Executive Summaries

by Pamela Hubbell

The Executive Summary is a one to two page summary of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the report or document it precedes. Information in the summary should be presented in the same order that it appears in the report. In some cases, the Executive Summary will be all that the audience will read; therefore, it needs to present the essential points efficiently.

Writing the Executive Summary

When preparing the Executive Summary after the report is written, you should do the following:

Review the report

Summarize the purpose of the report, the problem addressed, and your findings, conclusions, and recommendations

Support your recommendations by listing the major headings and briefly summarizing these sections. Eliminate all nonessential detail and use minimal technical language.

Do not include information in the Executive Summary that is not in the report.

Refer to the Business Plan tips for information on Executive Summaries specifically for Business Plans.

References

University of Kansas Writing Center web site http://www.ukans.edu/~writing/docs/manuals/bus_title.html.

Neman, Beth S. and Sandra Smythe. Writing Effectively in Business. 251.