How do you write a compelling narrative to accompany your KPI report and highlight the key insights?

1 Know your audience and purpose

Before you start writing, you need to identify who will read your report and what you want them to do with it. Different audiences may have different levels of familiarity, interest, and expectations with your KPIs, so you need to tailor your message accordingly. For example, your senior management may want a high-level overview of the strategic goals and outcomes, while your operational staff may want more details on the specific actions and challenges. Similarly, your purpose may vary depending on whether you want to inform, persuade, or motivate your audience. For example, you may want to inform them about the current status and trends, persuade them to adopt a new strategy or solution, or motivate them to improve their performance or behavior.

2 Choose the right format and structure

Once you know your audience and purpose, you need to choose the right format and structure for your report. Depending on the context and preference, you may use different types of documents, such as slides, dashboards, memos, or emails. However, regardless of the format, a clear and logical structure should be followed to guide your audience through your narrative. Commonly used sections include an executive summary, introduction, analysis, and conclusion. The executive summary should capture the attention and interest of your audience with its brief overview of the main points and recommendations of the report. The introduction should provide context while explaining the purpose, scope, and methodology of your report along with definitions and assumptions of your KPIs. The analysis should present data-driven findings and insights while visualizing relevant KPIs with charts, tables, or graphs. It should also highlight strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, causes, and effects of your performance. Finally, the conclusion should restate main points and insights while providing implications and recommendations for your audience with a call to action or next step for them to follow.

3 Use clear and engaging language

The way you write your report can make a huge difference in how your audience perceives and responds to your message. Therefore, it is important to use clear and engaging language that conveys your meaning and value without confusing or boring your audience. To improve your writing style, try using simple and concise words and sentences, avoiding jargon, acronyms, or technical terms that may confuse your readers. Additionally, use active and positive voice instead of passive and negative voice that may weaken your message. You can also use storytelling techniques such as stories, anecdotes, or examples to illustrate your points and make them more relatable and memorable for your audience. Finally, use transitions and signposts like "however", "therefore", "in addition", or "for instance" to indicate contrast, cause and effect, addition, or example.