business and report writing skills
TRANSCRIPT
BUSINESS AND REPORT WRITING – BEST PRACTICE WRITING
PRINCIPLES AND PROCESSCHARLES COTTER
FOCUS ROOMS, SUNNINGHILL
28-29 MAY 2015
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW – DAY 1
• www.slideshare.net/CharlesCotter
• 20 FUNDAMENTAL, BEST PRACTICE BUSINESS WRITING PRINCIPLES
• THE “LOOK AND FEEL” COMPONENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE BUSINESS REPORT
• THE 6-STEP, REPORT WRITING PROCESS
CAKE-BAKING ANALOGY
• BEST PRACTICE BUSINESS WRITING PRINCIPLES - INGREDIENTS
• THE “LOOK AND FEEL” COMPONENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE BUSINESS REPORT – PICTURE OF THE CAKE
• THE 6-STEP, REPORT WRITING PROCESS - RECIPE
DOES THIS LOOK FAMILIAR?
LEARNING ACTIVITY 1
• From your experience and perspective, as both a writer and a reader, identify ten (10) common errors that you’ve observed with Business Reports.
• Match each of these 10 errors with a set of 10 best practice criteria/guidelines to counteract/improve these errors, thereby promoting effective business report writing.
20 FUNDAMENTAL, BEST PRACTICE WRITING PRINCIPLES
• A – B – C (ACCURACY – BREVITY – CLARITY) – “BE ON POINT AND TO THE POINT”
• A – I – D –A (ATTENTION – INTEREST – DESIRE – ACTION) – “TELL THE READER WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO TELL THEM; TELL THEM AND THEN TELL THEM WHAT YOU TOLD THEM.”
• “THINK BEFORE YOU INK” – USE 80 (THINKING)/20 (INKING) PRINCIPLE
• HARMONIZATION OF THE BEST FIT METHODS – FIT FOR PURPOSE/MESSAGE/READER
• BE STRATEGIC AND SELECTIVE - PROVIDE ONLY VALUE ADDING AND RELEVANT INFORMATION
20 FUNDAMENTAL, BEST PRACTICE WRITING PRINCIPLES
• “LESS IS MORE” – HAVE AN EFFICIENT AND ECONOMICAL WRITING STYLE
• EMPATHIZE - “CUSTOMIZATION IS KING/QUEEN” – CONDUCT A READERSHIP ANALYSIS TO ACCOMMODATE THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE – “SPEAK THE LANGUAGE THAT YOUR READER UNDERSTANDS”
• INTEGRATE RATIONAL (LEFT BRAIN) AND CREATIVE (RIGHT BRAIN) THOUGHT PROCESSES
• MARRY BEING METICULOUS (“EYE FOR DETAIL”) WITH FINDING CREATIVE WRITING SPACE (PSYCHOLOGICAL, EMOTIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL)
• USE OF VISUAL STIMULI AND TECHNIQUES TO COMPLEMENT, SUPPORT AND PROMOTE A HIGHER LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING
20 FUNDAMENTAL, BEST PRACTICE WRITING PRINCIPLES
• ENSURE QUALITY ASSURANCE E.G. PROOF-READING; EDITING; SPELL CHECKING AND VERIFICATION OF INFORMATION
• USE THE PURPOSE AS YOUR WRITING “GPS” – TO CONCENTRATE/DIRECT FOCUS TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF OUTCOMES/OBJECTIVES
• “DON’T WRITE TO IMPRESS, WRITE TO PROMOTE A HIGHER LEVEL OF UNDERSTANDING.” – BE A AGENT OF EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
• EMPLOY A “COMMUNITY OF WRITERS” APPROACH – THE VALUE OF CONSULTATION AND ENGAGEMENT
• PROPER STRUCTURE - USE THE PYRAMID (CASCADING) METHOD – INITIALLY PRESENT LESS IMPORTANCE INFORMATION AND CLIMAX WITH MOST CRITICAL INFORMATION
20 FUNDAMENTAL, BEST PRACTICE WRITING PRINCIPLES
• APPLY THE WATERFALL APPROACH – VERTICAL ALIGNMENT AND SYNERGY BETWEEN THE REPORT FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
• “TOUR GUIDE” MENTALITY – DIRECT; NAVIGATE; ORIENTATE, INFORM; ADVISE, ENLIGHTEN AND CAPTIVATE THE READER
• ADOPT A STORY TELLING MODE – LOGICAL AND COHERENT FLOW OF INFORMATION – NO SURPRISES!
