Business reports are indispensable to every business organization. They give an overview of the performance of the company along with an analysis of business operations.

These reports must be well written because they include important information for the stakeholders and managers of the company.

Poor quality results can lead to misrepresentation of data which in turn can affect the flow of revenue.

Let us take a look at the mistakes you should avoid while writing a report.

Follow The Proper Structure

Every business report has a proper structure that should be followed.

You can make small changes in the order of the report depending upon its contents but the basic structure should contain,

• Table of contents – This will help guide your readers through the different topics.
• Purpose – The purpose of the report will summarize what it aims to do.
• Background – A background of the subject of the report will help introduce the main topic.
• Findings – This will include the data and information you have gathered about a particular operation or other relevant things about the business.
• Discussion – Discussion involves different opinions and viewpoints about the findings.
• Recommendations – The recommendations section will provide recommendations about how the particular issue or problem in question can be improved or resolved.
• Conclusion – The concluding portion will sum up the findings and observations of the report. You can also add an appendix to present additional data.

Maintain A Neutral & Formal Tone

The language you use for writing should be formal, concise and precise.

Refrain from using casual language or stating strong personal opinions about a topic. Ordinarily, you should avoid words like I and We.

Check if your company has a specific format for its reports. Many companies tend to have in-house formats which all employees are required to use.

If it doesn’t, you can read a few sample reports to get an idea of the language and structure.

Keep Your Sentences Short

Cut down those long-winded sentences.

They are unnecessary.

Avoid wordy phrases and try to stick to the active voice. You should also avoid filler words and sentences in your business report.

They will make you stray away from the main point and give attention to the information which is not important.

Organization Is Key

Your report must be well organized and presented.

The reader shouldn’t have to spend an hour trying to search for an important topic.

Split the report into main sections and subsections. Give headings for each. This will make your report readable and easy to navigate.

Give page numbers and mention them properly in the table of contents.

This will make sure you don’t leave out any vital information related to the business.

Don’t Skip Proofreading

Proofreading can be a menace but it is one step you should not skip.

The reader will consider your business report to be very unprofessional if it contains many grammatical and spelling errors.

Once you have finished writing your report, check and recheck for mistakes.

You should also have someone else proofread the report for you to find out mistakes you might have missed.

If you have presented statistics or other factual information, make sure they are accurate. You don’t want to give yourself or your company a bad impression.

Hire business plan writers to write and proofread your report if you aren’t completely sure how to draft one.

Write A Strong Conclusion

The conclusion of your report should summarize the main findings and observations of your report.

Some readers may skip through the rest of your report and just read the conclusion, especially if they expect a formal presentation of the report too. So make sure all the key points are highlighted in it.

Conclusion

Thorough research and pre-planning will help set the foundation for a good report.

Invest a good amount of time to review the business operations and ensure the accurate collection of data.