report writing and internal correspondence conclusion

Report Writer

How to Write a Report Conclusion

Are having trouble understanding how to write a report conclusion? It can be challenging to write a research paper conclusion. Conclusions should be concise and restate your research’s main points without repeating yourself. What you have presented in your paper can gain impact by having a strong conclusion paragraph. With the help of a report writer , you can have you report written within the deadline.

The significance of crafting a powerful concluding paragraph, how to do it, and some writing advice for research papers are all covered in this article.

Why is writing a conclusion for your research paper important?

It is to be crucial to include a conclusion in your research paper to remind your readers of the potency and significance of your argument.

Report Writing Guidelines Conclusion

Concluding comments in your essay can also assist in drawing the reader’s attention back to the key reasons and arguments in favor of the stance you took in your study. Conclusions can also act as a springboard for further investigation, inspiring fresh concepts to address a problem you highlighted in your paper or presenting fresh perspectives on a subject.

How to Write a Strong Personal Statement, for further reading

Types of research paper conclusions.

Your choice on how to write your conclusion will depend on your study topic and the format of your paper. You can choose which method to use while writing your conclusion by consulting the information below.

Summarizing the argument

A concluding summary is frequently utilized to provide a concise summary of your topic and thesis. While some research articles may call for a different kind of conclusion, this is thought to be the most typical one. This form of conclusion is frequently required for research papers on topics including argumentative papers, problem-solution studies, persuasive essays, and scientific and historical subjects.

Externalizing Judgments

An externalizing conclusion presents ideas or points that may not have been explicitly mentioned or pertinent to how your study and thesis were presented. These kinds of conclusions, nevertheless, can be powerful since they offer fresh perspectives that expand on the research question you initially raised. Externalizing conclusions encourages readers to consider the implications of your subject in fresh ways.

Editor’s decision

You give your own ending thoughts or commentary in an editorial conclusion. This kind of conclusion ties your ideas to the research you’ve discussed. You could express your thoughts on the conclusions, the findings, or the subject in general. The editorial conclusion can be particularly effective in research studies that give opinions, approach a subject humanistic ally, or present contentious information.

How to create a research paper conclusion

The following procedures can serve as a starting point for your conclusion writing:

• Restate the subject of your study.
• Restate the main idea.
• Restate the key ideas.
• Describe the outcomes or relevance.
• State your conclusions.

The main points explained with a little example following.

        I.            State the subject of your study.

Reiterating your research topic should be your initial step in producing your conclusion. Usually, reiterating the issue in one phrase is sufficient, and you should also emphasize why it is significant. Your conclusion should express only the most crucial details in a clear, succinct manner. Here’s an illustration:

“The decline in aquatic animals and the rise in dangerous drinking water since 2010 have both been impacted by the increase in water pollution.”

     II.            Reiterate the argument.

Next, repeat the research paper’s thesis. This can be accomplished by updating the initial thesis you stated in the paper’s introduction. Your conclusion’s thesis statement needs to be phrased differently from what you used in the introduction. The writing of this component in a single sentence is likewise effective. Here’s an illustration:

“Keeping the ecological balance and preserving public health depend on having clean water.”

   III.            Condense the key findings of your investigation.

The essential points of your research report can then be summarized. To select only the most pertinent information and ideas, it can be good to read your document again. More information than what you provided in your paper’s key arguments or supporting evidence shouldn’t be necessary. Reminding the reader of the significance of the research issue is the aim of the key point summary. As an example of how to achieve this, consider the following:

“More and more contaminants are getting into our freshwater supplies as sugar planting expands. This rise in pollution has caused a significant decline in marine life, a fish die-off, an increase in respiratory illnesses among local residents, and a shortage of clean drinking water.”