• THE REPORT SHOULD GENERATE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE – ENABLING SMART OPERATIONAL AND STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING
• ADOPT A STRATEGIC MIND-SET – DEVELOP STRUCTURED, HOLISTIC AND WELL-PREPARED BUSINESS WRITING HABITS
BEST PRACTICE REPORT WRITING (COMPETENCE)
CONTENT
CONTEXTPROCESS
EFFECTIVE REPORT CONTENT
TYPES OF REPORTS
• Informative
“Telling”Examples
• Evaluative
“Selling”Examples
APPROACHES TO REPORT WRITING
• Dash-boarding
Data-driven and derived Report-generatingMS Excel
• Key-boarding
NarrativeReport-writingMS Word
“LOOK AND FEEL” COMPONENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE BUSINESS REPORT
• STRUCTURE
• STYLE AND TONE
• READABILITY
• CONVENTION
LEARNING ACTIVITY 2
• Develop the best practice criteria and convention (rules) of an effective business report. Focus on the following elements:
Structure
Style and tone
Readability
Convention
STRUCTURE
• VARIES DEPENDENT ON WHETHER INFORMATIVE (“TELLING”) OR EVALUATIVE (“SELLING”) TYPE OF BUSINESS REPORT
• EXTERNAL STRUCTURE – FRONT-END AND BACK-END
• INTERNAL STRUCTURE
EXTERNAL STRUCTURE – FRONT-END
• TITLE PAGE
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
EXTERNAL STRUCTURE – BACK-END
• GLOSSARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS AND ACRONYMS
• LIST OF SOURCES/REFERENCES
• ATTACHMENTS – APPENDICES AND ANNEXURES
INTERNAL STRUCTURE
• INTRODUCTION
• BACKGROUND/CONTEXTUALIZATION
• RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCESS
• FINDINGS
• CONCLUSIONS
• RECOMMENDATIONS
STYLE
• STYLE IS REGARDED AS THE DEGREE OF FORMALITY
• THE APPROPRIATE STYLE IS:
FORMAL (NOT INFORMAL) FACTUAL (NOT OPINION-BASED) RATIONAL (NOT EMOTIONAL) – “Connect intellectually
with your reader, disconnect your emotions and personal feelings.”
OBJECTIVE (NOT SUBJECTIVE)
TONE
• TONE IS REGARDED AS THE WRITER’S ATTITUDE – DIRECTED AT READER AND SUBJECT MATTER
• TONE SHOULD BE:
RESPECTFUL (NOT PATRONIZING)PROFESSIONAL ASSERTIVE (NOT PASSIVE OR AGGRESSIVE)
THE ASSERTIVENESS CONTINUUM
READABILITY• REFERS TO ALL THE ASPECTS THAT MAKE A BUSINESS REPORT MORE
NOTICEABLE AND EASY TO READ - “SOFT ON THE EYE AND SOFT ON THE MIND”
• MUTUAL DEPENDENCE - THE WRITER RELIES ON THE READERS' ABILITY TO READ EFFICIENTLY AND TO UNDERSTAND THE (INTENDED) MESSAGE.
• WRITER NEEDS TO DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO ENABLE AND FACILITATE A COMMON UNDERSTANDING
• TECHNIQUES TO ENHANCE THE READABILITY:
LAY-OUT USE OF WHITE SPACE HEADINGS/SUB-HEADINGS NUMBERING
CONVENTION• USE OF TABLES AND FIGURES – LABELLING, NUMBERING AND
REFERENCING
• APPENDICES AND ANNEXURES - LABELLING, NUMBERING AND REFERENCING
• CITATION AND REFERENCING – HARVARD METHOD – ALWAYS ACKNOWLEDGE SOURCE AND AVOID PLAGRIASM AT ALL COSTS
• FORMAT, DESIGN AND LAY-OUT – INDUSTRY AND ORGANIZATION-SPECIFIC GUIDELINES AND TECHNIQUES
• USE ACTIVE VOICE (AS OPPOSED TO PASSIVE) – WRITTEN IN THIRD PERSON
CONVENTION
• GRAMMATICAL AND LANGUAGE RULES
• USE OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
• AVOID JARGON AND UNFAMILIAR TECHNICAL TERMINOLOGY
• SENTENCE AND PARAGRAPH STRUCTURING
PROPER SENTENCE AND PARAGRAPH STRUCTURING
• VARY THE LENGTH OF SENTENCES
• EASY TO UNDERSTAND CONCEPTS – SHORTER SENTENCES. COMPLEX CONCEPTS – LONGER SENTENCES TO ENABLE EFFICIENT ASSIMILATION OF INFORMATION
• DON’T SUBSTITUTE A FULL-STOP FOR A COMMA – “IF YOU CAN USE A FULL-STOP USE IT!”
