Writing Good Reports

How many reports have you seen that send you to sleep? For me, it's a lot. If you have something great to say, just say it. Don't spend 30 pages describing methodology, leave the key messgae until the last chapter and cram it so full of jargon and acronyms that I need a translator.

Reports don't need to be long and complicated to show that you know what you are talking about. The research and findings should speak for themselves and be presented in the simplest way to make the content shine.

Here are a few tips for good report writing:

Content
*Decide on the key messages you want to get across
*Make sure these are clearly explained on the opening page
*Keep re-focusing on them throughout the report

Style
*Use everyday language
*Say things in the most concise way possible
*Keep sentences and paragraphs short

What can NGOs learn from Haiti media coverage?

There may have been some criticism of NGOs for jostling for their place in the media scrum, but the truth is that when a disaster of this scale dominates the news agenda, it is important to be in the hustle.

Some NGOs are seasoned professionals and always seem to be quoted in the press so what can we learn from these well oiled media machines?

Move Quickly
The news media is a fast paced environment where information and updates are expected as they happen. To keep up with this NGOs need to be able to work at the same speed. The first few days of a disaster is when there is going to be most coverage and when NGOs have the chance to put themselves at the forefront of the discussion.

Have a voice
What does your organisation think? Where do they stand on the important issues raised? The NGOs that get the most media coverage are those that have a voice – that aren’t afraid to speak up and give their opinion. In the Haiti debate there was a lot of coverage of orphans being shipped out the country for adoption. The likes of Save The Children waded in to speak out against the move and therefore were given coverage in the media.

Make People Available
What the media want in these kinds of situation is people on the ground – people who have experienced the devastation first hand and can talk about it. NGOs are at the forefront of the disaster and therefore well placed to provide this kind of comment.

Think Multimedia
Remember, the media is not only about what is said - a picture paints a thousand words. In disaster situations NGOs are often in areas that the media can’t reach. By providing video footage, audio clips and photos NGOs can make themselves indispensable.

Should NGOs have fought for media attention in Haiti?

There was an interesting segment on Radio 4 last week about NGOs vying for media attention in the wake of the Haiti earthquake. The question was asked – Surely if you didn’t pay a pr officer you would have more money for aid work? And the answer from Brendan Gormley of the Disaster Emergency Committee– Yes but the media would continue to chase our workers for interviews, without someone there to co-ordinate them. He also spoke out in defence of NGOs having a media focus rather than just quietly going about their work.

While there is criticism of international aid agencies using their work as ‘pr stories’ and exploiting people as ‘case studies’ – do they have much choice? To raise the funds to do their work NGOs need to have a profile that attracts people to give them money. And the people who are giving money want to see where it's being spent. The most cost effective and successful way of doing this is through the media. Who are you more likely to give you money to – a big charity you have heard of like Oxfam or a lesser known organisation that does not have a voice in the media arena?