   IV.            Link the major points’ importance or outcomes.

You can explain the significance of these points after going over your argument’s main points. For instance, you may discuss how the effects of your issue affect a particular conclusion after expressing the key arguments of your argument. Similarly, you may include research findings or other material that will help underline the importance of your knowledge. Here’s an illustration:

“The water quality is still being measured by ecologists and marine biologists, and experts are still looking for solutions to stop the pollution run-off from industrial farms. The EPA anticipates that this research will eventually result in a reduction in the amount of pollutants in our freshwater systems.”

      V.            State your conclusions.

As you wrap up your conclusion, consider posing a question or a call to action that will encourage readers to consider your point of view further. This phrase can also answer any queries that were not addressed in the paper’s body paragraphs. Here’s an illustration:

“Our freshwater ecosystems and drinking water supplies will undoubtedly deteriorate if we do not take action to counter the negative impacts that industrial farming has on our clean water. To preserve our clean water while also meeting the agricultural needs of our economy, more research and innovation are required.”

Writing Advice for Your Conclusion

The following advice will be useful as you compose your research paper’s conclusion:

• Be sure to keep your thesis, primary points, and concluding facts succinct and clear.
• Avoid beginning your conclusion with terms like “in conclusion” or “in summary”, as these fundamental statements can come out as repetitive.
• If you feel overwhelmed, try writing your conclusion in a straightforward summarizing approach.
• Summarize your data by presenting questions and answers, findings, recommendations, or a conclusion to your arguments.
• Include only the most relevant points and arguments you gave in your article.
• Steer clear of reiterating information that has already been covered.

However, adopting the summarizing structure might assist you ensure that you are including each piece as it applies to your research. You can also experiment with alternative conclusion styles.

In Conclusion

A conclusion states what you have done on the report in brief. Remind the reader of your report what you were tackling at hand. Show the reader some authenticity by saying what you think of the report’s topic. Give a few more ideas but briefly. A conclusion is the easiest and flexible part of the report because it is based on what the whole report is all about.

Lastly, you hire a report writer to write you report conclusion.

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6.6: Formal Report—Conclusion, Recommendations, References, and Appendices

Learning objectives.

• Examine the remaining report sections: conclusion, recommendation, reference list, appendices

What Are the Remaining Report Sections?

Conclusions and recommendations.

The conclusions and recommendations section conveys the key results from the analysis in the discussion section. Up to this point, readers have carefully reviewed the data in the report; they are now logically prepared to read the report’s conclusions and recommendations.

According to OACETT (2021), “Conclusions are reasoned judgment and fact, not opinion. Conclusions consider all of the variables and relate cause and effect. Conclusions analyze, evaluate, and make comparisons and contrasts” (p. 7) and “Recommendation(s) (if applicable) suggest a course of action and are provided when there are additional areas for study, or if the reason for the Technology Report was to determine the best action going forward” (p. 7).

You may present the conclusions and recommendations in a numbered or bulleted list to enhance readability.

Reference Page

All formal reports should include a reference page; this page documents the sources cited within the report. The recipient(s) of the report can also refer to this page to locate sources for further research.

Documenting your information sources is all about establishing, maintaining, and protecting your credibility in the profession. You must cite (“document”) borrowed information regardless of the shape or form in which you present it. Whether you directly quote it, paraphrase it, or summarize it—it’s still borrowed information. Whether it comes from a book, article, a diagram, a table, a web page, a product brochure, an expert whom you interview in person—it’s still borrowed information.

Documentation systems vary according to professionals and fields. In ENGL 250, we follow  APA. Refer to a credible APA guide for support.

Appendices are those extra sections in a report that follow the conclusion. According to OACETT (2021), “Appendices can include detailed calculations, tables, drawings, specifications, and technical literature” (p. 7).

Anything that does not comfortably fit in the main part of the report but cannot be left out of the report altogether should go into the appendices. They are commonly used for large tables of data, big chunks of sample code, background that is too basic or too advanced for the body of the report, or large illustrations that just do not fit in the body of the report. Anything that you feel is too large for the main part of the report or that you think would be distracting and interrupt the flow of the report is a good candidate for an appendix.

