Learn the optimal report writing process. Save time and write better technical reports.

Technical Report Writing Course

Available for groups as a self-paced online course, instructor-led virtual or instructor-led onsite training, and for individuals as a self-paced online course.

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Learn exactly how this course will help your team or you quickly become an advanced report writer in weeks.

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Reports are the lifeblood of decision making and monitoring in business. Ideally, they provide relevant, vetted information that allows a reader to easily understand both context and implications and make an informed decision. However, too often, important information is buried and organization is muddled. And, writing a report can feel like a time-draining burden.

This practicum course teaches you the optimal planning and writing process to convey technical and complex information effectively. And, you will learn how to write reports more efficiently, saving you time and reducing frustration.

The course also includes a live one-on-one coaching session to review your final report and ensure future reports are strong. 

INDIVIDUALS

$895

Online self-paced course available for individuals. Sign up today and learn how to become a better report writer.

Enroll now

GROUPS

Online self-paced courses and instructor-led virtual and onsite training can all be customized to match your needs. Group discounts apply.

Customize for Groups

Participants in our Technical Report Writing Course will be able to:

  • Employ an efficient process for planning and organizing information.

  • Eliminate “information dumping” and convey technical information clearly.

  • Synthesize complex, technical information and present it understandably to readers.

  • Understand how to tier information appropriately in reports to match multiple audience needs, including both lateral and executive readers.

  • Ensure report content conveys information for business decisions, within a readily absorbed format.

  • Write an executive summary that tightly summarizes the report.

Who is this course for?

This course is a great fit for you or your organization if you or your team:

  • You’re in charge of a group or division in your company and looking to improve your team's report writing skills and ability to communicate technical information.
  • You're an individual looking to improve your report writing skills to get a raise, become more effective in your communication, or become more qualified for a new job.
  • You work in an industry that involves technical or financial analytical documents and reports.

Each course lesson progressively improves a different facet of your report writing skills, with instructor review and coaching. At the end of the course, you will be able to plan, draft, edit, and evaluate technical reports with skill and efficiency.

This report writing training is essential for analytical positions that need to review and summarize information and recommendations into reports – financial analysts, business analysts, scientists, engineers, geologists, in field and senior positions.

This is a practicum course — participants plan and write their own actual work report during the course, with instructor guidance, so the training is highly pragmatic, relevant, and immediately applied to work. FedEx, Liberty Mutual, Novo Nordisk, Shell, Umpqua Bank, USAA, and The U.S. Army have successfully honed report writing for complex financial and technical business situations with this course.

Browse all business writing courses here.

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Course Certificate

After completing the course, you will earn a personalized certificate. You can display your certificate in the certification section of your LinkedIn profile, download it to print, or mention it in your résumé.
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Individual written feedback and live coaching for every student

To truly improve your report writing skills, you need both course instruction and feedback on your actual technical writing.

During the online self-paced course, you will apply what you are learning in sequential writing tasks that build to a final actual report. After submitting each exercise, you will receive both subjective and objective feedback from your instructor that also resolves your specific blocks that impede your report writing.

The course concludes with a live coaching session to review your final report and identify additional writing improvements.

Objective feedback:

  • Is the report based fully on reader need and perspective?
  • Does the reader have all information needed?
  • Is any information that is included not needed?
  • Is the report logically organized?

Subjective feedback:

  • Is your tone too blunt or too timid?
  • Are your word choices clear, strong, and persuasive?
  • Can you cut any unnecessary words?
  • Are there any grammar errors?

Instructor-led group feedback

Onsite training, shown on the left, is highly interactive, with many individual, peer, and group activities. 

Our instructor-led virtual training is equally as engaging, with plenty of "aha!" moments and interactive exercises.

Learn more about our instructor-led training.

Our clients' feedback

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This course will minimize the time I spend when writing emails, reports, and letters. I spend hours each day reading and writing email, so you’ve given me back the most valuable commodity – my time! Thank you.

Claims Representative
Liberty Mutual Insurance Group
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This training will help in both my written and verbal communications because I learned to organize my thoughts. I now see the actual methodology to improve my technical reports.

Project Manager
Bombardier Aerospace, Northern Ireland
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I learned very valuable tips such as what to avoid when writing and how to follow a process. I will surely apply what I've learned when I write emails and risk assessment reports in the future.

Senior Regulatory Affairs Manager
Novo Nordisk
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This was a fantastic class, and the discussion of user requirement documents and project status reports was illuminating. I can see already how much time I will save using these techniques.

Business Analyst
Liberty Mutual Insurance Group
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In this comprehensive report writing course you will learn:


  • To extract and highlight significant information and differentiate this from background information.
  • Strategies to convey complex technical information to non-technical readers.
  • How to write a clear and meaningful executive summary.
  • How to optimize a report when reports are reviewed by regulatory agencies.

 

What is included in this course?

This technical report writing course is split into several detailed sections.

