"Ah now. You know it's not the writin' down. It's the assembly."

Because business reports travel upward, downward, and laterally within an organization, reading and writing reports is a typical part of nearly every manager's duties. The all-important executive summary must be well-written, or the report may never be read.

• Employ an efficient process for planning and organizing information and ideas.
• Eliminate “information dumping” in reports.
• Understand how to tier information appropriately in reports to match multiple audience needs, including both lateral and executive readers.
• Ensure report content conveys information needed for business decisions, within a readily absorbed format.
• Eliminate jargon and deadwood from the text, to streamline business message.
• Reduce the amount of time required to write and read reports.
• Write an executive summary with impact.