Craft Your Message

What Is the Main Idea?

Determine the main idea that you want to convey to your audience.

• Are you trying to persuade your audience on a particular point?
• Are you presenting facts?
• Is it a status update that you will revise regularly?
• Does your report have a perspective or is it unbiased?
• Do you want your audience to take action?

Organize Your Thoughts

Write your overall report goal in one to three sentences. For example: “I want to show the daily progress metrics. Company employees will check this report multiple times a day to see how the team is doing.” This tip comes in handy when you begin your first draft of the report.

Break down your report goal into sub-goals or key points. This information determines your content. What message do you want to communicate on each page?

Identify the highlights. If your audience has limited time to look through your report, ensure they get the main message. Remember that your perspective might be different from the audience's.

Tell a Story

Storytelling helps your audience learn and absorb new information. The story of your report is the communication of your primary objective and sub-goals.

Ensure that your report tells only a single story. Each page or section of a report should support the overall story and it should not communicate different messages.

Do You Want to Control Movement?

• Is there a specific order in which the pages should be viewed?
• Do you want to include an introduction, the main point, and a conclusion?
• Do you want to provide summary information, specific details, or both?
• Do you want to include page links, allowing the audience to control the navigation?

Avoid overwhelming your audience with details. Consider linking to details through a hidden page or at the end of the report.