Your Best Executive Summary

Ever
An executive summary has basically nothing to do
with product presentation, and everything to do with
a persuasive sales pitch. It is far more than an
abstract which merely presents the rest of the
documentit's your unique opportunity to convince
the reader that your solution provides the best value
proposition: the best benet at the lowest cost.
!he more technical your proposal, the more
important the executive summary is li"ely to be.
#nli"e the abstract, the executive summary steers
clear of technicalities to instead concentrate on
substantiating the benets for the customer.
How to Write an Executive Summary
Executive Summary First
$y writing your executive summary rst, you ensure
that the rest of your proposal will be aligned with
the persuasive message you want to deliver.
Executive Summary Content
%our executive summary should contain your value
proposition, which should be grasped right away by
your reader. &ead the discussion 'ow to write an
(xecutive )ummary to help you identify the
necessary information for laying down your value
proposition through the use of *win themes.+
It is highly recommended that you read the
suggestions below in order to properly and
successfully use the executive summary template
and sample.
,. Identify 3 main beneftsno more, no less
that your executive summary will cover,
putting them in descending order of
importance. !his is the way they will appear in
your document body, since you want to grab
the reader's attention as early as possible.

-. .or each benet, write a simple, declarative,
and persuasive sentence by applying the
S.P.A. rule for your value proposition:
a. State your benet by ac"nowledging
your customers/ needsthis grabs their
attention.
b. Prove your statement, by giving your
customers several references 0examples
of past performance, clients, case
studies, white papers, and so on1.
c. Appy your benet to your customers, by
unveiling the real value that not only the
customer but also the entire
organi2ation can get out of your o3er.
#se representation 0numbers, facts,
percentages, references, studies1 instead
of mar"eting pu3ery or commercial 4u3.
%ou will build cre!ibiity, thus giving the
condence to your customer to ma"e the right
decision.
5. As" your customer for action. It's not the time
or place to be shy. %ou're here to have your
o3er selected, so use action verbs in your
value proposition to show the path of
enlightenment to your customer. .or instance,
recommend your product or services, and give
the information necessary to complete the
action 0who, what, when, where, how1, such as
how to purchase, or whom to contact at your
company.
6. 7rite your executive summary for best
readability, meaning the lowest grade level
possible. !his way, you ensure that no barrier
hampers your reader/s full understanding of
your point.
8. 9orrect, edit, and revise your executive
summarybut only when you're nished
writing it.
:. )ince things sometimes get a little more
complicated than you might expect, remember
to consult a lawyer for further information
before considering your executive summary as
denitive.

