Chapter 12 Preparing To Write Business Reports Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e Copyright 2006 What Are Business Reports? Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities. Planning Planning Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, What Are Business Reports? Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities. Planning Planning Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, What Are Business Reports? Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities. Planning Planning Research Research Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, What Are Business Reports? Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities. Planning Planning Research Research Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, What Are Business Reports? Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities. Planning Planning Research Research Organization Organization Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, What Are Business Reports? Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities. Planning Planning Research Research Organization Organization Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, What Are Business Reports? Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities. Planning Planning Research Research Organization Organization Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Presentation Presentation 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. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Ten Truths About Business Reports 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. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Report Functions Informational reports Analytical reports Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Report Formats Letter format Memo format Manuscript format Printed forms Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Writing Style Formal Informal Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areinformed informed Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areinformed informed Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areinformed informed Direct DirectPattern Pattern Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areinformed informed Direct DirectPattern Pattern Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areinformed informed Report Report Direct DirectPattern Pattern -----Main -----MainIdea Idea--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are aresupportive supportive Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are aresupportive supportive Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are aresupportive supportive Direct DirectPattern Pattern Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are aresupportive supportive Direct DirectPattern Pattern Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization Report Report IfIfreaders readers are aresupportive supportive Direct DirectPattern Pattern -----Main -----MainIdea Idea--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areeager eagerto to have haveresults resultsfirst first Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areeager eagerto to have haveresults resultsfirst first Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization Direct DirectPattern Pattern IfIfreaders readers are areeager eagerto to have haveresults resultsfirst first Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization Direct DirectPattern Pattern IfIfreaders readers are areeager eagerto to have haveresults resultsfirst first Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization Report Report Direct DirectPattern Pattern IfIfreaders readers are areeager eagerto to have haveresults resultsfirst first -----Main -----MainIdea Idea--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areinformed informed IfIfreaders readers are aresupportive supportive IfIfreaders readers are areeager eagerto to have haveresults resultsfirst first Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areinformed informed IfIfreaders readers are aresupportive supportive IfIfreaders readers are areeager eagerto to have haveresults resultsfirst first Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areinformed informed IfIfreaders readers are aresupportive supportive Direct DirectPattern Pattern IfIfreaders readers are areeager eagerto to have haveresults resultsfirst first Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areinformed informed IfIfreaders readers are aresupportive supportive Direct DirectPattern Pattern IfIfreaders readers are areeager eagerto to have haveresults resultsfirst first Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers are areinformed informed IfIfreaders readers are aresupportive supportive IfIfreaders readers are areeager eagerto to have haveresults resultsfirst first Report Report Direct DirectPattern Pattern -----Main -----MainIdea Idea--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be educated educated Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be educated educated Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be educated educated Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be educated educated Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be educated educated Report Report Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Main -----MainIdea Idea------- Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be persuaded persuaded Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be persuaded persuaded Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be persuaded persuaded Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be persuaded persuaded Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization Report Report IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be persuaded persuaded Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Main -----MainIdea Idea------- Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers may maybe behostile hostile or ordisappointed disappointed Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers may maybe behostile hostile or ordisappointed disappointed Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern IfIfreaders readers may maybe behostile hostile or ordisappointed disappointed Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern IfIfreaders readers may maybe behostile hostile or ordisappointed disappointed Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization Report Report Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern IfIfreaders readers may maybe behostile hostile or ordisappointed disappointed -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Main -----MainIdea Idea------- Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be educated educated IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be persuaded persuaded IfIfreaders readers may maybe behostile hostile or ordisappointed