References & Attributions

Blicq, R., & Moretto, L. (2012).  Technically write. (8th Canadian Ed.). Pearson Canada.

OACETT. (2021).  Technology report guidelines . https://www.oacett.org/getmedia/9f9623ac-73ab-4f99-acca-0d78dee161ab/TR_GUIDELINES_Final.pdf.aspx

Attributions

Content is adapted from Technical Writing by Allison Gross, Annemarie Hamlin, Billy Merck, Chris Rubio, Jodi Naas, Megan Savage, and Michele DeSilva, which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Writing in a Technical Environment (First Edition) Copyright © 2022 by Centennial College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Chapter 12: Report Writing Situations

Venecia Williams

Learning Objectives

• Examine common types of business reports
• Learn the organization of conference and summary reports
• Understand how to write a progress report
• Understand the organization of a recommendation report

Business reports provide organizations with useful insights to determine how the organization is performing. They fall into different categories including informational, analytical, formal and informal. Within those categories, there are many types of reports written over a fiscal year in most organizations. Figure 12.1 provides a list of some common types and reports and their functions.

This chapter highlights some common business reports and guidelines on their organization. As you read and use these guidelines, remember that these are guidelines, not commandments. Different companies, professions, and organizations have their own varied guidelines for reports, and you will have to adapt your writing accordingly.

Figure 12.1 | Types of Reports and Their Functions

Conference Report

Business conferences provide opportunities for people within the same industry to come together, share information and discuss new industry trends. Attending conferences is common in most organizations. If you attend a conference for work, you may be asked to submit an information report which explains key information from the conference.

When you write a conference report:

• Begin by stating why you are writing the report and provide relevant background information
• Present the information you would like to share in a clear and easy to read way. Explain how this information is relevant to the organization.
• Include a summary if necessary, or express appreciation and offer to share more details.

Figure 12.2 demonstrates a typical conference report.

Checklist for Conference Reports

As you reread and revise your conference report, keep in mind the following:

• Write a good introduction explaining the relevant background information
• Include highlights from important speakers or conference workshops
• Explain how the information impacts your business
• Use lists or headings to organize the information

Summary Report

A summary report is used to give management information. For example, if you work in the marketing department, your boss might ask you to find out about your competitors’ online activities so that your company can effectively compete with them. To do this, you would research your competitors’ websites, social media profiles, digital advertising campaigns, and so on. You would then distill what you find down to the key points so that your boss can get the essential information in a short time, and then decide how to act on it. The summary report focuses on the facts, leaving it to management to decide on a course of action.

When you prepare a summary report:

• Read the source information carefully
• Highlight the most important points as per the request
• Write your first draft
• Check your document against the source to ensure your summary is accurate

In general, the main point that you are making in summary reports is that you have done enough research and have used appropriate sources and that you have organized this information in a logical and useful manner. Figure 12.3 illustrates an example of a summary report.

Checklist for Summary Reports

As you reread and revise your summary report, keep in mind the following:

• Write a good introduction highlighting the source(s) which will be included in your summary
• Think about the needs of the audience in determining the length of your summary
• Check your version against the original to ensure there is no misrepresentation of information
• Proofread and revise for grammar, mechanics and style

Progress Reports

You write a progress report to inform a supervisor, associate, or customer about progress you’ve made on a project over a certain period of time. The project can be the design, construction, or repair of something, the study or research of a problem or question, or the gathering of information on a technical subject. You write progress reports when it takes well over three or four months to complete a project.

Contents and Functions of Progress Reports

In the progress report, you explain any or all of the following:

• How much of the work is complete
• What part of the work is currently in progress
• What work remains to be done
• What problems or unexpected issues, if any, have arisen
• How the project is going in general

Progress reports have several important functions:

• Reassure recipients that you are making progress, that the project is going smoothly, and that it will be completed by the expected date.
• Provide recipients with a brief look at some of the findings or some of the work of the project.
• Give recipients a chance to evaluate your work on the project and to request changes.
• Give you a chance to discuss problems in the project and thus to forewarn recipients.
• Force you to establish a work schedule so that you’ll complete the project on time.
• Project a sense of professionalism to your work and your organization.

