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Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-1
Chapter 9
Informal Reports
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-2
Six Categories of Informal Reports
• Information Reports
• Progress Reports
• Justification/Recommendation Reports
• Feasibility Reports
• Minutes of Meetings
• Summaries
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-3
• Letter formatLetterhead stationery. Useful for informal reports sent to outsiders.
• Memo formatMemo style. Useful for informal reports circulated within organizations.
Report Formats
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-4
• Report formatPlain paper, manuscript form. Useful for longer, more formal reports.
• Prepared formsStandardized forms. Useful for routine activities, such as expense reports.
Report Formats
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-5
General Guidelines for Writing Reports
• Define project.
• Gather data.
• Organize data.
• Write first draft.
• Edit and revise.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-6
Where to Gather Data for Reports
• Look in company records.• Make personal observations.• Use surveys, questionnaires, and
inventories.• Conduct interviews.• Search databases and other electronic
resources.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-7
Organizing Report Data
• Indirect Strategy
• Problem
• Facts
• Discussion
• Recommendations
• Direct Strategy
• Problem
• Recommendations
• Facts
• Discussion
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-8
• Use appropriate heading levels.
• Strive for parallel construction.
• Use first- and second-level headings for short reports.
• Capitalize and underline carefully.
• Keep headings short but clear.
Making Effective Report Headings
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-9
• Don't enclose headings in quotation marks.
• Don't use headings as antecedents for pronouns.
For example, avoid:
Inserting Hypertext Links. These links . . . .
Making Effective Report Headings
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-10
Being Objective in Writing Reports
• Present both sides of an issue.
• Separate fact from opinion.
• Be sensitive and moderate in language.
• Cite sources carefully.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-11
Introduction • Explain why you are writing.• Describe credibility of data methods and
sources.• Provide background. • Identify report purpose.• Offer a preview of the findings.
Information Reports
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-12
Findings• Organize chronologically, alphabetically,
topically, by importance, or by another method.
• Group similar topics together.• Use appropriate headings.
Information Reports
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-13
Summary• May include or omit summary.• If included, summarize findings or
highlight main points.
Information Reports
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-14
• Describe the purpose and nature of an unusual or nonroutine project.
• Provide background information if necessary.
• Summarize work already completed.• Describe work currently in progress,
including personnel, methods, obstacles, and attempts to remedy obstacles.
Progress Reports
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-15
• Forecast future activities in relation to the scheduled completion date.
• Include recommendations and requests.
Progress Reports
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-16
• Use direct organization for nonsensitive topics and recommendations that will be agreeable to readers.
• Identify the problem or the need briefly.
• Announce the recommendation, solution, or action concisely and with action verbs.
Justification/Recommendation Reports
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-17
• Present a discussion of pros, cons, and costs.
• Explain more fully the benefits of the recommendation or steps to be taken to solve the problem.
• Conclude with a summary specifying the recommendation and action to be taken.
Justification/Recommendation Reports
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-18
• Prepare a feasibility report when examining the practicality and advisability of following a course of action.
• Announce your decision immediately.
• Describe the background and problem necessitating the proposal.
• Discuss the benefits of the proposal.
Feasibility Reports
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-19
• Describe the problems that may result.
• Calculate the costs associated with the proposal, if appropriate.
• Show the time frame necessary for implementation of the proposal.
Feasibility Reports
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-20
• Include name of the group, the date, the time, the place, the name of the meeting.
• List names of attendees and absentees.
• Describe disposition of previous minutes.
• Record old business, new business, announcements, and reports.
• Include the precise wording of motions.
Meeting Minutes
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-21
• Record the vote and action taken.
• Conclude with the name and signature of the individual recording the minutes.
Meeting Minutes
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-22
• Compress data from a longer publication, such as a business report, a magazine article, or a book chapter.
• Indicate the goal or purpose of the document being summarized.
• Highlight the research methods (if appropriate), findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
Summaries
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-23
• Omit illustrations, examples, and references.
• Organize for readability by including headings and bulleted or enumerated lists.
• Include your reactions or an overall evaluation of the document if asked to do so.
Summaries
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-24
Ten Keys to Designing Better Documents
• Analyze your audience.
• Choose an appropriate type size.
• Use a consistent type font.
• Generally, don't justify right margins.
• Separate paragraphs and sentences appropriately.
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-25
• Design readable headlines.
• Strive for an attractive page layout.
• Use graphics and clip art with restraint.
• Avoid amateurish results.
• Develop expertise with your software program.
Ten Keys to Designing Better Documents
Mary Ellen Guffey, Essentials of Business Communication, 6e Ch. 9-26
End
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