Why choose this skills course?

This course will help you to write reports that are easy to understand and that your readers will act on as you intend. You will learn conventions and techniques for writing reports, and will also improve your English grammar and language. We will work with you on the types of report you need to write, and we can also help you to create templates.

Who should attend, and how do we tailor?

This course is for lawyers, other professionals and business people who need to write reports in English for their work, and whose first language is not English. You should have at least a B2 level of English (European Council reference for language levels).
We will assess your level and then tailor the course for you. To help us, you will need to complete a pre-course questionnaire and send us samples of your writing. We will then speak to you briefly on the phone or on a video call.
Finally, we will agree course goals and content with you.

What will you achieve by attending?

You will be able to write reports that are

• • well-planned and logically structured, suitable for your readers
  • clear, succinct and persuasively written
  • written in more accurate English 

To further develop your skills, we will give you a set of best-practice guidelines with a checklist for use in the office.

What will we cover?

• • Setting objectives, your own and the readers’
  • Comparing approaches to writing reports
  • Planning and structuring information using pyramid order that suits reader logic
  • Choosing clear layout
  • Writing effective executive summaries
  • Ensuring completeness of content and language
  • Writing clearly and succinctly, covering eg short sentences, tenses, active/passive voice, and words
  • Making sure your writing flows
  • Writing with impact
  • Varying tone and language to suit your reader
  • Grammar and use of terminology, to avoid common errors and (remedially) the group’s 
  • Grammar in more depth, depending on needs (optional extra)

What exercises will you do? 

You will complete exercises throughout, to draw out best-practice guidelines for report writing and to practise drafting with the benefit of trainer help and group feedback. You will also work on grammar and terminology to the agreed extent.
Exercises will include the following:

• deconstructing, analysing and redrafting poorly drafted report extracts
• writing parts of reports from scratch
• spotting and avoiding grammar and terminology errors 
• further in-depth grammar to the extent agreed