Timing and Format of Progress Reports

In a year-long project, there are customarily three progress reports, one after three, six, and nine months. Depending on the size of the progress report, the length and importance of the project, and the recipient, the progress report can take the following forms:

• Memo: A short, informal report to someone within your organization
• Letter: A short, informal report sent to someone outside your organization
• Formal Report : A formal report sent to someone outside your organization

Organizational Patterns for Progress Reports

In your progress report, you need (a) an introduction that reviews the purpose and scope of the project, (b) a detailed description of your project and its history, and (c) an overall appraisal of the project to date, which usually acts as the conclusion. Figure 12.4 provides an example of a progress report.

Introduction

In the introduction, review the details of your project’s purpose, scope, and activities. This will aid recipients who are unfamiliar with the project, who do not remember certain details, or who want to doublecheck your approach to the project. The introduction can contain the following:

• Purpose of the project
• Specific objectives of the project
• Scope, or limits, of the project
• Date the project began; date the project is scheduled to be completed
• People or organization working on the project
• People or organization for whom the project is being done
• Overview of the contents of the progress report

Project Description

The project description usually summarizes work within each of the following:

• Work accomplished in the preceding period(s)
• Work currently being performed
• Work planned for the next period(s)

The final paragraph or section usually reassures audiences that all is going well and on schedule. It can also alert recipients to unexpected changes or problems in the project.

Revision Checklist for Progress Reports

As you reread and revise your progress report, keep in mind the following:

• Make sure you use the right format. Remember, the memo format is for internal progress reports; the business-letter format is for progress reports written from one external organization to another.
• Write a good introduction—in it, state that this is a progress report, and provide an overview of the contents of the progress report.
• Make sure to include a description of the final completed project.
• Use headings to mark off the different parts of your progress report, particularly the different parts of your summary of work done on the project.
• Use lists as appropriate.
• Provide specifics—avoid relying on vague, overly general statements about the work you’ve done on the final report project.
• Make sure the report is written in language accessible to your audience.

Recommendation Reports

Recommendation reports provide carefully studied opinions and recommendations. This type of report starts from a stated need, a selection of choices, or both and then recommends one, some, or none. For example, a company might be looking at grammar-checking software and want a recommendation on which product is the best. As the report writer on this project, you could study the market for this type of application and recommend one particular product, a couple of products (differing perhaps in their strengths and their weaknesses), or none (maybe none of them are any good). The recommendation report answers the question “Which option should we choose?” (or in some cases “Which are the best options?) by recommending Product A, or maybe both Products A and B, or none of the products.

Organizational Plans for Recommendation Reports

Recommendation reports are generally organized in one of two ways (see Figure 12.5):

• Traditional plan: You start with background and requirements, then move to comparisons, and end with conclusions and recommendations.
• Executive plan : This one moves the conclusions and recommendations to the front of the report and pitches the full discussion of background, requirements, and the comparisons into appendices. That way, the “busy executive” can see the most important information right away, and turn to the detailed discussion only if there are questions.

Typical Contents of Recommendation Reports

The structural principle fundamental to this type of report is this: you provide not only your recommendation, choice, or judgment, but also the data and the conclusions leading up to it. That way, readers can check your findings, your logic, and your conclusions and come up with a completely different view. But, more likely, they will be convinced by all your careful research and documentation. The report can be organized using the  Whole to Whole approach from Figure 12.6 or the Point by Point approach shown in Figure 12.8. Both approaches will be discussed in more detail in the next section.

In the introduction, indicate the purpose of the report: discuss the problem, need, or opportunity that has brought about the report. In addition, briefly explain the data collection method.

Significance of Situation

Explain how this problem or situation affects your organization and the importance of finding a solution. Do research to build a strong argument around the impact of the problem.

