Writing Reports and Proposals

It is essential to understand how to write reports and proposals that get read. We write reports in a range of formats and a variety of purposes. Whether you need to report on a product analysis, inventory, feasibility studies, or something else, report writing is a skill you will use again and again.

Having a method to prepare these documents will help you be as efficient as possible with the task. This course will build on a solid base of writing skills to present information in formal, informal, and proposal styles.

Prerequisites: You must complete Business Writing That Works course before taking this workshop.

• Prepare reports and proposals that inform, persuade, and provide information.
• Review your work so that it is clear, concise, complete, and correct.
• Apply these skills in real work applications.

We will spend the first part of the day getting to know other participants and discussing what will take place during the workshop. Students will also have an opportunity to identify their personal learning objectives.

This session will introduce the four stages of report writing: investigating, planning, writing, and revising.

The first step is to gather the information for your report. In this session will give participants some guidelines to ensure that what they gather is accurate.

Next, participants will learn how to plan a report based on information gathered during the first stage.

This session will give participants some ways to ensure that their writing is clear, concise, complete, and correct.

Next, participants will learn what a leader’s role is in a team, and how to lead them through a discussion to reach an agreement point.

This session will provide a brief introduction to organizing a report.

Next, participants will learn the right way to add charts and graphs to their report.

During this session, participants will learn how writing a proposal is different from writing a report. Participants will also review the ten steps to successful proposal writing.

This session will look at finishing touches for a report, including steps in the persuasion process, how to design your message, and how to deal with tough questions.

To summarize all that they have learned, participants will peer edit each others’ work.

This final session will focus on documentation methods and styles.

At the end of the workshop, students will have an opportunity to ask questions and fill out an action plan.