Technical Report Writing

An interactive course that focuses on practical skills. Taught by a leading Psychologist, University Lecturer & Author

What you'll learn
How to write a professional technical report
Drafting, structure, language, layout, design and production
Grammar, readability and writing in plain English
Requirements
none, but suitable for graduates and students
Description
Many professionals have difficulty in expressing ideas on paper which means that useful concepts may never be fully understood or valued. Effective report writing, the exchange of information, views, opinions, and decisions between people at all levels, internally and externally, make a vital contribution to organisational success.This 17 session course aims to present a comprehensive overview of the essential elements of effective technical report writing and help delegates develop the practical skills required to write successfully, for an internal or external audience. It will teach the fundamental skills for technical report writing.There are many downloadable resources provided including book chapters, quizzes, forms, activities, links and PowerPoint slides.By the end of this course, you will be able to:1. Appreciate the importance of technical writing skills necessary in a professional context2. Understand the stages in the preparation process of technical reports3. Demonstrate the ability to pitch technical reports at the level appropriate to the intended audience/reader4. Identify the essential features of reports, including format, linguistic and grammatical accuracy along with the choice and application of graphics5. Apply the above principles to the production of effective professional, technical reports

Overview

Section 1: Writing Technical Reports: Course Introduction

Lecture 1 Session 1: Introduction to the course

Lecture 2 Session 2: An introduction to writing technical reports

Lecture 3 A quick test of your writing skills

Section 2: Planning and Structuring Your Report

Lecture 4 Session 3: Planning your report

Lecture 5 Session 4: Formatting and structuring a technical report

Lecture 6 Session 5: The sections of your technical report

Section 3: Drafting your report and design issues

Lecture 7 Session 6: The use of drafts

Lecture 8 Session 7: Illustrations and graphics

Lecture 9 Session 8: The final edit (Part 1)

Section 4: Final Edit Continued: Grammar, spelling, readability & writing in plain English

Lecture 10 Session 9: Writing in plain English

Lecture 11 Session 10: Jargon and final layout issues

Lecture 12 Session 11: Spelling, punctuation, and Grammar

Section 5: Proofreading and summaries

Lecture 13 Session 12: Proofreading methods

Lecture 14 Session 13: Summaries

Lecture 15 Activity on Summaries

Section 6: Presenting your final report

Lecture 16 Session 14: Printed presentation

Lecture 17 Session 15: Verbal presentation

Section 7: Course summary and review

Lecture 18 Session 16: Course summary

Lecture 19 Session 17: Course review, ongoing learning and your final activity

This course is suitable for anyone who writes technical reports,You could be a new graduate, a student or a professional who needs to refresh your skills,If you have struggled to prepare a professional technical report that demonstrates your professionalism, this is the course for you.