About this course
Builds on basic report writing for staff who prepare analytical, board or policy reports. Topics include structuring an argument from evidence, writing executive summaries that decision-makers read, presenting data in tables and charts, writing recommendations with costs and risks, adapting reports for boards, regulators and committees, and editing for clarity and length. Delegates work on a report from their own job.
Why this course
Senior managers and boards often make decisions from the executive summary alone, so a report that buries its findings or hedges its recommendations wastes the analysis behind it. Experienced writers who sharpen their structure and argument produce shorter reports that lead to clearer decisions and fewer requests for rework.
What delegates will be able to do
By the end of the course, delegates will be able to
- Structure an analytical report so that findings lead logically to recommendations
- Write a one-page executive summary suited to a board or executive committee
- Present financial or operational data in clear tables and charts
- Frame recommendations with options, costs, risks and implementation steps
- Edit a long draft to remove repetition and reduce its length
Who should attend
Managers, analysts, economists, engineers and senior officers who already write reports regularly and now prepare work for boards, executive committees, regulators or ministers. Delegates should be confident with basic report structure.
How it is delivered
Workshop-style sessions where delegates rewrite their own reports, with facilitator feedback, peer review and examples of strong and weak board papers. It is available as a public course, in-house at your premises, or as live virtual sessions. Duration and dates are confirmed in your quote, and in-house groups can have the examples and exercises fitted to their organisation.