Reader-Friendly Reports: A No-nonsense Guide to Effective Writing for MBAs, Consultants, and Other Professionals

AFTERWORD

Two final thoughts about planning and organizing.

The great majority of problems with business reports come from defective thinking and planning rather than defective writing. Thus the section you have just finished reading—“Planning a Reader-Friendly Report”—is the most important part of this book. Once the ideas are in place, nearly everything else in a report follows easily.

Second, remember especially that the first paragraph is the make- or break-all. It sets the tone, establishes the organization, and gives your readers confidence in you—or turns them off. Your readers can walk away anytime they want, and the first paragraph is where they decide whether or not they want to stay. To say it again, and probably not for the last time ...