disappointed Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be educated educated IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be persuaded persuaded IfIfreaders readers may maybe behostile hostile or ordisappointed disappointed Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be educated educated IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be persuaded persuaded Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern IfIfreaders readers may maybe behostile hostile or ordisappointed disappointed Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be educated educated IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be persuaded persuaded Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern IfIfreaders readers may maybe behostile hostile or ordisappointed disappointed Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Audience Analysis and Report Organization IfIfreaders readers need needto tobe be educated educated IfIfreaders readers need needtotobe be persuaded persuaded IfIfreaders readers may maybe behostile hostile or ordisappointed disappointed Report Report Indirect IndirectPattern Pattern -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Main -----MainIdea Idea------- Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Applying the Writing Process to Reports Step 1 Analyze the problem and purpose. Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Anticipate the audience and issues. Prepare a work plan. Implement your research strategy. Organize, analyze, interpret, illustrate the data. Step 6 Compose the first draft. Step 7 Revise, proofread, and evaluate. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Work Plan for a Formal Report Statement of problem Statement of purpose Sources and methods of data collection Tentative outline Work schedule Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Researching Report Data Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Researching Report Data Locating secondary print data Books - card catalog, online catalog Periodicals - print indexes, CD-ROM indexes Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Researching Report Data Locating secondary electronic data Electronic databases The Internet World Wide Web search tools Google Ask Jeeves MSN search Yahoo! Evaluating Web sources How current is the information? How credible is the author or source? What is the purpose of the site? Do the facts seem reliable? Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Researching Report Data Tips for searching the Web Use two or three search tools. Understand case sensitivity. Prefer uncommon words. Omit articles and prepositions. Use wild cards. Know your search tool. Learn basic Boolean search strategies. Bookmark the best pages. Be persistent. Repeat your search a week later. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Researching Report Data Researching primary data Surveys Interviews Observation Experimentation Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Illustrating Report Data Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Illustrating Report Data Functions of graphics To clarify data To condense and simplify data To emphasize data Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Illustrating Report Data Forms and objectives of graphics Table To show exact figures and values Class Agree Disagree Undecided Seniors 738 123 54 Juniors 345 34 76 Sophomores 123 234 78 Freshmen 45 567 123 Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Illustrating Report Data Forms and objectives of graphics Bar chart To compare one item with others 48 47 46 45 Enrollees 44 43 42 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Illustrating Report Data Forms and objectives of graphics Line chart To demonstrate changes in quantitative data over time Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Illustrating Report Data Forms and objectives of graphics Pie graph To visualize a whole unit and the proportion of its components Disagree 28% Strongly Disagree 38% Agree 13% Strongly Agree 18% No Opinion 3% Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Illustrating Report Data Forms and objectives of graphics Flow chart To display a process or procedure Receive Test Repair Re-box Re-stock Floor Shelves Ship Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Illustrating Report Data Forms and objectives of graphics Organization chart To define a hierarchy of elements Charles Eubank President William Dixon Joan Williams Wayne Lu Vice President Sales Vice President Design Vice President Production Clarice Brown John Deleuze George LaPorte Manager Manager Foreman Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Illustrating Report Data Forms and objectives of graphics Photograph, map, illustration To create authenticity, to spotlight a location, and to show an item in use Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Pie Graph 2006 MPM INCOME BY DIVISION DVDs & Videos Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Pie Graph Use pie graphs to show a whole and the proportion of its components. Generally begin at the 12 o'clock position, drawing the largest wedge first. Computer software programs, however, may vary in placement of wedges. Include, if possible, the actual percentage or absolute value for each wedge. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Pie Graph Use four to eight segments for best results; if necessary, group small portions into one wedge called \"Other.\" Distinguish wedges with color, shading, or crosshatching. Keep all labels horizontal. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Vertical Bar Chart Figure 1 2006 MPM INCOME BY DIVISION Figure number Figure title 40 Millions of Dollars Scale value $32.2 30 $22.0 $24.3 20 10 0 Theme Parks Motion Pictures Videos Source: Industry Profiles (New York: DataPro, 2002), 225. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Scale captions Source note Bar Charts Bar charts make visual comparisons. They can compare related items, illustrate changes in data over time, and show segments as parts of wholes. Bar charts may be vertical, horizontal, grouped, or segmented. Avoid showing too much information, thus producing clutter and confusion. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Bar Charts The length of each bar and segment should be proportional. Dollar or percentage amounts should start at zero. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Documenting Data Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Documenting Data Reasons for crediting sources Strengthens your argument Gives you protection Instructs readers Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Documenting Data Learning what to document Another person's ideas, opinions, examples, or theory Any facts, statistics, graphs, and drawings that are not common knowledge Quotations of another person's actual spoken or written words Paraphrases of another person's spoken or written words Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Documenting Data Manual notetaking suggestions Record all major ideas from various sources on separate note cards. Include all publication data along with precise quotations. Consider using one card color for direct quotes and a different color for your paraphrases and summaries. