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Executive Summary Writing Course

Our executive summary writing course is available for groups as a self-paced online course, instructor-led virtual or instructor-led onsite training. Individuals can take our course as a self-paced online course.

Executive Summary Writing Course

The ability to distill complex information into clear, concise insights is a critical business writing skill. Executive summaries—along with shorter summary statements—are a fundamental component of effective business communication.

Whether writing a formal executive summary for a report or crafting a single-paragraph update for leadership, this executive summary writing course teaches you how to review, organize, and synthesize key information into well-structured summaries that highlight implications rather than simply listing facts. You’ll learn to tailor content to your audience, ensuring clarity and relevance.

Understanding and succinctly expressing the “so what” message behind data and facts is crucial, whether summarizing risks, findings, or recommendations. Strong executive summary writing ensures that essential information is not only understood but also actionable.

INDIVIDUALS

$895

Online self-paced course available for individuals.

GROUPS

Online self-paced course and instructor-led training can be customized to match your needs. Group discounts apply.

This Executive Summary Writing Course Includes:


  • Downloadable resources and training content materials to maintain the practical skills learned throughout the course.

  • A list of tools and outside resources to continually hone essential writing skills.

  • Detailed, individualized instructor feedback on recently written executive summaries. 

Skills gained in this course:

  • Learn how to analyze large volumes of data and extract the most critical insights for concise and effective summaries.

  • Develop the ability to craft executive summaries that are clear, structured, and free of unnecessary details.

  • Master the skill of identifying and emphasizing the “so what” factor, ensuring summaries provide meaningful insights, not just facts.

  • Learn how to adjust tone, structure, and language based on the reader’s needs, whether for executives, clients, or stakeholders.

  • Write summaries that facilitate quick, informed decision-making by delivering the most relevant and actionable information efficiently.

 

Detailed, individualized feedback and coaching included

Instructor-led group training, whether virtual or onsite, includes interactive exercises and detailed individualized feedback on each participant's writing.

The online, self-paced version of this course includes written instructor feedback on summary statements you write in course exercises and a live coaching session on one of your actual work documents.

Our feedback includes both subjective and objective feedback, a personal grammar diagnosis, and additional helpful resources.

Objective feedback:

  • Is the summary tailored to the readers' needs?
  • Are the implications clear?
  • Is the information truly synthesized and not simply a recitation of facts?

Subjective feedback:

  • Is the tone too blunt or too timid?
  • Is the word choices clear and strong?
  • Can any unnecessary words be cut?
  • Are there any grammar errors?
View the Full Details in the Course Outline

Flexible Course Deliveries to Match Your Needs.

Online course for individuals or groups

The online, self-paced executive summary writing course allows individuals and teams to train on their schedule with 24/7 access to the course. This online training method has flexible deadlines which allows for groups across different time zones to all receive the same training.

Virtual instructor-led course for groups

Virtual training allows for highly engaging instruction, exercises, and discussion. Participants complete activities in breakout rooms with fellow students, break down writing individually, and are encouraged to participate in conversations and ask questions.

Onsite instructor-led course for groups

In-person training is highly interactive, with many individual and shared activities. Groups of customer service agents work together at your location to deconstruct messaging, deep dive into individual writing concerns, and more.

Schedule a call to find out more about group training options

Who Should Enroll

This Executive Report Writing Course is designed for professionals who must distill complex information into concise, high-impact summaries that drive decision-making. It is designed for positions that must synthesize key insights for executives, highlight critical findings, or present clear, actionable recommendations.

Executives & Senior Managers

Quickly convey critical business insights and strategic recommendations to leadership teams.

Engineers & Financial Professionals

Translate complex technical, engineering, or financial data into clear, accessible summaries.

Business Analysts & Consultants

Synthesize data-driven findings into clear, persuasive executive summaries for clients and stakeholders.

Project Managers

Summarize project updates, risks, and decisions concisely for leadership and team members.