Getting Started

An Introduction and Self-Assessment

Review the objectives and breakdown of the course content. Share your specific course goals, and tell us about the reports you write. 

Lesson 1

6-Steps to Effective Report Writing

Learn a practical framework for writing business reports. This six-step process helps you understand the strategies needed to write a clear report. This process will allow you to spend 30% less time on every report you write. This applies to all reports, including those that convey technical information.

Lesson 2

Report Planning

Analyzing your audience frames everything about a report and conveying technical information, including content and organization.

We address the tools and best methodologies to generate information and plan reports to ensure the substantive information in the report is accurate and well organized and to help you write most efficiently.

Lesson 3

Report Structure

Learn to organize a report logically, whether it is a business or technical report.

This lesson focuses on how to organize and sequence information appropriately.  

Lesson 4

The Executive Summary

Reports get a bad rap for being long and painful to both read and write. The executive summary is the most important section that conveys the core findings and implications of your report. It allows a busy executive to absorb lots of information easily and make an informed decision.

Lesson 5

Report Examples with Various Tools

Reports can feel overwhelming because there are so many variations. Review examples of reports using the most common format and tools.

This lesson also looks at important considerations when writing a report from a template.

Lesson 6

Persuasion

Learn to weave in at-a-glance hooks to persuade and engage your reader. Titles, sub-titles, data presentation, and other areas can become much more compelling with skilled persuasive techniques applied.  

Persuasion, done well, will highlight reader engagement and your credibility.

Lesson 7

Format Considerations

Technical information is dense. Learn formatting techniques to create a visually appealing, easy-to-scan report that helps your reader easily understand complex, technical information.

Headings, white space, typography, visual structure, and the best graphical representation of data are addressed.

Lesson 8

Clarity and Word Choice

Ensure your report is a pleasure to read with concise and clear language that presents your information competently and confidently. This module ensures that your sentences are accurate, easy to reach, and engaging. 

Lesson 9

Grammar and Syntax

Learn proofreading tactics to avoid embarrassing grammar and spelling mistakes. These go beyond simple tips and tricks. These are proven grammar and syntax strategies that will make all your writing more professional.

Lesson 10

Live Coaching Session

The course concludes with a live one-on-one coaching session with your instructor.

During this time you can ask any questions and review feedback about your report. The live coaching call acts to solidify the information learned during the course so you can apply your new knowledge to future reports and to provide detailed feedback on the report you wrote in the course.

View the Full Course Outline
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Key skills you will learn in this course:

  • Employ an efficient process for planning and organizing information.
  • Synthesize complex information.
  • Write an executive summary that tightly summarizes the report.
  • Understand how to tier information appropriately in reports to match multiple audience needs.
  • Ensure report content conveys information for business decisions, within a readily absorbed format.
  • Eliminate "information dumping" in reports.
  • Eliminate jargon and deadwood to streamline the business message.
  • Reduce the amount of time required to write and read reports.

Includes individual feedback on your writing

This course includes award-winning instructor coaching and feedback and ongoing support.

Technical Report Writing Course Instructors

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Lisa Nelles

Lisa is an experienced technical writer and editor specializing in process and procedure documentation. She made her mark in aviation by developing and writing technical manuals that supported successful new programs for airlines of all sizes and set new standards for manuals in the industry.

She has also taught and tutored academic and technical writing for university students in a variety of fields. She loves helping people improve their writing to improve their careers.

She holds a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Waldorf University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

In her free time, she enjoys writing creatively, crafting, and outdoor adventuring with her husband and twin boys. She splits her time between Iowa and Alaska.

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Elisabeth O'Quinn

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

She has supported a variety of businesses, writing blog articles, reports, presentations, and editing business documents. She has supported many of our clients with rave reviews of her writing feedback.

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. 
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Grace Cuddy

Grace supports Instructional Solutions' online courses and also works with individuals and groups from several multinational companies across Europe as a business writing coach.

She is bilingual in English and Spanish and has traveled extensively, providing a keen sensitivity to global writing. She has a strong background in corporate communication and management and successfully developed cross-functional writing and communication processes in a large corporate team. She is also a successful blogger and has received rave reviews from her writing critiques and coaching for our work with DuPont, Liberty Mutual, and many other groups. 

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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Katie Almeida Spencer

Katie is an experienced Business Writing and English as a Second Language instructor, business writing coach, and teacher trainer. She taught Business Writing, Non-Native Writing, 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.

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. 

Katie lives in Rhode Island with her husband, toddler, and very old dog. When not teaching or creating courses, she can be found doing something (anything!) outside with her little family.

Become a better report writer.

Sign up today or schedule a discussion to become a stronger, clearer writer.

INDIVIDUALS

$895

Sign up today and start learning how to become a better technical report writer.
Enroll now

GROUPS

We offer customized online, virtual, and onsite courses, workshops, and trainings that match your organization's needs. 

Schedule a call