Writing Reports that Earn Trust and Drive Decisions – 15 September 2025

Learn how to write clear, compelling, and professional reports that reflect your value, support confident decisions, and set you apart, whether you’re advising clients, reporting to boards, or responding to SARS.

Date:

15 September, 2025

Time:

15:00

Hours:

1 hour

CPD Units:

Category:

Financial Reporting

Group:

Channel 2: Growth

Format:

Live Event

Writing Reports that Earn Trust and Drive Decisions - 15 September 2025

R230,00 VAT incl.

Product Information

Too many good accountants lose credibility because of bad reports. Whether you’re preparing a client summary, writing up a set of management accounts, or drafting a risk report for the board. What you say and how you say it matters. In this practical CPD session, we’ll show you how to write reports that are clear, convincing, and professional. You’ll learn how to structure your thinking, avoid common writing mistakes, and present information in a way that drives decisions. If you want your reports to stand out, support your value, and get clients to take you seriously, this is for you.

Presenter/s

Leana van der Merwe

Leana: Leana van der Merwe, with 18+ years in accounting and corporate governance, Leana leads technical support at CIBA and is a recognized thought leader in regulatory compliance.

What will set you apart

By attending this webinar you will gain the following competencies

✅ How to structure and write reports clients and stakeholders actually read
✅ What separates a sloppy report from one that builds trust and authority
✅ How to explain technical issues without sounding like a textbook
✅ When and how to use visuals, headings, and summaries to drive home the message
✅ The language, tone, and formatting that gets reports noticed (and acted on)

Event breakdown

Why Writing Matters More Than Ever
– The role of reporting in your professional credibility
– How bad writing undermines your value
Different Reports, Different Goals
– Advisory vs operational vs compliance reporting
– Who are you writing for? Adjusting tone and focus
Anatomy of a Powerful Report
– Purpose statement, executive summary, structure
– Headings, subheadings, and logical flow
Clarity Over Complexity
– Plain language writing (without dumbing it down)
– Translating technical content into actionable language
Tone, Style and Formatting
– Using white space, fonts, charts and tables effectively
– Tips for Word and PDF formatting
– How to make your report look polished and professional
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
– The 5 report sins (and how to avoid them)
– Review checklists and real-world examples
Getting Your Report Read (and Used)
– Executive summaries that grab attention
– Structuring for decision-making
– Call-to-action and follow-through
Turning Reporting Into a Billable Service
– Charging for what you already do
– Framing reports as expert deliverables
– Positioning yourself as a trusted advisor

Certificate

The following event is awarded 2 CPD units in Financial Reporting.