Video is catching on as a medium to teach, communicate, and socialise. Of course, through 2020, it became the only way to communicate in many cases.

Video makes a lot of sense as a reporting mechanism. Just because I go on a bit here about how important the writing of reports is, doesn’t mean I don’t realise that video may continue to become a major communicate mode.

However, to differentiate your video report from a rambling influencer on youtube, you probably want to properly write out and structure your report, regardless of whether it’s delivered on paper or on video.

Communicating through reports is required in most knowledge work. At some point, you’ll write a document. And there are different types of documents, of which reports are just one of them.

In knowledge work, most documents will then be read by someone else. That someone else will receive your words and interpret them into their own knowledge work.

Writing reports – or any document – demonstrates your ability to communicate and also goes a long way to demonstrate your knowledge.

So, while you might strive for leadership roles, it’s wise for everyone to have written effective documents on the way to leadership.

Reports are written to inform, to provide conclusions or recommendations, or to communicate a result. It’s possible there are more reports written than are needed. It’s probable that many reports are longer than they need to be.

If we remind ourselves why the report is being written, it may reduce extraneous information. If we’re clear who the audience is, before starting the report, it may be a different report than if written for just ‘anybody’.

Join me on March 10th for a webinar that will help identify keys to good reports, and more. It might help you write anything better.

Report Writing. If you're in the knowledge workspace, you probably read or write reports. Probably both.

Episode 3 of my Beyond 100 series will cover that very essential ingredient of communicating knowledge: the writing of reports.

The whole point of a report is to communicate knowledge. So, when a report is incoherent, disorganised, disjointed, or seems to not communicate knowledge at all, then it is simply not effective.

On the other hand, when faced with the task to write a report, knowing how to start can alleviate the likelihood of an incoherent, disorganised, disjointed report that doesn’t actually communicate knowledge.

I’ve always enjoyed the silly little wordplay with my birthday being the only day on the calendar that tells you what to do. You know, march forth, march ahead, march on.

It’s wordplay, and, words are so important.

It’s the only way we communicate, through words. Whether written, spoken, or even sign language or the 110011 of binary coding.

We communicate through words. Communicating knowledge is essential in the knowledge work environment.

So, march forth.

(The photos are from my 50th birthday ski day last year. It has become a beautiful bookend, to a decade, and to life before Covid.)

A common approach to storing of information is “I’ll do it later”. This is a mistake.

Like you brush your teeth every day, doing a little bit of filing of accumulated knowledge every day is an essential step to efficiency.

We all know the fuzzy feeling on our teeth if we miss a brush. Unfortunately, there’s nothing equivalent when we don’t file away the day’s knowledge.

But long term, like that fuzzy feeling turns into rotten teeth, the unfiled pile of knowledge becomes a monster on the desk or on the screen.

Storing information efficiently starts with a daily routine.

The first mistake made when it comes to reading, is not allowing enough time for it.

It’s too easy to think it will ‘only take a few minutes’ to read a 25-page document. No. To comprehend it properly, you need at least 30 minutes.

We can debate speed reading hacks, and perhaps there are reading skills that can be developed to improve reading efficiency. For the average reader though, mostly you just have to allow the time to read.

So, when reading reports, specifications, or a contract, or anything else important for your knowledge work, do reserve time for it.

The easiest writing mistake to fix, for reports, technical specifications or similar, is to write shorter sentences.

Reading a report recently, I came across a sentence that was 68 words long!

Sentence length should vary. The maximum length should be about 20 words.

Fiction and literary prose can get away with long running, deep and dreamy sentences that go on and on, carrying more than one thought or topic, because reading fiction is very different to reading technical or knowledge-based information; so, do yourself a favour and split the sentences. (That one’s only 47 words and it’s already a head-spin).

There are mixed messages around mistakes. We’re told to learn from our mistakes; but then again, there are situations when mistakes should simply not be made.

Sometimes mistakes are minor (like misfiling a report), and sometimes they are catastrophic (like using an outdated revision drawing for a piping modification).

Everyone handles mistakes differently: proudly owning them, hiding them away, or, ignoring them and hoping no one notices.

We all know we are all going to make mistakes. The practical accept the probability, and try to have plans or solutions to prevent them, or to deal with them when they happen.

If you deal with documentation or knowledge, it’s an infinite loop of tasks and requirements.

An infinite loop is not a bad thing: it can be quite powerful actually. If there’s one thing that cures uncertainty, it’s predictability. And that can be an infinite loop.

Because if you’re in an infinite loop, at least you might know what’s coming up next. You can be ready for it.

In our documentation/knowledge loop, the infinite tasks are: read, write, edit, approve, retrieve, utilise, store, redirect, review, plan, and think.