• ONE CONCEPT/KEY POINT, ONE PARAGRAPH. DIFFERENT CONCEPT, DIFFERENT PARAGRAPH. “DON’T MIX ‘N MATCH – AVOID LIQUORICE ALL-SORTS WRITING STYLE”
• CREATE A MEANDERING AND MESMERIZING WRITING STYLE AS YOU TRANSITION FROM ONE PARAGRAPH TO THE NEXT. AS YOU EXIT ONE PARAGRAPH START INTRODUCING THE NEXT ONE.
REPORT WRITING PROCESS• STEP 1: PLANNING
• STEP 2: RESEARCHING THINKING (80%)
• STEP 3: ORGANIZING
• STEP 4: WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT
• STEP 5: QUALITY ASSURANCE INKING (20%)
• STEP 6: SUBMIT FINAL DRAFT FOR APPROVAL AND ADOPTION
STEP 1: PLANNING (7-W’S)• DEFINE THE PURPOSE (WHY?)
• FORMULATE THE OBJECTIVES (WHAT?)
• SUBMISSION TARGET DATE (WHEN?)
• SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL PLATFORM/COMMITTEE (WHERE?)
• SCOPE OF THE REPORT (WIDTH?)
• ESTIMATED LENGTH/VOLUME OF REPORT (WEIGHT?)
• CONDUCT A READERSHIP ANALYSIS (WHO?)
READERSHIP ANALYSIS (RELATED TO A-B-C)
• LEVEL 1 READER/S: APPROVING AUTHORITY (NON-TECHNICAL) – INFORMATION NEED: BREVITY
• LEVEL 2 READER/S: TECHNICAL/SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT – INFORMATION NEED: ACCURACY
• LEVEL 3 READER/S: IMPLEMENTER/FUNCTIONARY – INFORMATION NEED: CLARITY
STEP 2: RESEARCHING
• METHODS – TO ACHIEVE THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PRINCIPLE OF VALIDITY
• PROCESS – TO ACHIEVE THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PRINCIPLE OF RELIABILITY
• COLLECTIVELY: VALIDITY + RELIABILITY = CREDIBILITY
RESEARCH METHODS
• QUANTITATIVE – NUMERIC E.G. STATISTICS
• QUALITATIVE – SUBJECTIVE E.G. SURVEYS AND FOCUS GROUPS
• SOURCES OF DATA:
ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTARY EXPERIMENTAL HUMAN
RESEARCH PROCESS• STEP 1: DEVELOP A DATA COLLECTION PLAN/STRATEGY
• STEP 2: DATA COLLECTION
• STEP 3: DATA COLLATION
• STEP 4: DATA ANALYSIS LEADS TO FINDINGS
• STEP 5: DATA INTERPRETATION LEADS TO CONCLUSIONS• STEP 6: VERIFICATION
• STEP 7: PUBLICATION LEADS TO RECOMMENDATIONS
STEP 3: ORGANIZING – 3-S FORMAT
• STRUCTURE (OF REPORT)
• SEQUENCE (OF REPORT)
• SPACING (POSITIONING OF TABLES, FIGURES, ATTACHMENTS TO THE REPORT)
• RECOMMENDED ORGANIZING TOOL: MIND-MAPPING
• OBJECTIVE: TO ENSURE FLUENCY AND EFFICIENCY IN WRITING WHEN TRANSITIONING FROM THINKING (STEPS 1-3) TO INKING (STEPS 4-6)
MIND-MAPPING EXAMPLE
LEARNING ACTIVITY 3
• By following steps 1-3 of the report writing process, develop a framework/skeleton of a business report for your organization.