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Documenting Data Electronic notetaking suggestions Begin your research by setting up a folder on your hard-drive that will contain your data. Create separate subfolders for major topics, such as Introduction, Body, and Closing. When on the Web or in electronic databases you find information you may be able to use, highlight (i.e., drag with your mouse) the passages you want to save, copy them (using control-c), paste them (using control-v) into documents that you will save in appropriate subfolders. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Documenting Data Be sure to include all publication data. Consider archiving on a Zip disk the Web pages or articles used in your research in case the data must later be verified. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Documenting Data Learn to paraphrase Read the original material carefully so that you can comprehend its full meaning. Write your own version without looking at the original. Do not repeat the grammatical structure of the original, and do not merely replace words of the original with synonyms. Reread the original to be sure you covered the main points but did not borrow specific language. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Documenting Data Two Documentation Formats Modern Language Association Author's name and page (Smith 100) placed in text; complete references in \"Works Cited.\" American Psychological Association Author's name, date of publication, and page number placed near text reference (Jones, 2000, p. 99). Complete references listed at end of report. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, End Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 12, Chapter 13 Organizing and Writing Typical Business Reports Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 5e Copyright 2006 Interpreting Data You're looking for Meanings Relationships Answers! Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Devices for Tabulating and Analyzing Data Tables - systematic columns and rows The Three Ms Mean - arithmetic average value Median - middle point in a range of values Mode - most frequently appearing value Correlations - relationships between variables Grids - intersecting rows and columns Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, A Statistical Problem The athletic department is collecting data on shoe sizes for players and assistants (some female). Here are the tennis shoe sizes for 20 people. 14 12 12 12 What is the mean? 12 12 What is the median? 12 11 What is the mode? 11 11 11 10 10 9 8 8 7 6 6 6 ---200 Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, A Statistical Problem The athletic department is collecting data on shoe sizes for players and assistants (some female). Here are the tennis shoe sizes for 20 people. 14 12 12 12 Mean=10 12 12 What is the median? 12 11 What is the mode? 11 11 11 10 10 9 8 8 7 6 6 6 ---200 Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, A Statistical Problem The athletic department is collecting data on shoe sizes for players and assistants (some female). Here are the tennis shoe sizes for 20 people. 14 12 12 12 Mean=10 12 12 Median=11 12 11 What is the mode? 11 11 11 10 10 9 8 8 7 6 6 6 ---200 Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, A Statistical Problem The athletic department is collecting data on shoe sizes for players and assistants (some female). Here are the tennis shoe sizes for 20 people. 14 12 12 12 Mean=10 12 12 Median=11 12 11 Mode=12 11 11 11 10 10 9 8 8 7 6 6 6 ---200 Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, A Statistical Problem The athletic department is collecting data on shoe sizes for players and assistants (some female). Here are the tennis shoe sizes for 20 people. 14 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 9 8 8 7 6 6 6 ---200 Mean=10 Median=11 Mode=12 How can such statistical values be important to report writers? Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Drawing Conclusions and Making Recommendations Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Tips for Writing Report Conclusions Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, 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. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, 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 items in parallel form. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Tips for Writing Report Recommendations Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Tips for Writing Report Recommendations Suggest actions. Indicate specific procedures that can help solve the report problem. Focus on recommendations that are practical and agreeable. Suggest feasible actions that would be acceptable to this audience. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Tips for Writing Report Recommendations Present recommendations separately. Enumerate each in a statement beginning with a verb. If requested, indicate how the recommendations may be implemented. Some writers present detailed plans for executing the recommendations. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Tips for Writing Report Recommendations Conclusion: Survey results show that the biggest student complaint centered on long registration lines. Recommendation: Implement a registration reservation system in which students sign up for specific registration time slots. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Organizing Information Reader comprehension, not writer convenience, should govern report organization. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Possible Methods of Organization Time Arrange data by chronology: e.g., 2000, 2001, 2002. Component Arrange data by classifications: location, geography, division, product, or part. A report discussing company profits could be organized by each product. Importance Order data from most important to least important, or vice versa. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Possible Methods of Organization Criteria Arrange data by evaluative categories. In a report comparing fax equipment, organize by such areas as price, warranty, speed, print quality, etc. Convention Organize data according to prescribed categories. For example, proposals are organized by staff, budget, schedule, etc. