Regarding the management summary aspect, this may be a little simplistic but perhaps on one slide you could list 8-10 brief sentences and ask the learner to select just those that are appropriate for the management summary. Then on the next slide, display their selected sentences and ask them to arrange them in a meaningful order as they would be written in a paragraph. Finally, on the third slide, show their arranged sentences in paragraph form (you'll probably need JavaScript to perform the concatenation) alongside the correct paragraph, highlighting any differences between the two.
You could make it more challenging by asking them to read the full report and then drag appropriate dollar values, dates, or whatever, into the sentences on the first slide.
Basically, it boils down to get them to identify good and bad, explain WHY they are good/bad, then let them try their hand (so to speak) at creating or mending.
Here are a few other ideas to build on the excellent list people have been contributing above...
To design the training, consider first identifying all of the key features that must exist in a prototype report. For each report, these items might include a report-numbering scheme, a title, headings, subheadings, signature blocks, references, key data, and phrasing that varies depending on the circumstances. Then deconstruct the “model” report into its component parts, such as standard boilerplate sections, dynamic sections, and data entry fields that would require variable inputs. That way, you can provide learners with objects to manipulate or fill in during various exercises.
The conceptual and interactive elements of the training could involve definitions, examples, and non-examples; realistic scenarios that present typical report-writing challenges; practice activities; assessments; and so forth. Activities could focus on structural mechanics of report-writing, such as identifying the proper sequence of the key sections of typical reports. Other activities could emphasize how to semantically construct specific phrases that might vary based on the circumstances. In other cases, learners could identify examples of correctly and incorrectly phrased report sections, such as by flagging or marking up problem areas (as Nick and Bruce noted above). The module could include “look-up” aids that reflect the kinds of real-world references that learners would have access to on the job.
One way to look at it is that it's meant to describe the contents of the report in as few words as needed so the reader knows whether he/she wants or needs to read further.
Two examples come to mind. First, a well-written news story always has a lead. In that lead sentence (or paragraph), the writer seeks to answer the "five 'w's' and 'h.'" That's What?, When?, Where?, Who?, How?, and Why?.
If those six questions are answered, the reader gets the gist of the story, knows whether he or she wants to (or needs to) read further.
A second example is the movie preview. Its purpose is to make people want to see the full movie. So in one minute or two, the preview explains enough about the plot, the actors, the director, and so forth to entice the viewer to want to see a two-hour film.
You could have some fun with the movie preview analogy, too. I recently read a piece named, "Explain a Film Plot Badly." The goal was to explain a film plot in a Tweet of 144 characters or less, so of necessity, the descriptions were short. While obviously tongue-in-cheek, you could say that these examples qualify as "executive summaries":
“Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.”
“Bunch of people are stuck on a Los Angeles bus for 2 hours.”
“Irresponsible singing nun thwarts wedding, marries wealthy man herself, aids and abets family of fugitives.”
“Shark just doing what sharks do; gets blown up by vindictive fishermen.”
“A bearded man introduces an impressionable teen to an outlawed religion then trains him to become a foreign fighter.”
“Two people fell in love on a boat. It sank and she did not love him enough to share her plank of wood.”
Well, perhaps these are more akin to "Manglement Summaries." Did you recognize the films being described?
The Wizard of Oz
Speed
The Sound of Music
Jaws
Star Wars
Titanic
Anyway, I'd focus on brevity. After all, you are dealing with managers -- who likely have a short attention span.
One way to look at it is that it's meant to describe the contents of the report in as few words as needed so the reader knows whether he/she wants or needs to read further.
Two examples come to mind. First, a well-written news story always has a lead. In that lead sentence (or paragraph), the writer seeks to answer the "five 'w's' and 'h.'" That's What?, When?, Where?, Who?, How?, and Why?.
If those six questions are answered, the reader gets the gist of the story, knows whether he or she wants to (or needs to) read further.
