Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Chapter 21Formal Reports

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Formal Reports‣ Are products of particular rhetorical

situations

‣ Are composed to solve problems

‣ Meet audience expectations

‣ Are typically recommendation reports, feasibility reports, and evaluation reports

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Recommendation Reports‣ Answer the question: what option should

be chosen?

‣ Try to help a company or organization make the best choice or choices to solve the particular problems at hand

‣ Involves comparing and contrasting the different choices, drawing conclusions, and making the actual recommendations

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

‣ Are detailed, thorough, clear, and professional

‣ Understand the different facets of the problem

‣ Recognize the audience of stakeholders

‣ Recommend a choice or choices that best suit the needs of the company, organization, or stakeholders themselves

Recommendation Reports

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Feasibility Reports‣ Study a situation or problem and

provide a plan for addressing that situation or problem

‣ Help readers decide whether it is possible to implement the plan

‣ May provide readers with a recommendation that more research is necessary

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

‣ Often require a great deal of research and collaboration

‣ Consider a diverse range of audiences

‣ Are well researched, systematic, comprehensive, and professional

Feasibility Reports

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Evaluation Reports‣ Provide a researched opinion about the

worth, value, or effectiveness of something

‣ Tend to consider the past to explore whether previous decisions were good ones or not

‣ Are sometimes referred to as “assessment reports” or “performance reports”

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Problem-Solving & Rhetorical Concerns

‣ Are unique when writing formal reports

‣ Do not rely one single formula to follow when producing a formal report

‣ Must consider strategies when writing formal reports

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Audience‣ Drives the composition of formal reports

‣ Is crucial when composing formal reports

‣ Is often distinct and diverse

‣ Might have different levels of knowledge and different reasons for wanting or needing the document itself

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Research‣ Is necessary in order for the report to be

thorough and detailed

‣ Provides accurate information and facts to support one’s recommendations or evaluations

‣ Might differ depending on the document’s needs

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Visuals and Graphics‣ Used in formal reports to help readers use

the document

‣ Should not be used gratuitously or indiscriminately

‣ Cannot make up for poor writing and planning

‣ Is persuasive by letting one’s audience see information rather than just read it

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Because formal reports can be lengthy, detailed, and complex, it is not uncommon for them to be composed collaboratively by teams or committees of individuals, each of which has a particular role or responsibility in producing the report

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Drafting & Revising

‣ Are often done “inside-out,” meaning that they often begin in the middle with body sections of the document or with research and data

‣ Are often done many times until finalized

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Distributing

‣ Is important to consider, since formal reports should look as professional as possible

‣ Typically happens as hardcopies, printed on quality paper, and illustrated with color, when applicable

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Components of Formal Reports

‣ Includes front matter‣ Includes body‣ Includes back matter‣ Will not require all sections and pieces

of information in every report

‣ Depends on its own rhetorical situation

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Front Matter‣ The cover includes a specific title, a

byline, and a date‣ Covers might also include visuals and

graphics

‣ The table of contents‣ The list of tables, figures, and

symbols

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Body‣ The introduction: should be clear and concise

and alert your audience to what they are reading

‣ The description of the problem the report will specifically address

‣ The technical background addresses technical concerns the audience may need

‣ The criteria states how the final decisions, assessments, or recommendations will be reached

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

‣ The discussion of options will summarize the different options considered for solving the problem

‣ The comparisons look at the options side by side to show your line of thinking, your rationale for the decisions

‣ The conclusions provide a summary of conclusions

‣ The final recommendations or opinions clearly state the recommendation, plan, or judgment being given

‣ The executive summaries condense the report for those who do not need to read the whole thing

Body

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Back Matter‣ The references refers to works cited

pages or notes

‣ The appendices contain support material for the body sections of a report or other document

‣ The back cover may present readers with information about the report, its authors, the organization or company, or additional information about the subject

Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Ethical Issues

‣ Concern accuracy and disclosure

‣ Concern honesty, even when feeling pressure from an authority to provide desired or expected answers