Abstract vs. Executive Summary" #$e
%i&erences
In most people's minds, if abstract and executive
summary do not usually consist of the same written
material, the di3erence between the two terms is at
least the source of uncertainty and confusion.
!o understand the exact di3erences between
abstract and executive summary, and thus to stand
out from your competitors, read the article Abstract
vs. (xecutive )ummary: ;iscover !he <ain
;i3erences.
Executive Summary' #ips' Dos an!
Don'ts
'ere are some tips on how to write your executive
summaryand how not to write it.
Dos and Don'ts of Executive Summaries:
$e persuasive 0follow the executive summary
format: state, prove, and apply1.
;on't be demonstrative 0don't focus on features1.
7rite your executive summary with active=voice
sentences.
#se strong, enthusiastic, and proactive language.
9onvert passive=voice sentences to active voice
as much as possible.
7rite simple, short sentences intended for
reading by an executive.
>eep your executive summary short 0, page for
every -? to 8? pages1.
7rite your executive summary using an executive
summary template.
;on't provide unnecessary technical details.
&emember, an executive should be able to read it.
Avoid excessive @argon, and write the denition
rst.
9orrect spelling, punctuation, style, and grammar
errors.
7rite primarily for your customer, not for
yourself 0use the name of your customer/s
organi2ation more often than yoursand don't
start with a description of your organi2ation1.
7rite primarily about your customer 0the
benets1, not about you or your product 0the
features1.
Your Executive Summary #empate
Executive Summary (or a Business
Proposa
,. State your 5 main benets, thus
ac"nowledging your customers/ needs: this
grabs their interest.
-. Prove your statement by giving your
customer several references 0examples of
past performance, clients, case studies,
white papers, and so on1.
5. Appy your benets to your customer by
unveiling the real value that not only the
customer but also the entire organi2ation
can get out of your o3er. #se
representation 0numbers, facts,
percentages, references, studies1, not
vague mar"eting copy.
6. .inally, call your reader to action, and give
all the necessary information for action
0who, what, when, where, how1.
Executive Summary (or a )rant
Proposa
In the case of a grant application, the outline
of your executive summary would still use the
).A.A. rule but with a slightly di3erent result
as follows:
,. W$at*s t$e probem+
)tate problems, issues, facts, etc.,
supported by recogni2ed researches.
-. W$at*s t$e soution+
Arove that the considered problem is worth
wor"ing on a solution. %ou should provide
references to recogni2ed researches that
support such e3orts. .urthermore, specify
research directions, expected utility and
value.
5. How can resuts be appie! an! c$an,e
t$e Wor!+ $enets for your research and
"nowledge, for the grantor, and, most
importantly, for the community.
6. Ca (or ,rant"
%ou will never get if you don/t as"B )o, be
explicit when applying for a grant. Arovide
a brea"down of funds needed on a line=item
basis. .inally, involve grantor in expected
science advancement and future
recognition.
Executive Summary Sampe
The executive summary sample provided at the end of this
document is about a fictive company called Milwaukee
Health Academy, Inc. (MHAI) that offers training programs
to hospitals and medical centers. The executive summary is
part of the proposal that MHAI would have sent in response
to an !".
#ou $ust need to change the content while %eeping the form
to ma%e it yours.
Concusion
!he executive summary presents your unique
selling point 0#)A1 in order to persuade your
reader to buy into the recommended solution
or services.
!he proposed format ensures that your
message is oriented towards your customer.
Indeed, you are not proposing a mere solution:
you are addressing your customers/ needs.
'appy writingB
*>nowing is not enoughC we must apply+
= $ruce Dee
&'&()TI*& +)MMA#
HOW [CUSTOMER] CA IM!RO"E
!ATIET#S SATIS$ACTIO A% EM!&O'EE#S REWAR%
As a ,isconsin Medical (enter (,IM()- .()+T/M&0 %nows that communication
failure is a leading source of adverse events in health care. Indeed- the 1oint
(ommission on Accreditation of Healthcare /rgani2ations (1(AH/) identified
communication failure as a pivotal factor in over 345 of more than 6-444 sentinel
event reports since 7889. As of March :44;- nearly <45 of more than ;-444 oot
(ause Analysis reports to the ,I =ational (enter for "atient +afety (=("+) involve
communication failure as at least one of the primary factors contributing to adverse
events and close calls.
!ollowing the suggestion from the Institute of Medicine (I/M) report >T( E)) I*
Human+ ,uildin- a Sa.e) Healthca)e Sy*tem>- recommending teamwor% training to
improve communication for health care organi2ations- Milwau%ee Health Academy-
Inc. (MHAI) began developing a Medical Team Training (MTT) program in :446. This
program was designed to introduce communication tools to professionals wor%ing in
,I facilities?tools which they can integrate into their clinical wor%place.
The program you can subscribe to is comprised of three important components@
7. Application- preparation- and planningA
:. Bearning sessions at the ,IM(A and
6. !ollowCup data collection and support from involved ,IM(s.
As of April :44;- 78 facilities were participating in the program- involving clinical
units such as the / (74)- I() (D)- MedicalC+urgery )nit (7)- Ambulatory (linics (6)-
and &E (7). The +afety Attitudes Fuestionnaire (+AF)- developed and validated by the
1ohns Hop%ins Fuality and +afety esearch Group- was completed by each participant
prior to commencing the session- and repeated one year later. The +AF measured a
significant change in attitude and behavior regarding six factors@ safety climate-
teamwor% climate- $ob satisfaction- wor%ing conditions- perceptions of management-
and stress recognition.
(hoosing ."/*IE&0Hs training program to implement MTT communication
principles in health care delivery will improve outcomes for your patients while
rewarding your employees in the accomplishment of their daily tas%s. ,hen you
consider the changes observed against the six factors mentioned above- you come to the
conclusion that .()+T/M&0 will get significant benefits in selecting ."/*IE&0
to train its caregivers to better deliver care services to the patient community.