Writing a report for work? Here are 8 questions you MUST ask

Below is a transcript of the video.

Does your job require you to write reports? 

And if so, do you find report writing a daunting task? 

Or maybe you’ve never written a report before — and you don’t know where to start.

Have no fear, I’m here to help by sharing with you the 8 questions I think you really need to ask before you start drafting that report.

If you start by getting the answers to these questions before you write you’ll be well on the way to producing a successful report. 

By the way, if you don’t know me, I’m Dr Clare Lynch of the Doris & Bertie Writing School, and with this channel I’m on a mission to help you become a better, more confident, more persuasive writer.  

At the end of this video, I’m going to be sharing details of a giveaway that will help you write much more powerful reports, so do stick around for the details.

In the meantime, let’s dive right in with my 8 questions you MUST ask before you start drafting your business report, starting with number 1:

1.      WHO ELSE IS INVOLVED?

So, in my day job as a writer and writing teacher I’ve helped many executives at large organisations improve their report writing. And so here’s a really important thing that training work I’ve done with them has taught me about writing reports in the workplace:

If a report fails to achieve its goal or is generally badly written, it’s rarely the sole fault of the main writer of the report.

I said the main writer there because that’s the point about producing reports in the workplace. It’s often a collaborative effort with multiple people pitching in. And a key factor in the success of any business report is the organisation’s overall process for managing that collaboration. 

And, in fact, the larger the company you work for the more opportunities there are for your report to end up being ineffective or poorly constructed in some way.

And that’s simply because there are probably going to be more people pitching in or invited to provide input into your report.

So the first question to consider is who’s help you’re going to need, and along with that, how can you make the collaborative writing process more efficient and less painful for everyone involved.

Now, one way to minimise the pain is to be absolutely clear on expectations. What’s expected of you as a writer, and those you’re collaborating with. But above all what’s expected of the report. 

So the next seven questions are all about meeting those expectations. Because with any writing task, establishing clear expectations from the outset is absolutely key. 

As a copywriter, I’d never write anything without a strong brief - and none of my copywriting clients would expect me to either. That’s why, before I start writing I always ask my clients to fill in a briefing form that captures the audience, purpose, style and content of the piece.

Likewise, if you start writing a report without a clear idea of what’s expected, you risk producing something vastly different from what your manager had in mind. You also risk having your report-writing task derailed by other people and their input.

So let’s turn to the other questions you all need to be clear on before you sit down to write your report. So everyone’s on the same page, and you as the main writer produce a report that lives up to expectations

2. WHAT’S MY WORD COUNT?

Should your report be a snappy 1,000 words? 

Or a more considered 5,000 words?

Or something even more in depth at 10,000 or 30,000 words?

There’s no one set word count for a business report so establishing that expectation is a crucial first step.

And it’s not just that you’ll have an idea of what’s expected of you and your end product.

It’s also that having a word count to write to will give you — and those you’re collaborating with — the discipline to leave out the unnecessary detail that’ll cloud your message. 

Oh, and here’s a really important thing: make sure you write toward a word count, not a page count. 

If your organisation measures documents by page count, I guarantee half your reports will look like this with tiny margins and 8pt text.    

I’ve seen so many reports that look like this and it’s always because the writer - or writers - have been given a page count rather than a word count which leads to a lack of discipline about leaving out unnecessary detail. And that’s compounded even further when you’ve got numerous contributors pitching in with stuff they think is essential. 

Having a tight word count can enforce that discipline on everyone involved.  

So be sure to agree with your manager - or whoever it is that’s asked you to produce the report - on what your report’s word count should be in advance.

OK, question 3

3. HOW SHOULD THE REPORT LOOK?  

A successful report will meet the expectations of your reader in terms of look, feel and format. So some things to think about here include:

Is there a set format? 

Are certain sections required - like an executive summary terms of reference or a separate section on recommendations? 

If it’s your first time writing a report for your employer be sure to find out if the organisation has any existing templates that could or should be used to produce a set layout? 

Best of all, perhaps see if the person asking you to produce the report can provide a previous report they liked? One that more or less reflects what they’re looking for?  

Question 4.

4. SHOULD I USE A PARTICULAR STYLE GUIDE?   

A style guide is simply a document that records how to present information clearly and consistently - especially when you have options.