Step 1: Planning
Step 2: Research methodology and process
Step 3: Organizing the technical report structure
STEP 4: WRITE FIRST DRAFT
• APPLY THE BEST PRACTICE WRITING PRINCIPLES
• USE THE APPROPRIATE TECHNICAL REPORT STRUCTURE AND FORMAT
STEP 5: QUALITY ASSURANCE
• PROOF-READ AND EDIT THE REPORT
• PERFORM A SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION CHECK
• CONSULT WITH LANGUAGE AND SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND RECEIVE FEEDBACK
• MAKE THE NECESSARY REVISIONS
• REFER TO THE EVALUATION CHECKLIST (PAGES 49-51 IN THE LEARNER MANUAL)
STEP 6: SUBMISSION AND APPROVAL OF FINAL DRAFT
• MAKE THE NECESSARY AMENDMENTS AND WRITE THE FINAL DRAFT
• SUBMIT TO HIGHER MANAGEMENT TO AUTHORIZE, APPROVE AND ADOPT THE REPORT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
LEARNING ACTIVITY 4
• By using the following format (as a guideline), write the first draft of a business report on the identified, work-related topic/subject. (step 4 of the business report writing process)
• Step 5: Review the report (Submit this report to a fellow learner to get feedback). Readers should use the checklist on pages 49-51 to evaluate the business report.
• Step 6: Writing and submitting the final draft (Based on the feedback from the fellow learner, make the necessary amendments and write the final draft)
PRESENTATION OVERVIEW – DAY 2
• Effective business letter writing
• Effective Memorandum writing
• Effective e-mail communication
• Effective minute-taking
MINUTE-TAKING FUNDAMENTALS
• The scope of minutes
• Tips and warnings
• The criteria of effective minutes
LEARNING ACTIVITY 5
• Identify some of the foremost challenges when taking, transcribing and writing meeting minutes.
• For each of these challenges develop a viable solution/strategy to overcome these challenges.
• Compile a list of 10 best practice criteria for
good quality minutes.
BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR MINUTE-TAKERS
• Preparation (pre-meeting)
• Transcribing (during meeting)
• Writing minutes (after the meeting)
LEARNING ACTIVITY 6
• By referring to the best practice list of guidelines for effectively taking, transcribing and writing meetings minutes, conduct a 15 minute, mock meeting. Nominate the roles of Chairperson, Secretary and Participants.
• The Secretary should record and write-up the minutes. • By referring to the best practice checklist (Learning
Activity 5), the other group members will constructively evaluate these meetings and provide feedback.
E-MAIL COMMUNICATION
FUNDAMENTALS OF E-MAIL COMMUNICATION
• Guidelines to improve e-mail writing skills
• Writing professional e-mails
• Improving your e-mail writing style
• Writing business e-mails
• Golden Rules of Email Etiquette
GUIDELINES TO EFFECTIVE E-MAIL COMMUNICATION
LEARNING ACTIVITY 7
• Identify some of the common mistakes made by e-mail senders that cause/create irritation and frustration on the part of the recipients. For each of these common mistakes identify an improvement strategy.
• Do not, under any circumstances, forward chain letters
• Respond to group e-mails appropriately
• Use actual English
• Don’t use your company e-mail for private e-mails
• Utilize CC and BCC properly
• Be careful what you say
• Lose the attitude
• Don’t be a spammer
• Respect laws and regulations
• Get clarification
• Delete unnecessary content
• Keep signatures simple
LEARNING ACTIVITY 8
• Develop a Code of Good Practice: Proper and Professional e-mail Etiquette (10 principles) for all e-mail users at your organization.
DRAFTING PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS LETTERS AND MEMORANDUMS
• Business Letter format - Block
• Refer to Sample Business Letter
• Business letter writing guidelines
BUSINESS LETTER WRITING GUIDELINES
• Use a professional tone
• Write clearly
• Organize your information logically
• Be persuasive
• Proofread your letter
• Useful phrases and vocabulary for writing business letters
WRITING MEMORANDUM’S
• Purpose of Memo’s
• Written well, business memo’s are an efficient, effective way to communicate within an organization.
• Memo Sections
HeadingOpeningBodyClosing
MEMORANDUM FORMAT
LEARNING ACTIVITY 9
• Develop a set of 10 best practice criteria/guidelines for effective business letter writing.
• Develop a set of 10 best practice
criteria/guidelines for effective Memorandum writing.
CONCLUSION
• SUMMARY OF KEY POINTS
• LEARNING “TAKE-AWAYS"
• QUESTIONS
• TRAINING ADMINISTRATION
• CERTIFICATION
• THANK YOU!
CONTACT DETAILS
• CHARLES COTTER
• +27 84 562 9446
• LINKED IN
• TWITTER: Charles_Cotter