A Student’s Guide to Executive Summary Writing (FA16)

Writing executive summaries may become an important activity in your professional career. Executive
summaries can take at least two forms. In one form, the summaries provide an overview on the first page of a
much longer report. In a second form, the summaries are independent articles. Regardless of whether the
summary is part of a substantial report or a stand-alone document, you should treat an executive summary as
way to inform and influence people through concise writing.

A standard executive summary provides: 1) a brief, concise overview of a memo, report, or idea; 2) an outline
of the main points of the memo, report, or idea, as well as an analysis of these points; and 3) recommendations
for future action. If the summary precedes a long report, you should consider waiting until after you have
completed the full report to write the summary. That way, you can easily determine the main points of your
report and include these points in the summary. Most summaries are, at most, 1/10th of the length of the longer
document they precede. A stand-alone summary may take the form of a single-page document that consists of a
few paragraphs.

When writing an executive summary, ask yourself the following questions: 1

• “Who will read your executive summary? Always keep in mind that the reader of an executive summary
needs to know all of the important information in the main document without reading the actual document.”
Write as though your audience is not familiar with the situation and the individuals/companies involved, which
means you should include a brief synopsis and an explanation of the most essential facts.

• “What is the document’s main topic, theme, or idea? Most reports and papers have a reason, a goal, or a
central purpose to communicate (beyond just fulfilling an assignment). Perhaps the report supports a change
of opinion, new direction, or a specific course of action. Try to sum this up in your mind. Imagine that someone
has asked you, “What’s this report about?” and that you have to explain it in only a few sentences. Once
you’re able to say what the main idea is, it will be easier to write about it [in the executive summary].”

• “Are there sections, or divisions, within the main document? If so, which ones are the most
important/crucial to understanding your main point? The kinds of documents that require executive
summaries usually contain sections or subsections that support the main topic…and/or headings that indicate
what the sections will discuss. Decide which sections or subsections are necessary [to explain your analysis],
and which ones can be left out.” Then, very concisely write about the important ones in your summary.

• “Does the document make a recommendation or suggest a certain course of action? Some documents
argue in favor of a change, or urge the reader to follow a particular course of action.” If so, you will need to
plainly state your recommendation in the summary.

• “What are the benefits or consequences of this course of action? Be sure to include a discussion of why
(or why not) the recommendation is the best option to move forward. If there are benefits, state them, since
this will help to make your recommendation more persuasive. Although you will want to emphasize the
positive, be sure to mention any consequences.” Providing a brief rationale for each option and its likely
outcome will strengthen your credibility and help the reader fully understand your viewpoint.

1
Adapted from University of Maryland University College:
https://www.umuc.edu/writingcenter/writingresources/exec_summaries.cfm .

This document is used by the College of Business at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
For additional communication-related resources, visit http://go.business.illinois.edu/CommunicationHelp