Regulatory & Compliance Professionals

Ensure compliance documents and reports highlight key regulatory implications effectively.

Sales & Marketing Professionals

Craft compelling executive summaries for proposals, pitches, and client communications, and summarize growth opportunities.
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Certificate of Completion

Participants will earn a personalized certification of completion after finishing this course. This can be displayed on a LinkedIn profile, downloaded to print and hang, or mentioned in a résumé.

Course Structure

This executive summary writing course is split into several detailed lessons, including video lessons, instructor feedback, and online resources.

Getting Started

An Introduction and Self-Assessment

Share your specific course goals, and tell us about the typical summaries and documents you write.

Lesson 1

6 Steps to Writing Effective Executive Summaries

In this foundational lesson, you'll learn a step-by-step approach to writing clear, concise, and impactful executive summaries.

Our proven six-step process ensures your summaries highlight key insights, provide meaningful takeaways, and drive decision-making. You'll learn how to analyze your audience, structure your content, synthesize what matters, and tailor your content to the reader.

In essence, this lesson sets the stage for solid, substantive information in everything you write. 

Lesson 2

Importance of Organization

A well-structured executive summary (or summary statement) ensures clarity, insight, and implications. In this lesson, you'll learn how to organize information logically to guide your audience through key insights effortlessly.

We’ll cover techniques for structuring and sequencing content, prioritizing critical details, and maintaining a flow that enhances comprehension. 

Lesson 3

Internal Documents

Internal executive summaries are essential for keeping teams aligned, informing leadership, and driving action within an organization. In this lesson, you'll learn how to craft clear, concise, and well-structured summaries that highlight key insights without overwhelming your audience.

We’ll explore common types of internal executive summaries, including project status updates, meeting recaps, operational reports, risk assessments, and financial performance overviews, and "writing up" to senior leadership.

You’ll also discover best practices for tailoring summaries to different stakeholders, ensuring that critical information is both accessible and actionable. 

Lesson 4

External Documents

External executive summaries must be clear, professional, and often persuasive, ensuring that key stakeholders quickly grasp essential insights. In this lesson, you'll learn how to craft summaries for clients, regulators, investors, and other external audiences, adapting your tone, structure, and summary for maximum impact.

We’ll cover common types of external executive summaries, including client proposal summaries, regulatory insights, investor briefings, and customer-facing white papers.

You'll also learn best practices for summarizing technical and engineering information in a way that is accessible to non-technical readers while maintaining accuracy and precision. 

Lesson 5

Email Use and Structure

Email is a critical tool for delivering executive summaries, often serving as the primary way professionals communicate key insights. It's challenging because email summaries need to be accurate, and readers expect a fast response.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to condense complex information into concise, actionable emails that capture attention and drive decisions.

We’ll explore effective strategies for structuring summary emails, ensuring clarity and relevance for recipients. You'll also learn how to adapt your writing based on the audience—whether simplifying technical data for executives or providing precise details for subject-matter experts to craft executive summary emails that get read, understood, and acted upon.

Lesson 6

Strategy for Reports with an Executive Summary

The executive summary is the most critical section of a formal report, providing a clear, concise overview that allows readers to quickly grasp the report’s purpose, key findings, and recommendations.

This lesson teaches you how to write an executive summary that effectively leads a formal report, ensuring it is structured, engaging, and tailored to your audience. 

You’ll learn techniques to summarize complex information, highlight essential takeaways, and create a compelling executive summary that can both stand alone and integrate with the full report.

Lesson 7

Organization and Graphical Presentation

A well-structured executive summary enhances readability and impact. This lesson teaches you how to organize information logically and present it in a way that ensures clarity and engagement. You'll learn techniques for structuring content, using headings and bullet points for emphasis, and ensuring a natural flow of ideas.

Additionally, we’ll explore how to enhance executive summaries with graphical representations such as charts, tables, and infographics. Visual elements help simplify complex data, making technical, financial, and engineering information more accessible to decision-makers.