Requirements and Criteria

A critical part of recommendation reports is the discussion of the requirements you’ll use to reach the final decision or recommendation. For example, if you’re trying to recommend a tablet computer for use by employees, your requirements are likely to involve size, cost, hard-disk storage, display quality, durability, and battery function.

The requirements section should also discuss how important the individual requirements are in relation to each other. Picture the typical situation where no one option is best in all categories of comparison. One option is cheaper; another has more functions; one has better ease-of-use ratings; another is known to be more durable. Set up your requirements so that they dictate a “winner” from a situation where there is no obvious winner.

Discussion of the Options

In certain kinds of recommendation reports, you’ll need to explain how you narrowed the field of choices down to the ones you focus on in your report. Often, this follows right after the discussion of the requirements. Your basic requirements may well narrow the field down for you. But there may be other considerations that disqualify other options—explain these as well.

Additionally, you may need to provide brief descriptions of the options themselves. Don’t get this mixed up with the comparison that comes up in the next section. In this description section, you provide a general discussion of the options so that readers will know something about them. The discussion at this stage is not comparative. It’s just a general orientation to the options. In the tablets example, you might want to give some brief, general specifications on each model about to be compared.

Comparison Approaches

One of the most important parts of a recommendation report is the comparison of the options. Remember that you include this section so that readers can check your thinking and come up with different conclusions if they desire. This can be handled with a comparative point by point option or a comparative whole to whole option depending on the situation. Figure 12.7 compares both approaches.

When do you use the point by point approach? The point-by-point approach is effective when the alternatives can be broken down into categories. If you are comparing tablets, you’d have a section that compared them on cost, another section that compared them on battery function, and so on. You wouldn’t have a section that discussed everything about option A, another that discussed everything about option B, and so on. That would not be effective at all, because the comparisons must still be made somewhere—probably by the reader.  With the point-by-point approach, each of these comparative sections should end with a conclusion that states which option is the best choice in that particular point of comparison. Of course, it won’t always be easy to state a clear winner—you may have to qualify the conclusions in various ways, providing multiple conclusions for different conditions.

When do you use the whole to whole approach? The whole to whole approach is useful when the comparisons don’t break down logically into points or categories. The options being compared might have different advantages and disadvantages that are not comparable. In this situation, it is best to describe each option in detail, including the advantages, limitations and costs (is applicable). In the conclusion, you’d include comparison and analysis of the different options.

Summary table

After the individual comparisons, include a summary table that summarizes the conclusions from the comparison section, if appropriate. Some readers are prone to pay attention to details in a table rather than in paragraphs.

Conclusions

The conclusions section of a recommendation report is in part a summary or restatement of the conclusions you have already reached in the comparison sections. In this section, you restate the individual conclusions, for example, which model had the best price, which had the best battery function, and so on. This section must untangle all the conflicting conclusions and somehow reach the final conclusion, which is the one that states which is the best choice. For example, if one tablet is the least expensive but has poor battery function, but another is the most expensive and has good battery function, which do you choose, and why? The conclusion would state the answer to this dilemma.

Recommendation 

The final section of a recommendation report states the recommendation. You’d think that that ought to be obvious by now. Ordinarily it is, but remember that some readers may skip right to the recommendation section and bypass all your hard work! Also, there will be some cases where there may be a best choice, but you wouldn’t want to recommend it. Early in their history, laptop computers were heavy and unreliable. There may have been one model that was better than the rest, but even it was not worth having. The recommendation section should echo the most important conclusions leading to the recommendation and then state the recommendation emphatically as demonstrated in Figure 12.8.

