Report Writing

Body & Using Visuals

Learning Objectives

Observe and evaluate Presenting Me presentations

Review heading styles – Functional or Generic vs. Descriptive or Talking

Discuss introduction or background, consistency in format (including headings), use of transitional expressions, etc.

Learning Objectives - continued Demonstrate Heading Styles in Word Determine why we might want to include

visuals in a report Discuss format for visuals Discuss references to visuals

Joke

The speaker went on and on and on. People left the room in ones and twos until there was only one person left in the audience. Encouraged that one person remained, the speaker finally wrapped up his talk. Finally, the speaker said to the only other person in the room, “You must have really enjoyed my presentation since you stayed until the very end.” Forlornly, the other person replied, “No, I’m the next speaker.”

Presenting Me

All students evaluate each presenter based on:

eye contact with audience expression rate and volume gestures and movement.

Information gathering – check up Ideally, you have been collecting material for your

informal and formal reports.

Over the next week, it is time to start putting that information into the Body of your informal report.

The information needs to be separated into individual topics and structured to a format that is comprehensible and useful to your reader(s).

Ten Truths About Business Reports

1. Everyone writes reports.

2. Most reports flow upward.

3. Most reports are informal.

4. Three report formats (memo, letter, and manuscript) are most common.

5. Reports differ from memos and letters.

6. Today’s reports are written on computers.

7. Some reports are collaborative efforts.8. Ethical report writers interpret facts fairly.9. Organization is imposed on data.10. The writer is the reader’s servant.

Ten Truths About Business Reports

Applying the Writing Processto Reports Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7

Analyze the problem and purpose.Anticipate the audience and issues.Prepare a work plan.Implement your research strategy.Organize, analyze, interpret, illustrate the data.

Compose the first draft.Revise, proofread, and evaluate.

Work Plan for a Formal Report Statement of problem Statement of purpose Research strategy Tentative outline Work schedule

Structure of an Informal Report Opening

Body Research Material Logical sections with appropriate headings Visuals

Closing

Remember:

Whatever topic you choose to write about, you can’t just start writing.

Most reports include some type of introductory material.

You might choose to begin with some type of background or history, or situation.

Methods of Report Development

Most important to least important or vice versa use the strategy that will most affect the

reader

Example:

– causes of World War Two

Chronological

establish event in order of occurrence

Example:

– Acts of Terrorism in the U.S.

Spatial or Geographical

process logically from top to bottom east to west, etc

Example:

– describing the Taj Mahal

Cause and Effect

Example:

– why today’s children are less fit than those of a generation ago

Compare and/or Contrast

Example:

– the U.S. and U.S.S.R space programs

Classification/Division/Group

divide subject matter up in logical sections

Example: – homes of the rich and famous Castles Mansions Estates, etc

Component

Arrange data by classifications: Location Geography Division Product Part

Example:

- A report discussing company profits could be organized by each product.

CriteriaArrange data by evaluative categories.

Example:- In a report comparing fax equipment, organize by such areas as price, warranty, speed, print quality, etc.

Convention

Organize data according to prescribed categories.

Example:

- proposals are organized by staff, budget, schedule, etc.

Organizing Reports

See page 431 - Headings

Notes on Headings

Use appropriate heading levels. Capitalize and underline carefully. Balance headings within levels. For short reports use first – or second – level

headings. Include at least on heading per report page. Keep headings short but clear.

Headings•Balance headings within levels. All

headings at a given level should be grammatically similar; for example:

Creating Team Motivation Treating Employees Like Customers

(not Employees Should Be Treated Like Customers)

Structural Cues for Report Readers

Headings• Integrate headings gracefully. Try to

avoid repeating the exact wording of a heading in the following sentence. Also avoid using a heading as an antecedent to a pronoun.

• Avoid: CUSTOMER SURVEYSThese are . . .

Structural Cues for Report Readers

Levels of Report Headings

REPORT, CHAPTER, AND PART TITLES

The title of a report, chapter heading, or major part should be centred in all caps.

First-Level Subheading

Headings indicating the first level of division are centred and bolded. Whether a report is single-spaced or double-spaced, most writers triple-space (leaving two blank lines) before and double-space (leaving one blank line) after a first-level heading.

Levels of Report Headings

Second-Level Subheading

Headings that divide topics introduced by first-level subheadings are bolded and begin at the left margin. Most writers double-space (leaving one blank line) after a second-level heading.

