Giving a great report takes a little bit of time and effort. Here are 6 quick tips to get you started.

  1. Make it something you are interested in. If possible, you should make sure that you only do reports on something that you yourself find interesting. Sometimes, of course, you don't have a choice on what to do your report on, but hopefully you can find points of interest even in the boring things. For instance, if you have to do a report on the economy of Australia, and you are interested in surfing, try and explore the effects of surfing on the economy of Australia. If your teacher gives you a choice of a few different topics, choose the one that interests you the most.
  2. Make it entertaining. Not just for them, but for you too. Try and get creative by perhaps making up a skit or a play, coming to class as a certain character, or making some food at home and bringing it in. This will not only make things more interesting for your audience, you will have a lot more fun while you are putting your report together.
  3. Do it Now. As soon as you get the assignment, start brainstorming ideas off the top of your head. You may not revisit them until a week or a few days before the report, but you'll be glad you have these ideas written down when crunch time is approaching. We'd love to tell you not to procrastinate at all, and that would be greatly preferable, but the reality is that most people will, at least a little bit. Get in the habit of brainstorming early, then you'll at least have some notes to come back to and work off of when you are feeling the pressure.
  4. Make It A Team Effort. First of all, have a talk with your teacher (a great partner for the initial brainstorming session), and ask him or her if they have any ideas or good places to start. Another good idea might be to partner up with someone, either for the whole project, or for certain parts, such as a skit, if you are going that way. You and a friend can help each other with your reports and that way you'll have much more fun, as well as being able to bounce ideas off someone.
  5. Make it Attractive. There are lots of different ways you can make your written material stand out. Go to a copy shop or look around online for different ways to put your pages together. If the report is longer and more serious, you can make a little booklet to hand out with your scripts, graphics, and statistics in it. Make it something that your audience will want to hold on to for a long time.
  6. Use Many Sources. Don't just Google something, or go to the Wikipedia page, and halfheartedly scribble something down. Go talk to the school librarian, conduct some interviews (maybe even on video), or bring something tangible in. It is not that much more effort, and you'll find that it's even fun. It is these small touches that will make your report shine.