A second example is the movie preview. Its purpose is to make people want to see the full movie. So in one minute or two, the preview explains enough about the plot, the actors, the director, and so forth to entice the viewer to want to see a two-hour film.
You could have some fun with the movie preview analogy, too. I recently read a piece named, "Explain a Film Plot Badly." The goal was to explain a film plot in a Tweet of 144 characters or less, so of necessity, the descriptions were short. While obviously tongue-in-cheek, you could say that these examples qualify as "executive summaries":
“Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.”
“Bunch of people are stuck on a Los Angeles bus for 2 hours.”
“Irresponsible singing nun thwarts wedding, marries wealthy man herself, aids and abets family of fugitives.”
“Shark just doing what sharks do; gets blown up by vindictive fishermen.”
“A bearded man introduces an impressionable teen to an outlawed religion then trains him to become a foreign fighter.”
“Two people fell in love on a boat. It sank and she did not love him enough to share her plank of wood.”
Well, perhaps these are more akin to "Manglement Summaries." Did you recognize the films being described?
The Wizard of Oz
Speed
The Sound of Music
Jaws
Star Wars
Titanic
Anyway, I'd focus on brevity. After all, you are dealing with managers -- who likely have a short attention span.
7 Replies
Hi Jeff,
Regarding the management summary aspect, this may be a little simplistic but perhaps on one slide you could list 8-10 brief sentences and ask the learner to select just those that are appropriate for the management summary. Then on the next slide, display their selected sentences and ask them to arrange them in a meaningful order as they would be written in a paragraph. Finally, on the third slide, show their arranged sentences in paragraph form (you'll probably need JavaScript to perform the concatenation) alongside the correct paragraph, highlighting any differences between the two.
You could make it more challenging by asking them to read the full report and then drag appropriate dollar values, dates, or whatever, into the sentences on the first slide.
Large image of a document with Hotspots - have to find all of them, and each one displays a layer/lightbox explaining WHY it is critical.
Use a variable to count down from x to 0 to increase the chances of them finding each one that is important.
Nice idea Nick.
Basically, it boils down to get them to identify good and bad, explain WHY they are good/bad, then let them try their hand (so to speak) at creating or mending.
Hi, Jeff!
Here are a few other ideas to build on the excellent list people have been contributing above...
What's the purpose of a management summary?
One way to look at it is that it's meant to describe the contents of the report in as few words as needed so the reader knows whether he/she wants or needs to read further.
Two examples come to mind. First, a well-written news story always has a lead. In that lead sentence (or paragraph), the writer seeks to answer the "five 'w's' and 'h.'" That's What?, When?, Where?, Who?, How?, and Why?.
If those six questions are answered, the reader gets the gist of the story, knows whether he or she wants to (or needs to) read further.
A second example is the movie preview. Its purpose is to make people want to see the full movie. So in one minute or two, the preview explains enough about the plot, the actors, the director, and so forth to entice the viewer to want to see a two-hour film.
You could have some fun with the movie preview analogy, too. I recently read a piece named, "Explain a Film Plot Badly." The goal was to explain a film plot in a Tweet of 144 characters or less, so of necessity, the descriptions were short. While obviously tongue-in-cheek, you could say that these examples qualify as "executive summaries":
“Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.”
“Bunch of people are stuck on a Los Angeles bus for 2 hours.”
“Irresponsible singing nun thwarts wedding, marries wealthy man herself, aids and abets family of fugitives.”
“Shark just doing what sharks do; gets blown up by vindictive fishermen.”
“A bearded man introduces an impressionable teen to an outlawed religion then trains him to become a foreign fighter.”
“Two people fell in love on a boat. It sank and she did not love him enough to share her plank of wood.”
Well, perhaps these are more akin to "Manglement Summaries." Did you recognize the films being described?
Anyway, I'd focus on brevity. After all, you are dealing with managers -- who likely have a short attention span.
Thank you for the great feedback everyone. I'll think on these options and present them to my internal client.
You all rock!
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