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Keep_Business_Reports_Brief
| Keep Business Reports Brief
Keep Business Reports Brief By Arthur Cooper (c) Copyright 2004
http://www.arthurcooper.com
The point of a business report is to communicate information, or
an opinion, and sometimes to persuade or convince. To do this
effectively the two keywords are brevity and clarity.
When you read some reports you wonder what they are trying to
achieve. They are too long, too verbose, and too vague. When you
get to the end you wonder what was the point of it. Don’t say in
a hundred words what you can say in ten. It does not impress in
a business environment. You are not trying to win literary
prizes. You are trying to transfer information from one person
to another. Don’t use flowery phrases when you can spell it out
with short and simple words.
Don’t use jargon when it is not universally understood. Don’t
use acronyms without an explanation. Explain all specialist
terms and abbreviations. Use footnotes or an appendix if this
helps to prevent breaking up the flow.
Don’t assume pre-existing knowledge in the reader unless you are
certain of it. Don’t assume that he hold the same initial
opinions as you if your report builds upon them. If everything
you say flows logically from an initial assumption, you need to
establish the truth of that first.
Split up your document into easily read paragraphs. Get to the
point early. Then back up what you have said with details if
required – not the other way round. Some people will read the
first paragraph (or the ‘executive summary’) and go no further,
unless you have captured their interest immediately.
So remember these simple rules:
Make sure you are clear about your report’s purpose Keep it
brief Keep it simple Keep it clear Don’t assume
And remember these obstacles to clarity:
Long winded, flowery, language Obscure vocabulary Unexplained
acronyms and abbreviations Unexplained specialist terms Densely
packed text Unsupported assumptions
About the author:
Arthur Cooper is a business consultant, writer and publisher.
For more of his original articles go to:
http://www.arthurcooper.com/ For business articles ebooks and
courses, go to: http://www.barrel-publishing.com/
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