Writing Incident Reports
COURSE DURATION
Face to face: 3 days
COURSE OBJECTIVE
This three (3) day course covers the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to prepare and write clear, concise, structured and accurate incident reports.
This course will provide participants with the tools and techniques for developing strong writing habits, and writing effective business reports.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
- Develop strong writing habits
- The importance of good record keeping
- Taking and organizing notes (standardization)
- Learn and utilize tools and tactics for writing success
- Effectively plan and structure incident reports
- Write clear and organized incident reports
- Produce easy-to-read incident reports
- Getting your key messages across
- Properly recording data and statistical information and presenting the results effectively
BENEFITS
- Learn tools and tactics for writing success
- Learn how to distil complicated input into vital information
- Learn how to prepare and confidently write clear, concise and accurate incident reports
- Gain editing skills for the modern business environment
- Learn how to structure a report in a manner that will be easily understood
- Gain a clearer understanding on how to identify, analyse and use relevant information to make  objective observations and draw logical conclusions
TOPICS
- Purpose of incident reports
- The seven ‘C’s
- Types of incident reports
- Methodology, tools and techniques
- Objective observations and logical conclusions
- Communicate effectively to a wide range of stakeholders
- Effective writing process
- Sections of the report
- Preparing and writing the report (basic structure, key elements)
PROGRAM OUTLINE
Day 1
Develop strong incident report writing habits
- Business communication types and importance
- Writing skills analysis and goal setting
- Understanding the habits that make a strong writer
- The writing cycle
- The 7 C’s
- Questions analysis
- Distilling information - Practice
- Breakout sessions throughout the day
Day 2
Tools for writing incident reports
- Fact recording and taking notes
- Idea mapping
- Outlining skills
- Using plain English/Being direct
- Drafting
- Modern editing techniques for tone and style
- Grammar and punctuation
- Using graphics
- Bad news and objective language
- Breakout sessions throughout the day
Day 3
Common report types, templates, and writing strategies
- Common forms of incident reports
- Formats and templates
- Stakeholder analysis
- Elements and structure of an incident report
- Writing a full incident report
- Writing an incident report summary
- Breakout sessions throughout the day
