Hello again,

Did you know that over 6,800 languages are spoken around the world. This is a huge number and as you can imagine some – like English and Mandarin – are spoken by millions of people while others are used by only a few thousand people.

In the UK, English is not the only language spoken – Welsh is spoken widely in Wales and there are still many Gaelic speakers in Scotland. Papua New Guinea, on the other hand, has around 800 different languages.

But, as the Internet spreads information and culture around the globe, everything seems to become more standardised – even the use of language. Although the number of people speaking English is expanding all the time, many minor languages face extinction. It is estimated that one goes out of use every fortnight!

So, you can see why it is so useful to be able to speak English fluently if you want to be understood world wide. But at the same time, cherish your own language. It’s a wonderful part of your culture and heritage – something that should not be allowed to disappear without a fight.

This month, we’re going to consider writing reports. Many people get worried when they are asked to prepare a report but, like most things, it’s easy when you know how. So below are our 10 top tips. We hope they will help you to work with more confidence next time you have to do this task.

Diana.

STUDENT SUCCESSES

Marie Armelle Francois from Mauritius says:

"Before joining Business Training I was doing my secondary studies in a college. Doing this course has been a great help to me. It enabled me to cope more efficiently with my secondary studies. In my opinion, the knowledge I had acquired during this course has been a decisive factor in my admission at the Hotel School of Mauritius for a Diploma in Tourism Management. Moreover, I know that Business Training is an asset, which will boost my future career.

The various modules that made up the course have proven to be very efficient. For instance, I now feel more comfortable at speaking English. Also, while I was doing an industrial attachment, I was able to cope with all the tasks allocated to me.
I have benefited a lot from the course. All the explanations were very clear in the books. I would like to thank all those working for Business Training, especially for their professionalism."

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And Puokare Godsway Boniface from South Africa says:

"I was a security guard before joining Business Training – I used to work twelve hours a day. After I received my course result and showed it to my employer, I was promoted to a site manager with 75% salary increase. It has helped me gain a car and housing loan.

I can speak English fluently and also give professional advice to the company clients. I have no problem when it comes to spoken English as well as written. I am at the moment doing a part-time course in Security Management and hope to do my Advanced Business English course in the future.

Thanks to all those who helped me during my training. I will introduce your training to my two kids soon. I am proud to be a former student of Business Training."

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TOP TEN TIPS FOR...

Report Writing.

1. Always decide what your main aims and objectives should be in writing the report before starting. If you are in doubt, go back and ask the person who requested you to do the job.
   
   
2. Keep the reader in mind: his background; level of education; familiarity with the subject and knowledge of any technical terms (if you need to use them).
   
   
3. Decide what information the report is going to contain and where it can be found. In order to write a good report, you must know how to find the facts you need.
   
   
4. Choose what kind of layout you will use. What will be the approximate length? What style and tone will you use? Think of your reader and then try to write in a way that he will understand.
   
   
5. Most reports have the following sections, although those marked with * can be omitted in very basic reports:

   Title/title page
   Circulation list
   Summary*
   Table of contents*
   Introduction
   Body of Report (main section)
   Conclusions
   Recommendations
   Appendices*
   Bibliography*
   Glossary*
   Index*

6. Plan the general outline of your report. Do this by making brief notes about the subject of the report and its contents. Points 1-4 which we mentioned earlier will be useful here. Write your title! It helps to focus your mind on the real subject of your report.

7. Gather the information from the sources you have chosen (books, the Internet, talking to people/experts, doing surveys etc). Then select the material that you need to use. Sometimes you collect more material than you need and you have to leave out what is not really relevant if your report is to be concise and clear.

8. Once you have gathered all your information, put it into a logical sequence. This will give you an outline of the report, and also a rough guide to its length.

9. Immediately before you begin writing you need to interpret the information you have gathered so that you can draw conclusions and make recommendations. Make sure you look at your material logically and objectively.

10. Present the report neatly making sure that you have checked: the accuracy of your facts; grammar; spelling and punctuation. Read it through two or three times to ensure that what is clear to you will be clear to your reader. Also, make sure that it looks good visually by using numbered points and plenty of white space.