Figure 12.8 | Recommendation Report- Point by Point Approach

Checklist for Recommendation Reports

As you reread and revise your recommendation report, keep in mind the following:

• Write a good introduction in which you indicate the situation and the audience and provide an overview of the contents.
• Discuss the background on the problem or opportunity—what brought about the need for the report.
• State requirements—those factors that influence the decision or the choice of options. (And remember to state how important the requirements are in relation to each other.)
• Organize the comparison of the options using the point by point approach or whole to whole approach.
• Include a summary table, if possible, in which you summarize all the key data in table form.
• Include a conclusions section where you restate all the key conclusions from the comparison section.
• Include a recommendation section where you make the recommendation. Briefly mention the key factors influencing the recommendation.
• Include your references section so that the reader can refer to your sources.

This chapter focuses on the organizational structure for some common types of business reports. Regardless of the type of report you write, make sure the purpose is clear, the content matches audience expectations and the information is organized in a logical manner.

End of Chapter Activities

12a. thinking about the content.

What are your key takeaways from this chapter? What is something you have learned or something you would like to add from your experience?

12b. Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions

• Do you have experience writing any of the reports mentioned in this chapter?
• Which report would you find most difficult to write?
• Discuss a report on a trend in business that you’ve observed, and highlight at least the main finding. For example, from the rising cost of textbooks to the online approach to course content, textbooks are a significant issue for students. Draw from your experience as you bring together sources of information to illustrate a trend. Share and compare with classmates.

12c. Applying chapter concepts to a situation

Recommending A New Office Printer

Atwood Financial Services is a locally owned company that offers short-term loans and foreign exchange services to Canadians. They have new requests daily, and the staff are required to print contracts and receipts for each transaction. They are unable to offer services without a functional printer.

Recently, the printer has stopped working due to the high volume of printing that occurs in the office. Lisa Atwood, the owner at AFS, decides it’s time to upgrade to a new device instead of repairing the one they currently have. She asks Tito, the purchasing manager, to write a report recommending a new printer that has the following features:

•     Makes black and white and colour copies
•     Scans and sends documents to email
•     Requires a keycard for login purposes in addition to user ID and password.
•     Is competitively priced

From Tito’s experience with writing previous reports for Lisa, he knows that she prefers when tables are included.

Create a table comparing three brands of printers based on Lisa’s suggested features. 

12d. Writing Activity

Watch this video from TED.com on The Hidden Opportunities of the Informal Market . Summarize the video. What do you think about this report on the informal market?

Attribution

This chapter contains information from Business Communication for Success,  which is adapted from a work produced and distributed under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA) in 2010 by a publisher who has requested that they and the original author not receive attribution. This adapted edition is produced by the  University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing  through the  eLearning Support Initiative ,  Business Communication For Everyone  (c) 2019 by Arley Cruthers and is licensed under a  Creative Commons-Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license , and Online Technical Writing by David McMurrey and is licensed under a  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License .

Chapter 12: Report Writing Situations by Venecia Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Business report writing

How to conclude a report – like a rock star

6 minute read

Grab a pair of headphones and a lighter to wave in the air. Ready? Then let’s rock.

When you’re trying to bring your report to a conclusion, do you ever feel like Paul McCartney at the Olympics opening ceremony , rehashing the same points (‘na na na nananana …’) as the audience sneaks quietly for the exits? Or do you take the John Lennon approach in ‘ I Want You (She’s So Heavy) ‘ and crash to a sudden halt?

Endings can be tough to write, but they’re so important. You want to send your reader away thinking about what they’ve read – or even persuade them to make a decision right there and then. Going out with a whimper isn’t an option. Here’s Neil Sedaka demonstrating just how awkward a bad ending can be – ‘ Breaking up is hard to do ‘ indeed.

Four types of conclusion: PQRS

If your report includes recommendations, you’ll already have stated them in the executive summary and supported them throughout the document. So your conclusion should contain no surprises – no Brotherhood of Man-style twist .

There are four basic types of conclusion you can use, summed up by the letters PQRS: P redict, Q uote, R epeat or S ummarise.

Predict the future (Take my hand and we’ll make it I swear)

There are two main ways you can use predictions. If your report is about a decision already taken, you can use the ending to sum up the effects you expect to see. For example:

‘The council continues to expand its recycling scheme at an incredible rate. We will soon be recycling over 40% of our waste.’

