The purpose of your report

As you discovered in the first module, the purpose serves to answer the question “why?” about your document. Why are you writing this report or proposal? Let’s recall a few of the quotes from Module 1 about what effective writing means. These quotes address the importance of purpose:

• Effective writers have clear objectives. They link their activities to impact.
• You have to know your audience when you write.
• The issues with good writing are getting to the point and knowing your audience.

These quotes illustrate why identifying the purpose is the first step in report writing. The purpose speaks directly to the reader’s needs in reading your report – that is, what they the reader needs to do as a result of reading your report. Moreover, your purpose informs all the other aspects of the report, including tone, structure, and scope.

© WHO 2011