The Writer's Purpose

Determining your purpose is the first step to planning an effective report. You can define purpose by asking the following question: Why am I writing my report?

Many writers have only a vague idea of why they are writing. They may say "because someone told me to" or "because we've always done it this way." Or they may say "because the client expects this type of document," and then proceed to fill up the requisite number of pages without much consideration.

If the writer doesn't know why he or she is writing, will the reader bother to figure it out? Probably not. If no one reads your report, then no one is going to accept your advice or act on your recommendations. As one writer has warned: "If reports are never read, we are doomed to keep writing them."^*

The overarching purpose of all World Bank reports is to help decision makers take appropriate action. Therefore, as report writers, you should ensure that your writing achieves this purpose.

 

^* Maitland, Karen, 2002, Theories at the bottom of our jargon, Ed. Brian Lewis (London, UK: Pontefract Press).