Levels of Report Headings

Third-Level Subheading. Because it is part of the paragraph that follows, a third-level subheading is also called a paragraph heading. It should appear in boldface print.

[Note: Indent double-spaced paragraphs. Don’t indent single-spaced paragraphs.]

Levels of Report Headings

Lets do an example on the boardTopic: Heart Disease

Suggest functional or generic headings

Possible Headings to consider History Physiology Symptoms Treatments Future Coping

Conclusion

So in preparing your informal report begin with a list of functional or generic headings.

Put these headings in a logical order. Then slot the material you have researched into

those headings. Add any transitional material you need to move

smoothly from topic to topic. Then go back to see if you can add descriptive or

talking heading to each functional or generic heading.

Using Visuals Effectively

Note:

One tremendous advantage of report writing over other forms of business communication is that you may use as many visuals as necessary to make the information clear to the reader .

Visuals: Where Are They Located Visuals belong in the body of the report and

nowhere else

Supplementary information, which is nice to know but not necessary for the readers understanding of the report, may be included in the Appendices.

Visuals: Why Use Them

your reader would rather see it than read it your reader will understand the material more

quickly your reader will remember the material longer you will have less to write you will make fewer mistakes

Note on Statistical and Numerical Info

Visuals are particularly useful for statistical and numerical data, since this information always shows better (in a chart or graph) then it reads.

Visuals: The Format present the material to the readers so they know

what they are looking at and why.

explain the information before you present the visual

present the visual

tell the readers what they saw

ensure that the readers saw what you saw and reinforce that material

Visuals: The Format (cont)

explain your visual in the text

then introduce your visual

keep the visual as close to the text to which it refers as possible

In conclusion

Introduce the visual.

Present the visual.

Explain the visual.

Visuals: The Content

should be attractive and attention-getting.

use bold, bright colours to make the visual stand out.

has its own title, usually located directly above and centered in the middle of the page.

often boxed for eye-pleasing impact.

Interpreting data

What you are looking for:

You’re looking for:

Meanings Relationships Answers!

Devices for tabulating and analyzing data: Tables

- systematic columns and rows

The Three Ms

Mean - arithmetic averageMedian - middle point in a range of valuesMode - most frequent value

Correlations - relationships between variables

Grids - boxes of rows and columns to sort data

Tips for writing report conclusions: Interpret and summarize the findings.

Tell what your findings (collected data) mean.

Relate the conclusions to the report problem.Focus only on conclusions that help solve the original problem.

Limit the conclusions to the data presented.Do not introduce new material.

Tips for writing report conclusions: Be objective.

Avoid exaggerating or manipulating the data to prove a point.

Use consistent criteria.In evaluating options, use the same criteria for each alternative.

Enumerate each conclusion.Number and list each item. Present each conclusion in parallel form.

Tips for writing report conclusions: Suggest actions.

What specific procedures can help solve the report problem?

Focus on recommendations that are practical and agreeable. Suggest feasible actions that would be acceptable to this audience.

Present recommendations separately. Enumerate each in a statement beginning with a verb.

Example:Invest two thirds of the income in growth funds.

Tips for writing report conclusions: If requested, describe how the recommendations may

be implemented. Some writers present detailed plans for executing the recommendations.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Conclusion: Survey results show that the biggest student complaint

centred on long registration lines.

Recommendation: Begin a registration reservation system in which students

sign up for specific registration time slots.

Structural Cues for Report Readers

Structural Cues for Report Readers Introduction

Discuss purpose and significance of report.

Preview main points and order of development.

Structural Cues for Report ReadersTransitions:

however therefore on the contrary moreover

Structural Cues for Report ReadersHeadings:

Write short but clear headings. Experiment with wording that tells who, what, when, where, and why. Include at least one heading per report page. Balance headings within levels. All headings at a given level should be grammatically similar

Example:Creating Team MotivationTreating Employees Like Customers(not Employees Should Be Treated Like Customers)

Integrate headings gracefully. Try not to repeat the exact wording from the heading in the following sentence. Also

avoid using the heading as an antecedent to a pronoun.

Example:CUSTOMER SURVEYS. These are . . .

Homework

Write Body of informal report

Complete research for informal and manuscript report(The Body of the informal report should be handed in next week according to your course outline.)

Work on Chapter Quizzes

Motivational Thought of the DayHappiness is loving what you

do and getting someone else to pay you to do it.