During work time, you will be on one of those tasks. Expect it.

If you deal with documentation or knowledge, you’d better be thinking.

Thinking is the “using of one’s mind actively to form connected ideas”.

If you’re not thinking, you’ve missed the point of working with documentation and knowledge. Thinking, along with creativity, separates us from evermore effective artificial intelligence.

Quickly replying to emails, dashing out a quick report, or writing the technical specification just moments before it needs to go out the door, does not allow the time to use your mind actively to form connected ideas.

Thinking is so important. Every document deserves the time needed for the thinking bit.

If you deal with documentation or knowledge, the step often missed is planning.

It’s so quick and easy to create documents now. For comparison, think back 40 years (those who can) and remember the typewriter and the blue carbon paper for copies. Slow and deliberate was the norm.

Now, need to write a report? Find an old one and just search and replace with new information. Need to send an email? Just find a random past one from the same person and reply about the new topic (without changing the subject header).

There are more professional ways to plan documentation.

If you deal with documentation or knowledge, there comes a time when you’ll have to review other people’s writing.

It usually comes with an oblique “please review and comment”.

It’s even more complicated when the request is emailed to a group.

I remember the olden days (!) when there was one copy of the document, with a list of names attached. Reviews were one at a time. It was cleverly set out that the most senior person reviewed first, so the juniors learned what was being commented on.

Of course, that’s too inefficient in this just-in-time environment. But maybe not.

If you deal with documentation or knowledge, you’ll often or occasionally do a peculiar action of ‘redirecting’ it.

By redirecting, I mean that after you’ve read it, written it, edited it, used it and / or approved it, it will probably need to be redirected, to the right person with the right expectations (next step) outlined.

We’re not really taught clear or efficient ways to redirect documents or knowledge. We just wing it around by email or casual conversation.

A redirection without explanation puts more work on the receiver. Redirection with clear expectations: that’s the better way to do it.

If you deal with documentation or knowledge, you’ll need to store that documentation or knowledge efficiently.

This might be one of the most overlooked aspect of documentation and knowledge: how to store it so that it can be found again.

Every organisation will have its own storage system, whether it’s a fancy smart database or good old-fashioned X: drive folders. Or even more old-fashioned: hardcopy folders in drawers. (I have all three types).

There’s no shortage of ways documents could be stored; the important thing is to have an agile personal methodology based on principles that make sense to you.

If you deal with documentation or knowledge, you’ll undoubtedly be utilising that documentation, knowledge, data, or information, for something required in your daily tasks.

Preferably, in the act of using that knowledge, data, or document, you’ll be adding value.

Pushing information across your desk, or in-and-out of the inbox, without adding value to it, diminishes your role and makes you expendable.

It’s better for everyone – including your organisation – to use the information by putting it through that black box that is your mind (which encompasses your own knowledge, skills, and experience), and making it more valuable on the other side.

If you deal with documentation or knowledge, you’ll be looking for, and retrieving, information often.

It’s common to be thinking to ourselves, or, hearing a co-worker say: “just let me find it…” or, “now where did I put that…”, or “I know it’s around here somewhere”.

Being able to quickly find what you’re looking for is a relief – and a time-saver.

The ease in the ability to create documentation has meant we have more of it than ever. Finding ways to store and file it so that it can be easily retrieved later is a bit like chasing a dream.

If you deal with documentation or knowledge, you’ll possibly have approving to do.

The act of approval, in the context of documentation or records, is a conscious act not to be taken lightly. It is expected that the approver is aware of the content of the document or record that they are ‘signing off’.

“Approved” documents have more weight and authority than draft or unsigned (unapproved) ones. Approval means, in the case of project records, the content is accurate. It means that in the case of project plans, specifications or designs, the content is correct and expected to be followed.

If you deal with documentation or knowledge, you’ll possibly have editing to do.

Actually, if you write at all, you should also plan the time to edit. Editing is the action of ‘correcting, revising and proof-reading’ for errors. So, if you write and don’t edit, then an important step is missing in clarifying and ‘tidying up’ your writing.

Of course, the scale of editing is directly associated with length and purpose of the writing (i.e., email vs. project close-out report)

It’s also important when you have a role to review others’ work: you will have to be in editor mode.

If you deal with documentation or knowledge, you’ll always have writing to do.

Possibly, though, we write too much. Writing thousands of words for others to read can be ineffective. You may need to write those thousands of words to get your head around your point, but consider reducing it to a couple of hundred when communicating with others.

Writing is a key mode of communication. Early in our lives we learn how to write (and read and talk). As we enter and progress through corporate life, it seems like we write more and more but communicate less and less.