Effective Report Writing – what gives impact to your reporting?

Never has it been more important to ensure that the reports you submit convey your message and galvanise your readers to the appropriate actions. Equally, you never know who might be reading your reports and asking questions.

Those who request reports, analysis and comments from you are seeking in many cases to be able to demonstrate “reasonable steps” and /or evidence that decisions are made on carefully considered and balanced rationale.

This functional skill is being required more and more and should be considered a key competence for those who are in the position of having to produce reports. This interactive one day course will improve your practical skills and keep your readers onside.

Key learning objectives

• Understand the keys elements of reports and how to structure them
• Overcome specific challenges of writing compliance and audit reports
• Develop a more engaging style with techniques to improve your use of language
• Be able to make clear links to conclusions and recommendations to readers to take actions from

09:30 Why good writing matters (particularly for compliance and audit)

• Regulatory and legal responsibilities of the compliance and audit function
• The serious risks of failing to convey your message
• Examples of poor communications and the consequences
• Case study: Critiquing a report

10:30 Focusing on the audience

• Identify the key recipients
• Using the right language (different words mean different things to different people)
• Recognise the reader’s priorities and perspective
• Identify the key messages that must be understand
• How to set objectives for your report

11:15 Break

11:45 Creating impact through structure

• Top tips on structuring your content
• Identifying your key messages
• Use headings, text and emphasis consistently
• Make appropriate use of graphics
• Overcoming the "I want it on one page" challenge
• When to use appendices
• Ensuring your "story" makes sense

12:45 Lunch Break

13:45 Putting the knowledge into practice

• Exercise – Constructing a good report (followed by review and discussion) 

15:00 Break

15:15 Avoiding common errors

• Why good English matters
• Grammar and syntax
• The dangers of text speak
• The dreaded split infinitive
• Avoiding compliance speak and jargon

16:00 Gaining agreement and prompting action

• Writing indisputable conclusions
• Avoiding unnecessary repetition or extension of facts
• From conclusion to recommendation - proportionate and achievable
• Setting timeframes and responsibilities

17:00 Conclusion

This training course is run under the Chatham House Rule, for reference please see here

Audit, risk and compliance professionals as well as Senior Managers and Head of functions who may be required to produce reports.

Phil Ingle 

Phil Ingle is a creative and energetic Consultant, Trainer, and Coach with a wealth of experience who designs and delivers training programmes to Directors and Senior Managers to change organisations and help them achieve their organisation’s vision including numerous investment and other regulated firms.

With a background in Financial Management and Banking Phil is Fellow Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Master Practitioner – Neuro Linguistic Programming.

IA Member £645.00 +VAT
Non-Member £795.00 +VAT

Pay using a credit card online, or if you wish to be invoiced please email your full details to: Training@theia.org

PLEASE NOTE: Full payment for the course must be made prior to the course commencement date.

• Any cancellation must be made in writing.
• For all cancellation received 15-30 days prior to the course start date, 50% of the course fee is still payable.
• No refund is given for a cancellation made 14 days or less prior to the commencement of a course.
• Transferring from one course to another is treated as a cancellation. You can substitute one delegate for another at no additional cost. In this instance, please give two business days’ notice.

Hybrid Training Courses:

Hybrid deliveries of our training allows participants on our courses the option to attend in-person here from our offices at Camomile Court, or you can attend virtually via MS Teams.

Please be advised a training course could change from hybrid delivery to solely virtual delivery. In such an event, we will inform delegates at least one week prior to the course delivery date.

There are a limited number of in-person spaces available on this course and this will be allocated on a first come first served basis.