executive summaries

Submitted by Bradley Mewes
in
General Questions and Comments
Can anyone tell me what podcast mike and mark talked about how to write an executive summary? In particular, where they made the comment about taking the topic sentence of each paragraph and turning that into the executive summary. I was just asked to summarize an article and someone is giving me quite a bit of grief for using this methodology - stating i was doing nothing more than plagerising the work. I am in firm disagreement since I clearly stated I was writing an executive summary of the article in question. I was hopeing to re-listen to the cast to see if I made a mistake. Brad
Submitted by Tom Hausmann on Thursday October 18th, 2007 7:04 am

I do not recall a podcast on executive summaries. I do, however, recall a podcast where the SEER writing method was applied.

Summary
Example
Elaboration
Result

SEER, as applied in annual reviews, provides an effective and concise statement about your direct. To me it seems SEER can equally apply to writing an executive summary (or the relevance) of an article.

Submitted by John Hack on Thursday October 18th, 2007 10:16 am

Effective Writing podcasts, April 9 and 16, 2007.

John

Submitted by Asterisk RNTT on Thursday October 18th, 2007 10:18 am

Are you in an academic environment or using the summary for gain or trying to pass it off as your work? If not, how is this plagerism?

An executive summary is usually part of a plan you developed based on alternatives, evaluations and actions (business, marketing, operational etc)

The first few lines should state decisions or recommendations, expected outcomes, followed by a micro summary of why you went through the exercise, then the major actions (who will do what by when, and repercussions if they don't) and any major assumptions. Try to keep it to a page.

*RNTT

Submitted by Bradley Mewes on Thursday October 18th, 2007 11:59 am

Thanks. I will review the effecitve writing series. I did last night but didn't see anything. I will have to look a little closer.

RNTT - my thoughts exactly. I'm not trying to pass off the work as my own nor use it for personal gain so I'm a little confused why I'm getting the flak.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

Brad

Submitted by Timothy Schow on Wednesday March 7th, 2012 9:46 pm

An additional way of learning is to copy someone else method. Harvard Business Review has executive summaries link provided below. You can read the summary then the article comparing what the writer included or left out. Then you can write your own summary comparing someone else's with your own style. Providing you a way of practicing and comparing your work with someone else's.
http://hbr.org/2012/01/executive-summaries/ar/1
Tim