COURSES > POLICY & GOVERNANCE

Effective Report Writing

Making Every Word Count

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This course is available for teams and organisations.

We’ll tailor it to your goals and deliver it online, at your offices, or wherever works best.

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Overview

Do you need to write reports with value rather than volume? Condense lengthy documents into a short summary? Make yourself understood to a wide range of readers with varying levels of knowledge?

Our Effective Report Writing course is designed to help you produce excellent and efficient reports for today’s ever-changing workplace, helping you write quickly, accurately and clearly.

Work through expert-led practical exercises to learn how to better plan, structure and edit reports with effective editing and layout methods.

Leave the day with techniques that will improve your written communication skills and enable you to produce more engaging reports that achieve your aims.

Learning Outcomes

  • Practise effective report editing techniques

  • Effectively organise information within the report

  • Learn how to plan and structure an engaging report

  • Gain methods to present data and enhance the impact of your report

  • Develop a persuasive writing style to put forward a clear, convincing case



All ModernGov courses are Continuing Professional Development (CPD) certified, with signed certificates available upon request for event.

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Enquire About In-House Training

To speak to someone about a bespoke training programme, please contact us:

0800 542 9414
InHouse@moderngov.com

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Trainers for this Course

At ModernGov, we partner with experienced trainers who specialise in written communication within the public sector.

Based on your organisation’s goals and requirements, we match you with the right expert: someone who understands your context and can deliver a tailored course designed to strengthen your team’s communication skills.

See trainers we regularly work with on this >

Sue Calthorpe

Sue Calthorpe
Communications Expert

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Morwenna Stewart
Communications Consultant

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly advanced in recent years, revolutionising how we create and edit content. Integrating AI into our writing courses has been crucial for helping public sector delegates stay informed, write with integrity and enhance their efficiency. However, it is equally important to recognise that misuse of AI can lead to serious issues, such as plagiarism, copyright infringement and ethical breaches.

What have previous attendees said about this course?

  • "I was very impressed at how well Sue was able to 'read the room' and tailor the training to our individual needs. I really enjoyed that the course wasn't just power point and was more of a meaningful conversation and practical application. I also found it really helpful to discuss more about the science and the why rather than just tell us what we should do. I learned tips for writing reports, emails and general life skills which I have already shared with my adolescent children! Thank you"

    - Quality Assurance Manager at Birmingham Community Healthcare

  • "I really enjoyed this course - Susan was very engaging and kept me hooked the whole way through. I will be immediately putting some of my learning into practice on a paper I have been putting off. My takeaways are that sometimes good is enough, and sometimes less is more!"

    - Deputy Risk and Insurance Manager at Police Scotland

  • "I enjoyed this training. I gave useful tips to improve report writing, doing so in a planned way. The trainer provided an abundance of examples and tips that are so helpful. It was full of content, well delivered and very credible. Thank you"

    - Audit Manager at Police Scotlan

  • "I really appreciated the attention Sue gave to making the course relevant for those in attendance. Sue kept us all so engaged and in awe of all the work she has been involved in, the examples were really interesting and linked so well with making the training for our Public Health teams so beneficial. The exercises had the perfect balance of being challenging and enjoyable. The day went by so fast as it really was a great day of training. Sue is extremely personable and a has a unique and effective way of training. Thank you Sue."

    - Public Health Officer at Hounslow London Borough Council

  • "This was a really interesting interactive course led by Susan Davis. Susan was a wonderful trainer with a wealth of knowledge to pass on. I will now take my learning into my professional and personal life. The course was well organised and I would highly recommend the Effective Report Writing course."

    - Risk and Resilience Officer at Police Scotland

  • "Sue was an excellent trainer, not just very knowledgable but extremely engaging. We had a really enjoyable day with her and would highly recommend her to anyone."

    - Deputy Head, Counter Fraud and Investigations Service at UK Research and Innovation

  • "Sue was a fantastic facilitator and used real examples from our area to make the training relevant to us all. I learned a lot of practical tools to improve my writing."

    - Senior Public Health Officer at Hounslow London Borough Council

  • "Morwenna was incredibly engaging and enthusiastic about the course content. She provided us with the knowledge needed to advance our skillset and I would certainly recommend this course to others!"

    Professional Standards Manager at Chartered Institute of Taxation

  • "Thanks Sue! that was brilliant. I always had a complex about writing but your examples, tips and practises have given me some confidence to just write, reflect, write, reflect...and my writing can and will be better. Practical tools and pointers were great!"

    - Public Health Officer at London Borough of Hillingdon

  • "Sue Calthorpe was an excellent trainer and made the training interesting and engaging and I would certainly attend more courses that are run by her"

    - Customer Experience and Improvement Officer, Charnwood Borough Council

  • "One of the best courses I have been on in a long time, and far better than other courses I’ve been on!"

    - Senior Programme Lead, NERC

  • "Sue is a great tutor. She is very personable and makes the training session fun. She also tries very hard to relate the training to each attendees work place. Thank you Sue”

    - Strategic Analyst, Merseyside Police

Agenda

09:00 - 09:30 Registration

09:30 - 10:00 Trainer’s Welcome and Clarification of Learning Objectives

10:00 - 10:30 The Basics of Effective Report Writing

  • The POWER principles

  • How to understand the reader

  • Learn to produce a hierarchy of information for different readers

10:30 - 11:15 Report Writing Workshop I: Planning

  • Discover planning tools and frameworks

  • Develop techniques to help you identify relevant purpose and content

11:15 - 11:30 Morning Break

11:30 - 12:15 Report Writing Workshop II: Organising Information

  • Learn how to effectively present information

  • Understand how to group different types of information

  • Gain best practice techniques to focus on value, not volume of information

  • Discuss reading patterns on paper and on screen to decide on the best layout for your work

12:15 - 12:45 Workshop III: Writing

  • A practical exercise in rewording and reordering

  • Providing feedback – a practical exercise in how to give and receive constructive, objective advice

12:45 - 13:45 Lunch

13:45 - 14:45 Report Writing Workshop IV: Editing Reports

  • Learn the most effective and ruthless editing techniques

  • Using real life materials, edit a document and create an effective summary

14:45 - 15:00 Afternoon Break

15:00 - 16:00 Report Writing Workshop V: Reviewing Real-Life Materials

  • Embed the day’s learning – review real-life examples to quality assure them by using criteria discussed during the course

16:00 - 16:15 Feedback, Evaluation and Close

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