E is for Excellence in annual reports

Does your annual report tell a compelling story? | Photo by Ann Kilpatrick on Excio.io

Excellence! It’s what the judges are looking for, but what exactly does that mean?

Whether you’ve chosen a print, web, or video format, an excellent annual report will have some stand-out features. The report will be easy to read for the intended audience, be designed beautifully in keeping with your brand, and tell a compelling story of accomplishment and impact.

Does your report pass the ‘easy to read’ test?

Testing readability is easy to do. Take your cue from what you want as a reader! Pretend you are reading another company’s annual report, without necessarily having a lot of detailed subject knowledge. And you’re busy! What do you want? Most people say they want the content to be interesting, without jargon, buzz words, or padding. And everyone always wants to get the main points quickly.

Putting yourself in your reader’s shoes will automatically focus your energy on making your content crystal clear and readable. (Hint: the judges will be looking for familiar words, generally shorter sentences, great flow, and informative headings.)

Does your report look good?

Gone are the days of lengthy, dreary annual reports with boring covers and bland walls of text. The judges are looking for clever visual design that supports the content, brings key messages to life, and stands for who you are. (But don’t get too clever! The judges are not looking for a ‘pretty’ design that serves no particular purpose.)

Are you telling a compelling story of accomplishment and impact?

We all know that stories connect us to each other and convey the human experience. How you make your readers feel has so much to do with your report’s success.

Your stakeholders want to know what happened during the past year, and the impact you made, in as relatable a way as possible. Whether times were good or bad, your readers, and our judges, will appreciate the story — the who, what, when, why, and how — behind the numbers and activities. They want your report to pass the ‘So what?’ test!

Show how your annual report makes the grade

Think your report is a winner? Enter your annual report by 31 July.

Check out the entry criteria for the Best Plain Language Annual Report

See this handy checklist on what makes a great annual report

Be inspired by the 2021 winners

Lynda Harris July 13th, 2022

Posted In: 2022 Plain Language Awards, Annual report

Tags: Best Plain Language Annual Report, decision making, excellence, Story