By the end of this lesson, you'll know how to create executive summaries that are both visually appealing and easy to scan.

Lesson 8

Clarity and Word Choice

By definition, executive summaries convey complex information. The goal is to make the complex clear.

This lesson addresses strategies for ensuring that summaries are concise, precise, and easy to understand. You’ll learn how to eliminate unnecessary complexity, avoid jargon, and choose words that enhance readability and impact.

We’ll cover techniques for writing with precision, eliminating bloat, using active voice, and structuring sentences for maximum clarity.

You’ll also learn strategies for simplifying technical and engineering language without losing essential meaning. 

Lesson 9

Style and Tone

The style and tone of an executive summary shape how your message is perceived. In this lesson, you'll learn how to adapt your writing style to suit your audience, whether you are addressing executives, clients, or technical teams.

We’ll explore strategies for maintaining a professional yet accessible tone, ensuring your summary is clear, confident, trustworthy, and persuasive. You'll also discover how to strike the right balance between formality and readability, making your executive summaries engaging while retaining credibility. 

Lesson 10

Grammar and Syntax

Strong grammar and syntax are required skills for writing professional and polished executive summaries. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to identify and correct your specific grammar errors, improve sentence structure, and enhance readability for maximum clarity and impact.

As part of this lesson, each participant will receive a detailed analysis of their grammar and syntax from the instructor, including personalized feedback, correction strategies, and recommended resources for ongoing improvement.

By the end of this lesson, you’ll have the tools to write executive summaries that are not only clear and concise but also grammatically precise and professional.

Final Document Review

Feedback and Coaching

The self-paced version of this course concludes with a live one-on-one coaching session with your instructor to review an actual work document.

Instructor-led group courses conclude with detailed resources and individual writing feedback.

View the full course outline and list of included resources

What will executive summary writing look like after this training?

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Complex information clearly summarized.
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Writing time reduced by at least 25%.
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Well-organized, relevant content is included.
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Easy to scan and understand by stakeholders.
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Balanced, thoughtful analysis of information.

Meet the instructors of our Executive Summary Writing training

Janet D'Angelo headshot

Janet D'Angelo

Janet is a business writing and marketing instructor, consultant, author, and public speaker with more than 20 years of experience working with individuals, small businesses, and corporations to develop all facets of business communication includes business plans. She writes and speaks extensively on business writing and marketing writing and has been a featured speaker at numerous business and education conferences in the U.S. and abroad. Janet taught analytical writing, marketing writing, proposal writing, and general business writing courses at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

She enjoys gardening, yoga, hiking, and exploring the endless beauty of the New England seacoast where she lives on the South Shore of Massachusetts.

grace-cuddy

Grace Cuddy

Grace has extensive experience in Instructional Solutions' online English courses and also works with individuals and groups from several international companies across Europe as a business writing coach. She is an expert in business writing and loves to help students and management teams remove unnecessary details from their writing to help meet their company objectives.

She is bilingual in English and Spanish and has a keen sensitivity to global writing. She has a strong background in corporate communication and management plan and successfully developed cross-functional writing and communication processes in a large corporate team. She has also helped professional engineers and firms develop professional training programs.

She enjoys yoga, travel, and dance. She splits her time between New York City and Madrid.

She is bilingual in English and Spanish. She enjoys yoga, travel, and dance. She splits her time between New York City and Madrid.

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Elisabeth O'Quinn

Elisabeth has a unique combination of business and business writing acumen, with an extensive background in effective writing, editing, and marketing.

She has supported a wide range of businesses, writing blog articles, white papers, elevator pitches, and editing business documents. She has supported many of our clients with rave reviews of her writing feedback, helping countless participants with effective communications.

Elisabeth lives in Georgia with her cat and rescue pup. In addition to writing, she loves traveling with her twin sister, learning German, and creating watercolor prints.

