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REPORT WRITING
by Phil Bartle, PhD
Introduction to the Module (Hub)
Documents Included in this Report Writing Module
- Report Writing Guidelines, core document;
- Report Writing for Coordinators, ditto;
- Why Write Reports? reasons;
- Who Should Receive Reports? benefits to authors and recipients;
- How to Write Reports, different types of reports and what they should include;
- Writing Better Reports, tips on writing better reports – reports that will be read;
- Common Errors in Writing
- The Job is not Finished, until . . .
- A Model for Writing Reports, one page handout; report outline;
- Handouts and Briefings;
- The Hand Over Report , a major resource in sustaining the intervention; and
- Monitoring and Reporting Illustrations, download for local training material.
Write better reports, more easily, so that they will be read and have some effect
Getting Better Reports:
It seems, sometimes, that mobilizers and facilitators just do not occupy the same universe as report writers. Perhaps it is because mobilizing and facilitating is a very verbal occupation, and one where the action and the results are the main focus. Reflecting, remembering and recording seem to be put at a lower priority than the current action.
If you are a coordinator depending upon your field workers' reports in order to make your own observations and assessment, then this can be very frustrating. It is time you paid some attention to stimulating and discussing the need for good reports with your field workers.
Similarly, if you are a community mobilizer, and depend upon reports from representatives of your client communities, you need to find ways to encourage them to write useful reports. Further, if you are anyone who needs reports in order to complete your own work, you need to find ways to encourage and to guide good report writing.
It is easier than you might imagine.
At least once or twice a year, if you invest in one-day workshops about report writing, you will obtain returns on you investment with value far greater than the costs. If you use participatory training methods, and draw the answers out of the participants, you can energize, and re-energize those from whom you want to receive reports.
If, in contrast, you neglect to inform them of the importance of report writing, they will repay you with equal neglect in writing them. Treat your field staff (community leaders, volunteers) with a one-day report-writing workshop; you will be happy if you do.
The main topics you want to cover are:
- Why write reports? (How important is the task?);
- Who should receive reports?
- What should reports contain? (Content; what are the different kinds of reports?);
- How should reports be organized? and
- How can we write better reports? (How can we make report writing easier?)
The documents in this module guide you in leading your participants to answering these questions. Although two of the documents differ between report writing for mobilizers and report writing for coordinators, the principles remain the same. By organizing workshops and training sessions for those from whom you wish to receive reports, you will stimulate them and guide them in writing reports that will be read, that will have some effects, that will be easy to read, and that will be on time.
For what more could you ask?
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Community Based Monitoring Workshop:
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