End
The final section of the report should set out your recommenda-
tions, stating how each of them will help to achieve the stated
aims of the report or overcome any weaknesses revealed by the
analytical studies.
The benefits and costs of implementing the recommendations
should then be explained. The next stage is to propose a firm
plan for implementing the proposals – the programme of work,
complete with deadlines and names of people who would carry
it out. Finally, tell the recipient(s) of the report what action, such
as approval of plans or authorization of expenditure, you would
like them to take.
Summary
In a long or complex report it is very helpful to provide an exec-
utive summary of conclusions and recommendations. It concen-
trates the reader’s mind and can be used as an agenda in
presenting and discussing the report. It is useful to cross-refer-
ence the items to the relevant paragraphs or sections of the
report.
PLAIN WORDS
‘If language is not correct, then what is said is not what is meant;
if what is said is not what is meant, then what ought to be done
remains undone.’ (Confucius)
The heading of this section is taken from Sir Ernest Gowers’
The Complete Plain Words(1987). This book is required reading for
anyone interested in report writing. Gowers’ recommendations
on how best to convey meaning without ambiguity, and without
giving unnecessary trouble to the reader, are:
- Use no more words than are necessary to express your
meaning, for if you use more you are likely to obscure it and
to tire your reader. In particular do not use superfluous
adjectives and adverbs, and do not use roundabout phrases
where single words would serve. - Use familiar words rather than the far-fetched if they express
your meaning equally well; for the familiar are more likely to
be understood.
318 How to be an Even Better Manager