For example, as an organisation, do you write: 

22 February or 22nd February? 

Emphasize or emphasise? 

10% or ten per cent? 

In each case, both options are possible, but to maintain credibility with your readers, you want to make sure you stick with one approach throughout the entire document — and a style guide will tell you which to use.

Following a style guide eliminates the brain ache of having to make decisions about small formatting issues like the ones we’ve just seen. Some organisations - especially large companies - have their own style guide. Others might adhere to an external source, such as The Economist Style Guide. Either way, ask before you start writing.   

Question 5 you need to ask and answer before writing. And this is a really important one. 

5. WHO IS MY READER?   

This is the most fundamental question with any piece of business writing.

Understanding what motivates your reader is key to getting them to read, keep reading and, ultimately, be persuaded by your words. So things to think about here include:

What’s my reader’s name? Even if you’re writing for multiple readers, it’s always a good idea to have a single, named reader in mind when you sit down and write. That way, you’ll write in a much clearer, more direct and persuasive way. 

Also, think about things like:

What’s her job title? This is useful to think about because, for example an IT specialist and a member of the marketing team are going to have very different needs and levels of knowledge from each other. And your report needs to meet those needs and expectations.

On that same note, think about questions like:

What does she know about my topic? 

What doesn’t she know? 

Think, too, about where she’s coming from - and where you want her to be after reading. So things like:

What problem that she has will I address in my report?

What are her hopes and dreams? 

What keeps her awake at night?

And what objections might she have to my message?

The answers to these questions will help you stay focused on meeting your reader’s needs when writing your report.

So let’s turn to a question that’s closely related to that question of who you’re writing for.

Question number 6.

6. WHY AM I WRITING THIS REPORT?

As well as knowing who your reader is, you should also be clear on what you want that reader to do, know, think or feel after reading your report.

Are you seeking a particular decision, for example, such as the approval of a budget or go-ahead for a project? 

In other words, what’s your call to action? 

Asking these questions won’t just help you establish your ‘why’ - the reason you’re writing the report in the first place. It will also keep your writing focused on making sure your report achieves its objectives.

Another way to think about this question of “what do I want my reader to do, know think or feel after reading?” is to ask question number 7:

7. WHAT’S MY KEY MESSAGE?

Before you sit down to write, it’s vital to have really clear in your head the number one thing you want your reader to take away from the report.

And that key message needs to be really obvious. 

For example, it should be right up there in your executive summary - maybe even your opening line.

If your key message is a recommendation you’re making it will obviously be very clearly up front and signposted in the recommendations section if you have one. Establishing your key message in advance is all the more important if you’re collaborating with others on your report.

So before you start writing, you need to agree ahead of time what it is you as a team actually want to say. You want to be sure you’re all on the same page and not all trying to fulfil multiple different objectives - especially competing ones.

Question 8.

8. WHERE ARE THE LANDMINES?

This is about the things that could trip you up in the final stages of writing the report. Just when you think it’s ready to go out of the door, to avoid treading on any corporate landmines in the final stages. So think about them before you start writing. So ask questions like:

What’s the wider context of my report? 

Are there sensitivities I need to be aware of? 

Any issues I must address? 

Any things I can’t say? 

For example, will the Legal team be reviewing the document before publication? And if so, what will they looking out for.

There’s nothing more demoralising than having some more in-the-know colleague redlining swathes of text you’ve already spent hours sweating over. Instead, get them to give you a steer on the landmines before you write.

So, that’s 8 questions to ask before you start writing your next report:

Who else is involved?

What’s my word count?

How should it look?

What style guide should I use?

Who is my reader?

Why am I writing?

What’s my key message?

Where are the landmines?

Now, at the start of this video, I mentioned a giveaway. So if you head over to my website - you’ll find a free 5 page checklist or cheat sheet that will help you capture your responses to these 8 questions. 

I’ll pop a link to where you can grab hold of that checklist in the description box below. So take a head over there and help yourself!

Anyway I hope this video has been helpful - let me know if it was useful for you. I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.  If you’ve enjoyed this video, be sure to give me a thumbs up, click that notification bell so you never miss a video, and share this video with your colleagues and friends.  

Good luck with your report!

For more writing advice, enrol in my online course, Writing With Confidence, available at the Doris and Bertie Writing School.

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