ClearTips: Riveting reports

Your main message

The most important question about any piece of writing is: What is the main message you want to convey? The main message is the single most important idea that you want your reader to walk away with. Answering this question forces you to boil down into one statement everything you know about your topic and everything you hope to achieve by writing about it. If you don't articulate it, your reader certainly won't be able to.

As with the title, the main message will help you decide what to keep and what to cut by defining the boundaries of your report. Also like the title, the main message should do more than describe or inform—it should compel. Don't leave your readers in suspense. Remember, they may not have much time to read your report. Use simple language, and load value into your main message. Also remember that supporting messages follow, so don't overload it.

Messages classify and describe things (descriptive messages) or recommend action (prescriptive messages).

Some first attempts at a main message are too general:

New technology can have a beneficial effect on communities.

so think about adding a bit of detail:

New communications technologies can strengthen neighborhoods, create new opportunities for participation in civic affairs, and promote economic development on a scale that enhances, rather than undermines, life in communities.

Some attempts at coming up with the main message leave the reader with a So what?

Economic policies are often dominated by political considerations.

This can often be fixed by adding a Because to the front of the first statement and continuing with the action recommended:

Because economic policies are often dominated by political considerations, economists must maintain contact with their roots and be more willing to accept innovation and change.

What do you really want to say? Keep the answer short and simple—you should be able to voice it easily. And try reading your main message aloud to colleagues to see if they can repeat it back to you. If they can't, the message may be too long (more than 30 words?), too vague, or too complicated.

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