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Communication

I am detail minded, and the reports I write are very thorough. I have a problem with my manager who wants everything brief and in short lists, and he won't read longer analyses. I don't see how I can thin out my reports, since all of my points are important. What do you suggest I do?



The long and short of this issue is that you are most likely going to need to write shorter reports. You are concerned about having your manager miss some of the finer points in your reports, but if you send him a detailed write-up, he is not going to read it, and this means that all of your points will be lost.

One possibility is to meet with your manager and show him the relevance of the details you provide. If you make a truly compelling case, perhaps he will be more receptive to your expansive analyses, although this outcome is not likely.

A more productive step may be to select an associate who is particularly skilled at writing reports for your manager and have him or her review your work line by line and give you some editing and prioritizing tips.

This type of writing is a teachable skill, and with some practice, you will be able to tighten your analyses to fit your manager's style. If you still feel compelled to provide more detail, you can also attach an appendix. However, do not be hurt if your manager performs an appendectomy.




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