But if the purpose of your report is to persuade the reader to take a certain action, predicting what will happen if they don’t take that action can be a persuasive tactic. For example:

‘Unless we expand our recycling scheme, we are almost certain to fall short of our targets for this year and to perform worse than both of our neighbouring councils.’

Then follow this up with a prediction of how things will be different if they take your advice. You’ll already have mentioned this in the body of the report, but you should crank it up a gear in the conclusion.

Think ‘ Livin’ on a Prayer ‘, where the key changes for the final chorus. (Getting a shaggy perm is optional, but we’d admire your dedication.)

Quote (Who’ll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?)

If you do it with care and justification, ending with a quotation can be powerful. But don’t be tempted to stray into show-off territory; this isn’t the time to demonstrate your encyclopaedic knowledge of Latin or Shakespeare.

A relevant and pithy quote from someone influential and well-informed, however, can be persuasive. It could be someone you’ve already cited in the report, or someone new. For example:

‘As the Chairman of Lambeth First says: “The Lambeth No Knife Charter won’t on its own stop people carrying knives. But if we can make it hard for people to get hold of knives and reduce the number in circulation, then that is a step in the right direction.”‘

This works on two fronts: first, it reinforces your message, showing that others support you. And second, it offers a slightly different angle, and often a chance for a personal opinion.

Here are The Pogues, doing it very well in Eric Bogle’s ‘ And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda ‘. After seven-and-a-half minutes of the horror of war, it cuts to the original song, with the old soldier – now a double amputee – asking ‘Who’ll go a-waltzing Matilda with me?’

Repeat a major issue (Seriously, she is totally buying a stairway to heaven)

This can be tricky. You don’t want your reader to feel like you’re repeatedly bashing them over the head with the same message. But at the same time, you do want them to walk away with that message in their head.

Basically, you want to bash them very gently, without them noticing. The secret is to keep it brief, to-the-point and memorable. For example:

‘Today, Lambeth – like all councils – faces a major challenge due to the increased uptake of adult health and social services. It is vital that we secure additional funding.’

Go for the Led Zeppelin effect. When Robert Plant finishes his slow, deliberate howl at the end of ‘ Stairway to Heaven ‘, you’re in no doubt about what the protagonist is buying, but you don’t feel as if you never want to hear about a stairway ever again.

Summarise (Where do we go now?)

When summarising, resist the urge to go over all your points again, and keep it brief. Your summary should just bring together your main points, and reinforce any recommended plan of action. For example:

‘The new programme aims to make “every Lambeth child a talker” by involving parents as well as professionals in children’s language development. In the first two years it will concentrate on 20 groups of pre-school children, but it will then link with other groups to pass on good practice.’

This example includes both a summary and a prediction – you can combine the different endings to make the right conclusion for your document.

Most importantly of all, you’re looking to be concise, memorable and powerful. Think the impact of ‘ Sweet Child o’ Mine’ , but with less ‘where do we go?’ and more ‘this is where we go’.

Conclusions, in conclusion

Most importantly of all, your ending needs to be arresting and to leave a lasting impression. Not for you, the gradual fade out. Use the techniques above and aim for a grand finale. Rock on!

Do you have any tips for writing a great conclusion? And what’s your favourite (or least favourite) song ending? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

These tips (minus the music) were taken from our High-impact business writing course, which is available both to bring in house for teams and  for individuals .

To learn more about making report writing a much easier and less painful task, check out our free webinar recording How to turn your expert analysis into exceptional reports .  It’s ideal if you have to write reports to colleagues and clients as part of your day-to-day job – whether that’s as a traditional written report or as a slide deck.

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Cathy is a certified word and editing expert, having worked as a sub-editor, editor and copywriter at, to name a few, the Guardian , The Sunday Times , The Telegraph , Which? and The Grocer .

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