Bullet points or prose in executive summaries

Your choice of bullets or prose depends on your purpose

Many writers use bullet points in executive summaries on the basis that they are short and to the point, and because they believe that most readers prefer to read bullet points rather than prose.

It is true that bullet points can be short and to the point, but the choice between bullet points or prose should be based on purpose, not what you think people prefer.

If your summary is factual and you are outlining highlights and issues, then bullet points work well. In such a list each point is a separate fact or event and you do not need to show the interconnectedness between them.

Persuade with prose

If you are writing to persuade, for example in a proposal or business case, prose is more effective, because you want to lead your reader through your arguments. Persuasive writing is storytelling.

For example:

• Company X does a, b and c.
• There are d employees engaged in producing a, b and c.
• The overhead costs are $e per annum.
• Other companies using our services have reduced their overhead costs by up to 45{7ecfd1f09b1bf5560d36a3ec071b169fcc4aa1252833639bf703d1bf21e7df98}.
• X could reduce its overhead costs by using our services.

In prose, this could read as:

Company X employs X employees to produce a, b and c, with overhead costs of $Y per annum.

X could reduce its overhead costs by using our services. Other companies using our services have reduced their costs by up to 45{7ecfd1f09b1bf5560d36a3ec071b169fcc4aa1252833639bf703d1bf21e7df98}.

Should your proof come before your offer?

Looking at the above example, a colleague and I debated which should go first: what you can do for the client or what you have done for other clients?

In my opinion, people want to know what you can do for them before hearing the proof of what you have done for others. My colleague’s argument was that your credibility comes before your offer.

How to write a summary

Read a blog I wrote about How to write a summary.

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