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Structural Cues for Report Readers Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Structural Cues for Report Readers Introduction Discuss the purpose and significance of the report. Preview the main points and the order of development. Transitions however on the contrary therefore moreover Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Structural Cues for Report Readers Headings Write short but clear headings. Experiment with wording that tells who, what, when, where, and why. Include at least one heading per report page. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Structural Cues for Report Readers 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) Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, 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 SURVEYS These are . . . Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Levels of Report Headings REPORT, REPORT,CHAPTER, CHAPTER,AND ANDPART PARTTITLES TITLES The Thetitle titleof ofaareport, report,chapter chapterheading, heading,or ormajor majorpart partshould should be becentered centeredin inall allcaps. caps. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Levels of Report Headings First-Level First-LevelSubheading Subheading Headings Headingsindicating indicatingthe thefirst firstlevel levelof ofdivision divisionare arecentered centered and andbolded. bolded.Whether Whetheraareport reportisissingle-spaced single-spacedor ordoubledoublespaced, spaced,most mostwriters writerstriple-space triple-space(leaving (leavingtwo twoblank blanklines) lines) before beforeand anddouble-space double-space(leaving (leavingone oneblank blankline) line)after afteraa first-level first-levelheading. heading. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Levels of Report Headings Second-Level Second-LevelSubheading Subheading Headings Headingsthat thatdivide dividetopics topicsintroduced introducedby byfirst-level first-level subheadings subheadingsare arebolded boldedand andbegin beginatatthe theleft leftmargin. margin.Most Most writers writersdouble-space double-space(leaving (leavingone oneblank blankline) line)after afteraasecondsecondlevel levelheading. heading. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Levels of Report Headings Third-Level Third-LevelSubheading. Subheading.Because Becauseititisispart partof ofthe the paragraph paragraphthat thatfollows, follows,aathird-level third-levelsubheading subheadingisisalso also called calledaaparagraph paragraphheading. heading.ItItshould shouldappear appearin inboldface boldface print. print. [Note: [Note:Indent Indentdouble-spaced double-spacedparagraphs. paragraphs.Don't Don'tindent indentsingle-spaced single-spacedparagraphs.] paragraphs.] Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Informational Reports Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Informational Reports Introduction Identify the report and its purpose. Present a brief overview of the report's organization, especially for longer reports. When readers are unfamiliar with the topic, briefly fill in the background details. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Informational Reports Body Group facts or findings into three to five roughly equal segments that do not overlap. Organize by time, component, importance, criteria, convention, or some other method. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Informational Reports Body Supply functional or talking heads (at least one per page) to describe each section. Use an informal, conversational writing style unless a formal tone is expected. Use bullets, numbered and lettered lists, headings, underlined items, and white space to enhance readability. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Informational Reports Summary/Conclusion When necessary, briefly review the main points and discuss what action will follow. If relevant, express appreciation or describe your willingness to provide further information. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Informational Reports Typical informational business reports Periodic reports Describe production, sales, shipping, service, and other recurring activities. Trip, convention, conference reports Describe an event, summarize three to five main points, itemize expenses, and estimate the event's value. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Informational Reports Typical informational business reports Progress and interim reports Explain continuing projects, including work completed, work in progress, future activities, and completion date. Investigative reports Examine problems and supply facts; provide little analysis. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Student Progress Report DATE: ~~~~~~ DATE: ~~~~~~ TO: ~~~~~~ TO: ~~~~~~ FROM: ~~~~~~ FROM: ~~~~~~ SUBJECT: ~~~~~~ SUBJECT: ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Background Background ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Work WorkCompleted Completed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Student Progress Report ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ Page Page22 ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Work WorkTo ToBe BeCompleted Completed ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Analytical Reports Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Analytical Reports Introduction Explain why the report is being written. For research studies, include the significance, scope, limitations, and methodology of the investigation. Preview the report's organization. For receptive audiences, summarize the conclusions and recommendations. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Analytical Reports Findings Discuss the pros and cons of each alternative. For receptive audiences, consider placing the recommended alternative last. Establish criteria to evaluate alternatives. In \"yardstick\" studies create criteria to use in measuring each alternative consistently. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Analytical Reports Findings Support the findings with evidence: facts, statistics, expert opinion, survey data, and other proof. Use headings, enumerations, lists, tables, and graphics to focus attention. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Analytical Reports Conclusions/Recommendations Develop reasonable conclusions that answer the research question. Justify the conclusions with highlights from the findings. Make recommendations, if asked. Use action verbs. Explain needed action. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, Writing Analytical Reports Typical analytical business reports Justification/recommendation reports Make recommendations to management; provide data to solve problems and make decisions. Feasibility reports Analyze problems and predict whether alternatives will be practical or advisable. Yardstick reports Establish criteria and evaluate alternatives by measuring against the yardstick criteria. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, End Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Ch. 13, \f\f\f\f\f\f