Have you ever had one of those days when nothing seems to go right? Maybe you’re having trouble with your boss or coworker. Maybe you just had a bad day at work and now you’re coming home wondering whether you should just quit your job or not. Maybe you just had a fight with your significant other and you don’t know whether you’ll ever be happy again. You just want to curl up in a corner and die.
When you’re faced with something like that, the last thing you want to do is write a report. But that’s exactly what you’re faced with when you’re assigned to write a business report for school. Your first instinct might be to scrap the whole thing and find a new topic. But you’ve got bills to pay and a couple of kids who need clothes and food. You’ve got a boss who’s been there for you since day one and someone you’ve gotta answer to. So write the damn report and pray that something goes right.
If you want to give the impression that you’re satisfied with your day and that everything is going according to plan, you can use specific language to reflect that. Here are some tips on how to write a business report in such a way that your professor will think you’ve been there and done that.
Be Confident
Your professor is not going to think you’re an idiot. He’s going to think you’re confident. Even if you did have a bad day at work, you can redeem yourself by showing that you’ve been there and you understand what you’re doing. Being confident is about showing that you’re ready to take on the task at hand and that you believe in yourself. So when you describe your day, begin by showing that you’re confident in your decisions. Begin by stating your point of view and the reasons for it. Give reasons for your opinions and be confident that what you’re writing is going to be beneficial. In a nutshell, you want the reader to believe that you’ve thought this through and your report will be valuable to them. If you want them to believe you’re an idiot, then you don’t need to write the report. Simply talk to them about the subject matter and you’ll be fine.
Use Numbers
If you’re using numbers in your business report, you need to be consistent with your use of them or else your professors are going to think you’re just trying to pad your paper. Instead of just listing a figure here and there, try using numbers in every other part of your paper. If you’re using a calculator, stop at the end of every hour and add a figure. That way, you’ll add up all the figures in the right place. You can also use words like “approximately” or “about” to describe the figures you come across.
Look For The Commonalities
What is your business report going to consist of? Most likely, you’ll want to discuss something about the industry you’re studying and how it’s structured. But that’s not all there is to say about the subject matter. There are probably going to be a lot of things you haven’t thought of or experienced as well. So when you come across an idea in your report, don’t just throw it away. Look for the commonalities. What is the basic premise behind this subject? Is there a certain formula or methodology that underpins the entire industry? Finding the commonalities will give you a better chance of making your point successfully. Once you’ve found the commonalities, you can start to establish correlations between your findings and the theory you’ve proposed. In other words, you can show your professor that you’ve done your homework. It would also benefit you to find one or two themes that run throughout the industry. These can be things like customer expectations, market trends, or economic influences. For example, if you’re discussing the hospitality industry, you might want to establish that certain businesses in the industry are struggling with high customer turnover while others are experiencing an increase in business due to superior customer service. Your professor might also ask you to examine the industry from a different perspective. Perhaps you’ll want to argue that the industry is evolving and new methods of attracting and serving customers are needed.
Organize Your Thoughts
What is your business report going to be about? Whatever it is, you’re going to have to start by defining it. It can be difficult to write something about a vague concept, particularly when you’ve never done so before. So take some time to think of different topics you could write about. Once you’ve got some ideas, it’s easier to start drafting your report. You can use the topic list to help you organize your thoughts. You might also find it helpful to write some brainstorming or outline notes first. These are going to be your guide as you discuss the various topics within the industry. They’ll help you keep track of what you’ve covered so far in the report and remind you of any key points you might have forgotten.
There are times when we all come across a situation at work that throws us off-course. Maybe we’ve got a tough boss or a nasty customer. Or maybe there’s a deadline we’ve got to meet and our work isn’t valued. When these types of situations arise, we feel as if everything is against us. We can’t seem to get things done, and it feels as if we’re about to be fired any moment. Under these types of circumstances, we can really use a shoulder to cry on. Someone to help us pick up the pieces and get back on track. The key to salvaging these bad days is by taking a step back and trying to see the situation objectively. From a different perspective, we might be able to devise a game plan and figure out a way to make things work. Even when everything seems to be going wrong, there’s always a way to turn it around. If you’re faced with something similar, take a deep breath and call on your instincts. Sometimes a good night’s sleep can help us see things clearly. It might not all be bad. Take some time to write down your frustrations, and perhaps, you’ll be able to come up with some ideas on how to resolve the situation.