Is your annual report an enjoyable read?

Putting a government or organisational annual report together can be a complex process. For government agencies, it’s a legislated requirement.

Whether you have coordinated an annual report before or it’s your first time, accessing the latest tips and support – especially from someone who has worked on reports for many years – may be helpful.

These are my top suggestions to help make your annual report more than a ‘tick the box’ requirement.

1. Readability matters

The annual report coordination process is a hefty one and we can lose sight of the fact that annual reports are repositories of organisational success, storytelling and history. Transparency and accountability, yes. But what about readable and engaging?

Read your annual report and ask yourself:

Does it promote successes and learnings?
Are there pull-outs to highlight key points or infographics to bring stats to life?
Are there case studies to tell a real-life story about the important work your agency does?
Do you get a ‘feel’ for the passion of the team?

2. Manage the ‘voice’

Annual reports should read as one ‘voice’. I believe this is part of the coordinator’s job – to keep an eye on the overall voice and tone of the report throughout drafting. Ideally, decide on how you plan to style your ‘voice’ early in the compilation process and brief your contributors. Your focus areas may be:

plain language and shorter sentences
active (not passive) statements
consistency in how you refer to the organisation or department
removing jargon.

3. Keep an eye on repetition

The other important job for an annual report coordinator is to check where it’s necessary to repeat information and where repetition can be removed. Sourcing input from multiple authors inevitably results in repetition. Keep an eye on it during drafting stages. While you have to meet your reporting requirements, you may be able to cross-reference other parts of the report rather than repeating information.