If you want to inform your audience, then you must present the facts matter-of-factly, and in logical order. Don't infuse suggestions, or try to convince your audience of anything. Simply write the facts. Follow the pyramid structure we introduced in the last lesson to write the report. You want to write a report in a way that will make your audience say, "This is what I needed to know."
On the other hand, if you want to persuade your audience to take action, you still want to present the facts. However, you want to present them in a way that your audience sees your point of view. We will cover persuasive writing in more detail later in this course, when we discuss proposals.
In other words, don't beat around the proverbial bush. Get straight to the point.This starts with your summary statement, when you consolidate the most important information and your main message – as briefly as possible. You should be direct in every section of your report, not just the Summary compartment. State all the facts. Give all the information the audience will need and nothing more. In addition, make sure to write in the first person and use the active voice. Don't forget to use the report pyramid to present your information in a logical order and make sure you give your audience all the information they need.
Remember that when you're writing a report, you are writing it to a person. You are talking to that person using the written word. Write in nearly the same manner in which you would speak to them. This means using the first person. When you write using the first person, you essentially insert yourself into what you write.
Write: "I discovered" instead of, "it was discovered."
Write: "When we discussed this," instead of "This matter was discussed on…"
When you write, imagine that your audience is sitting on the other side of your desk. Imagine you are in a meeting with your audience. You want to engage them. You want them to have interest in the information you are presenting. Which is more engaging?
"A report was submitted to Human Resources on…"
"I submitted my report to you on…"
While the first example above may sound more professional to some of you, the truth is it sounds less engaging and a lot more boring. Remember that your audience consists of people, not robots. Talk to people. Talk directly to your audience. Your reports will be more effective when you do.
By definition, active voice is when the subject of your sentence performs the action of the verb. Passive voice is when the subject of a sentence receives a verb's action.
Take a look at the two sentences below.
"Joe investigated the problem."
"The problem was investigated by Joe."
The first sentence is an example of the active voice. Joe is the subject, and he performs the action of the verb -- investigated.
In the second sentence, Joe receives the verb's action -- investigated by Joe.
Active voice is also the briefest and most direct way to write a sentence.
"Amy misfiled the paperwork."
"The paperwork was misfiled by Amy."
Once again, the first sentence is written in active voice, because Amy (the subject) performs the action of the verb (misfiled). However, you can also see that the active voice is the briefest and most direct way to write the sentence.
Don't add words that aren't needed in a sentence. This is what's called clutter. Let's take a look at a few examples to see what we mean:
"Joe slowly investigated the huge problem."
"Slowly" and "huge" are not needed in the sentence. They are clutter. You know they are clutter, because you can take them out, and they will say the same thing.
"Joe investigated the problem."
There's no need to say how quickly he investigated the problem or how big the problem was.
Here's another example:
"The tool is used frequently by other members of the staff."
Let's identify the clutter in the sentence by underlining them for you below.
"The tool is used frequently by other members of the staff."
Now let's remove them from the sentence. We'll see the meaning of the sentence doesn't change.
"The tool is used by the staff."
You may think it's important to add the word "frequently" to your sentence as you write. Perhaps the staff does use the tool frequently, and it's important that you stress that in your report. However, here's something to keep in mind: Whenever you use words that represent time, such as frequently, write out the actual time, if it's important to your report.
"The tool is used three times a day by the staff."
Once again, if it's important to mention a frequency or a reference to time, just write out the frequency or time. If you discover that the frequency or time is not needed for the report, then it becomes clutter.
Remember, reports should be as brief as possible -- and direct. You want to include all the needed facts, but you do not want to add things you don't need or clutter it up with unneeded words.
You also want to use simple words, whenever possible. A lot of new writers make the mistake of trying to show off their vocabulary by using "million dollar" words. Million dollar words are lesser-used synonyms for other words.
Here are some examples:
Use words that you would use in everyday conversation, whenever possible. Keep the language that you use as simple as possible, and keep your words as brief as possible.
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