How to make a report: 5 basic writing labelsby Team AllYourVideogames | Nov 3, 2022 | Entrepreneurship |
Data is present in our daily lives. In the corporate world, they are the ones who give us the basis for making decisions. However, they need to be presented of logical wood. That said, you know how to make a report managerial?
The data alone doesn't say much. We need to turn data into information. This is usually possible when these data are presented and compared with others.
In this sense, the need to know how to make a management report comes in. Every company needs to justify its operation to someone, whether partners, shareholders, customers.
The reports serve to support our thesis and most of the time, they give us security to make a decision or convince someone. You can use a management report to assess your company's financial health, present your product, propose improvements in your services, etc.
A good report is the first step towards a more analytical and strategic vision within your organization.
How to make a report: textual elements
There is a textual structure that we are already used to. Since school days, we have learned about some elements that a text should contain.
In a management report it is no different. These elements are essential for structuring your data presentation and maintaining a logical order of information. See what these textual elements are:
The title is the element that names your report. He is responsible for identifying your document.
Therefore, it is important that the title contains information such as: Subject, year or date of data collection and responsible sector.
By reading the title of your report, your audience will identify the macro theme, the subject to be addressed in that document. The contextualization, on the other hand, aims to present a summary of the theme, the main topics that will be addressed and the purpose of that document.
The purpose of a report is its reason for being. Therefore, the objective (or objectives) must be very clear in the document.
To define the purpose of a management report, try to answer the following question: Why is this report necessary?
By clarifying this question, you have probably already defined your objective. It is worth remembering that every management report needs to have a clear objective.
A report without an objective becomes just an agglomeration of data.
To close your report, give a brief breakdown of what you can conclude from the data analysis. And from that conclusion, which paths the company can follow.
Example: if the data shows an increase in demand in December, one solution is to increase productivity, outsource steps in the production process and so on.
With the textual elements clarified, now it's time to create your report. But before getting down to business, it's important to pay attention to some details. Come on!
How to make a report: planning
When writing your report, it is important that some previous actions are taken by the author. These actions aim to gather information and facilitate the structuring of data in your document. So here we go:
Before starting to write the information, it is important to research the content and raise important topics that should not be forgotten.
Think about the audience that will consume the information and list topics with information that might be relevant to that audience.
Performance indicators, or KPIs, are metrics that the organization has to achieve its goals. When we talk about management reports, it will hardly fail to present some metrics of the organization.
Therefore, it is necessary to raise which organization's KPIs are aligned with your report. That is, how the path proposed in its conclusion would meet or help the organization to seek this result.
It is essential that the exposure of the data is accompanied by a story. A context that compares, for example, data from the past with the current moment.
The plot, when described along with the data, makes it easier for your audience to interpret the content. This brings more clarity, less presentation time and alignment of interpretations.
Many professionals make the mistake of keeping a very formal language when writing a report. With the intention of making the document more professional, they often end up making it difficult to interpret.
In fact, the language of your document needs to be in line with your audience. That is, who will consume the content of your report.
In addition to simple and objective writing, take care to add only relevant information to achieve the objective of your management report. No polluting it with data that doesn't make a difference, just to bring volume.
The practice, in addition to generating more work when executing the document, can distract readers.
After you finish writing your report, do a thorough reading. Check to see if the order in which the data is presented is logical.
Also, pay attention to the cultured norms of the Portuguese language. Granted, we don't need to use difficult words, but misspellings test the credibility of your report.
Here it is also worth reviewing the formulas used. If your report has numbers and calculations, it's best to redo them to make sure you're presenting a correct number.
How to make a report: visual elements
To attract even more attention when presenting your work, I make use of striking visual elements. Are you showing numbers? How about replacing tables with graphs?
Graphics, tables, varied colors, photos and images, when related to the content, can arouse greater interest in your audience. But remember, when using an image: give due credit to the owner.
Also, if the content is based on an author, book, or document, don't forget to mention it in the bibliographic references.
In addition to these visual elements, it is important that you maintain proper and uniform formatting throughout your document. Review the margin formatting, font style and size and always try to maintain a standard.
How to make a report: help tools
Today, many tools provide editable templates for you to create your management report. This is the case with Word itself or even Excel.
For those who use an application or system to manage their business, it is worth checking if these tools do not also offer management reports, based on the data fed.
For those who invest in ads, both on Facebook and Instagram, you can issue management reports in Facebook's ad manager.
Learn More: How to enter a job
How to make a report: common mistakes in presentation
Your report may have some errors that could compromise your results. In that sense, pay attention to these tips:
– Too much information: a report should have information, but only essential information. When not focused on the purpose of your document, the information becomes irrelevant and must be extracted from the content.
- Visual pollution: visual elements can bring your report to life and grab the attention of your audience. On the other hand, when visual elements are used without criteria and in excess, this overloads the document and has the opposite effect.
– Cluttered and confusing data: all data or information has a correct order of presentation. Whether chronological, ascending, descending, the important thing is to respect the logical order that gives meaning to your document.
– Writing problems: choice of text genre correctly. Spelling errors, inappropriate language, can be fatal to the objectives of your presentation. It is worth reviewing and studying these elements in order to create your report.
How to make a report: books for those who want to write better
If even with these tips you feel insecure when creating reports, or even expressing yourself in writing. Do not worry! You are not alone.
Therefore, it is not difficult to find people in the market who have dedicated themselves to studying and writing about corporate writing. We have separated some books on the subject, focusing on textual production for work:
- How to write better at work – Arlete Salvador
- Corporate Writing – Yêda de Moraes Camargo
- Business Writing – Miriam Gold
These tips are essential for anyone who needs to learn how to write a report. They are valid either for management reports or for an academic activity.
In general, when a report is well written, it brings confidence in the presentation of the data and solves the doubts of your audience. We hope that with all that has been said so far, you can produce impeccable reports and make a good impression.
