Paul Mundy Writing a project report Collecting, organizing and writing information on a project

Steps in writing a document 1. Decide what info you will need 2. Collect the information 3. Focus the topic – what is it about? 4. Organize the information 5. Write a draft 6. Rewrite the draft

Decide what types of info you need Mechanical Name of project Locations Times, duration Budget Names of organizations and people, contact details Exploratory Problem Purpose Main activities Achievements Creative Photos, graphics Human-interest stories Quotations Implications Recommendations

Collecting information Familiarize yourself with the project  Read relevant documents – especially the approved project document  Talk to people involved  Develop questions to ask Gather information  Visit the field  Interview the project manager and staff  Interview partners  Interview beneficiaries  Collect documents, photos

Collecting information Ask questions Observe Soak up information like a sponge Make notes Think of interesting angles while you are gathering information

Find out What has the project done? What has it achieved? Has it done what it said it would? What went right, and why? How can the project build on this? What went wrong and why? How can this be corrected? What interesting things happened? What’s new?

Focus the topic Think of three highlights to focus on  Separate your main points from the detail What am I trying to say? Discuss the subject with someone  Tell him/her a story  Explain what happened  Give only the information the listener needs to understand

The elevator pitch Imagine you are in a lift with Bill Gates  What would you tell him about your project?  What is the most important thing to say?  You have 2 minutes! Used with investors

Nine Cs of an effective elevator pitch 1.ConciseAs few words as possible, but no fewer 2.ClearYour grandparents can understand it 3.CompellingExplains the problem 4.CredibleExplains how you solved the problem 5.ConceptualNot unnecessary detail 6.ConcreteSpecific and tangible 7.CustomizedAddresses audience’s interests 8.ConsistentSame basic message 9.ConversationalNot complete, but aims to interest audience in more information

4 Organize the information

Organize the information What is the story about? Main idea to which all other ideas relate

What we want to end up with Evidence Focus Lead A carefully constructed story with evidence supporting our main idea

Does your org have a set format for reports? Create a document using those headings Sort your information into those categories Write the information under the right heading YesNo Create one that works for you Find one that works for you Adapt it if needed Use it! Collect info you need for this format

Organize the information Make a short list of 7-8 categories your information falls into  Eg, Situation, Problem, Production, Intervention, Results, Solution Label your notes with these categories Sort the notes according to category Sort the categories into a logical order

Write! Four ways to start  Write a summary sentence  Write some possible leads  Write an ending  Write without notes Don’t  Start off with a 100-page report and try to edit it down to 3 pages

Write Focus  What is the story about? Organization  What information is included?  How is it presented?

Rewrite When you have finished writing Have you said it well enough? Reread what you have written  Is it in the right order?  Is it interesting? Does it grab the reader’s attention?  Does it say anything new or useful?

When you have finished writing Ask someone else to read it  Ask them to be critical of the structure, organization, logical flow  Ask them if the piece is interesting, easy to read  Ask them what they learned after reading

More information BBC SXSW (click on the video) BBC SXSW Youtube Youtube O’Leary: Elevator Pitch Essentials O’Leary