KatieAlmeidaSpencer

Katie Almeida Spencer

Katie is an experienced Business Writing and English as a Second Language instructor, business writing coach, content writer, and teacher trainer. She taught Business Skills and Academic Writing at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

She is very skilled at evaluating both the substance and language of business documents. Her writing critiques, instruction, and coaching have received stellar evaluations from our clients at Chartis Consulting, DuPont, Shell, Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council, and the World Wildlife Fund, as well as our clients with the Federal Government.

She holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Rhode Island and an M.A. in Applied Linguistics from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her areas of expertise include business writing and technical report writing, proposal writing, customer loyalty, and non-native writing.

Course feedback and testimonials

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The Federal Transit Administration policy team responsible for research and innovation throughout the Department of Transportation offered this course to policy officers required to summarize complex policy information and disseminate it across the entire agency and into citizen documents. 

View our Course Evaluation on Survey Monkey

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As an engineer, I often struggled with making technical data accessible to non-technical stakeholders, especially our proposal team. This course gave me a structured approach to writing summaries that are clear, engaging, and tailored to my audience. It has been a game-changer for my reports and presentations.

Engineering Manager

Dematic
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This course completely transformed how I approach executive summaries. I used to struggle with distilling technical project updates into clear, concise summaries for leadership. Now, my reports are more structured, impactful, and actionable. The one-on-one coaching session was invaluable!

Senior Project Manager

Snap
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Executive report writing is a key part of my role, and this course gave me the tools to make my summaries clearer and more effective. I now feel confident in highlighting key regulatory insights without overwhelming my audience with details.

Compliance Analyst

Novartis
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I write executive summaries for clients daily, and this course helped me refine my approach. The techniques I learned improved my ability to extract key takeaways and present them in a way that influences decision-making. Highly recommend to any consultant!

Business Consultant

EY
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I wish writing would have been taught like this earlier in my career or education. Very rarely has skills training ever had this much discussion -- I could have gone another day or longer. I learned more today than every undergrad or MBA English course I took. All of those courses focused on content rather than process.

Talent Development Group

Rohde & Schwarz
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Completely changed the process that I use for writing anything. This course also helped me with techniques for overcoming writer's block.

Quality Assurance and Product Manager

Regenesis

Become a better executive summary writer.

Sign up today or schedule a discussion to become a stronger executive summary writer.

INDIVIDUALS

$895

Enroll in this self-paced course and learn how to become a better executive summary writer.

GROUPS

We offer customized and flexible online, virtual, and onsite courses, workshops, and classes that match your company’s writing needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is summary writing?

Summary writing is the process of distilling complex or lengthy information into a clear, concise version that highlights key points, findings, and implications. In business writing, summaries are used in reports, proposals, client communications, and internal updates to ensure busy decision-makers can quickly grasp essential information.

How is the Executive Summary Writing Course delivered?

The course is available in two formats:

  • Self-paced online training – Participants can complete the course at their own pace and receive written instructor feedback and a one-on-one coaching session for personalized feedback.

  • Instructor-led group training – Live virtual or in-person training customized to your organization’s needs, including exercises based on real-world executive summaries your team writes.

How long does the Executive Summary Writing Course take to complete?

The self-paced online course typically takes six to seven hours, including interactive lessons and exercises.  

Instructor-led training sessions are customized based on your team’s needs and can range from keynote presentations to half or full-day training to a multi-session training program. It's customized to meet your logistics.

Can I access the course materials after completing the course?

Yes! Participants will have continued access to course materials, templates, and resources even after completion, allowing for ongoing reference and skill reinforcement.

Will I receive a certificate upon completion?

Yes! Upon successfully completing the course, you will receive a certificate of completion to recognize your achievement and demonstrate your expertise in executive summary writing.

Can I contact you with specific questions before enrolling in a course?

For groups, please book a meeting to discuss your specific documents and needs.

For individual enrollment, please click here to enroll now. The enrollment button is also at the top of this page.