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How To Write An Impactful Executive Summary

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Chaitya Bobba
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17 views

How To Write An Impactful Executive Summary

Uploaded by

Chaitya Bobba
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Top tips for writing an impactful executive summary

An executive summary is a short piece of writing that summarises a longer piece of work. It
must be written to be standalone, as many readers may never read the main report. The
goal of the executive summary, therefore, is to present concisely key findings, arguments,
and recommendations. Here are some suggestions on how to approach writing your
consulting style executive summary, and some practical recommendations on what to
do/not do.

Firstly, consider the audience. Who will be reading this? What are their interests? How
much do they already know about the topic? Thinking about these questions should help
you start to frame the outline and contents of the document.

It is a good idea to write a “meta document” first in which you develop the document’s
structure, identify the contents of each section, and how the sections connect together.
Once this is done, you can proceed to build out the sections. Using the outlining function in
Word will help you do this.

In business, readers may be pressed for time and wanting to understand quickly what
actions they should take (many business people have a “bias for action”!). They will
therefore be much more interested in your results, conclusions, and recommendations (if
you make any), than in how you did the analysis, or what your literature review may have
shown. It makes sense to respond to their interests and come straight to the point in your
executive summary, rather than presenting findings at its end. Resequencing the order of
the narrative in your main report, and not belabouring the methodology and literature
review, are therefore good practices. A possible structure for the exec summary therefore
becomes:

Introduction (including the RQ)


Overview of findings
Brief summary of how the study was done (rationale for research design, tools, data
collection procedure and sources, analysis process)
Conclusion and recommendations
Actions to mobilise, or next steps

A well-written introduction explains concisely, and in plain English, the problem that the
report addresses (the RQ), the context or business situation, and any complicating factors.
Such an introduction grounds the reader in what the report is all about.

Consider the educational level, language capabilities, and cultural background of the
audience you are writing for, and tailor your approach accordingly.

Secondly, identify and summarise the key findings of the report. Specifically, answer the
following:
What is the answer to the RQ? (-> findings section)
Are there any limitations to the validity of this answer? (-> findings section)

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What are the implications of the answer to the RQ for the client? (-> conclusion and
recommendations)
What do you recommend that the client do? (-> conclusion and recommendations)
(and, potentially, what should the client do to start to implement your
recommendations? -> conclusion and recommendations)

Summarising findings into tables and well annotated diagrams enables the reader to grasp
quickly the main ideas you are trying to convey. When findings are summarised in this way,
it is not necessary to restate them in the main text, but summarising what the reader should
understand or learn from them is helpful.

Recommendations should be as specific as possible. Generalised statements such as “focus


the company on customer service” are too vague, do not specify what actions the client
should take, and are of limited value. Think about how you would answer when the CEO
asks “What should I do? How should I do this? Who should do this?” and do the best job you
can to specify discrete, actionable, and practical recommendations.

Thirdly, consider the style of writing and presentation. “Business writing” is quite different
to “academic writing”. Some general guidance:

- Use the active voice wherever possible. “These results indicate….”, “The US market
for tea has consistently grown faster than Canada, and forecasts suggest that this
will continue to be the case…”,“On the basis of this analysis, the company should
consider the following actions….”, “Porter’s famous model enables us to assess the
attractiveness of entering a market by considering five forces…”

- Avoid technical jargon, unless absolutely necessary. If you need to use a specialised
term or an acronym, define it when you first use it.

- Chose direct, simple, but precise language and avoid overly academic constructions.
Do not use contractions or slang. Avoid “obviously” – what you are writing is the
result of careful analysis and thought, so it is very far from obvious. Avoid beginning
sentences with “so”. Think about replacing “thus”, “therefore”, “whereas” with more
direct phrasing.

- It is not usual to include citations and references in an executive summary.

- Use graphics judiciously, to enhance readability and aid comprehension. Avoid using
graphics ornamentally – decorating your executive summary with pictures does not
convey professionalism. Use a limited palette of harmonious colours. Too many
colours, and too many graphics, produce an unappealingly garish and busy
impression, and will detract from the quality of your work.

Finally, allow sufficient time to write a preliminary draft executive summary and engage in
several cycles of revision, with pauses between them. Creating a draft, going and doing
something else, and returning with “fresh eyes” will enable you see what is working well,

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and what needs revising. Reading the document aloud (to yourself or to others) will enable
you to identify any awkward phrasing, grammar errors, or other structural problems.

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