evaluation report from a notes and data pack, and check it against a model report

Frequently asked questions