WRITE

REPORTS

Learning Objectives
To understand:
1. Purpose of Reports
2. Steps in Writing a Report
3. Elements of Effective Reports
4. Use of Graphics in a Report

Defining Reports
A Report is an orderly & objective
communication of factual information that
serves a purpose
The keywords are Orderly, Objective,
Communication, Factual Information &
Serves A Purpose
Reports are vital to larger organisations
you will probably write them

Types of Reports

Routine Reports : Monthly Report,

Performance Report, Review Report,
Sales Report, Press Report
Research Reports, Survey Reports &
Special Reports
Enquiry Reports & Investigation Reports
Confidential Reports

GROUP TASK
Take a moment to think about
1. what a report is?
2. How report differs from an essay?

Steps in Report Writing

1. Determine the Scope of the Report
2. Consider Your Audience
3. Gather Your Information
4. Analyze Your Information
5. Determine the Solution
6. Organize Your Report

Determining the Reports Scope

Common fault of many reports

Making the scope of a report too general or
too vague
After choosing a subject, one of the first steps
is to narrow the scope to a report length
Scope is defined by determining the factors
you will study
Limit amount of information to the most
needed and most important factors

Example
Factors to be studied to determine ways to
improve employee morale might include:
Salaries / Fringe benefits / Work assignments /
Work hours / Evaluation procedures
There could be many other factors. Some may
be important, and you may want to consider
them later

 For any one report, however, a reasonable

scope must be clearly defined by
determining what factors will be included

Consider the Audience

Unlike letters / memos, reports usually have
a far wider distribution
Many people involved in a decision-making
process may have a need to read the info
in the report
Make it easy for the reader. To make
reading your report easier, think in terms
of the reader

Each audience has unique

needs. Audience considerations
include:
Need (from your report)

Education level
Position in the organization
Knowledge of your topic or area
Responsibility to act
Age
Biases
Preferences
Attitudes

Some false assumptions

regarding
1.
That the personaudiences:
who will first read or edit the
report is the audience
2. Audience is a group of specialists in their field
3. Audience is familiar with the subject of the
report
4. Audience has time to read the entire report

 5. Audience has a strong interest in the

subject of the report
6. Author will always be available to discuss
the report
Avoid false assumptions . Identify everyone
who might read the report;
Characterize readers according to
professional training, position, personal
traits - Determine how & when reader
might use the report

Kinds of audiences Primary - People who have to act or make

decisions on the basis of the report
Secondary - People affected by whatever
actions primary audiences would take in
response to the report
Immediate - People responsible for
evaluating the report and getting it to the
right people

Additional questions to consider

regarding your audience are:

How much background will they need ?

Do you need to define any terms you are
using?
What language level will be most
appropriate for your readers ?

 How many and what kind of visual aids

should you use ?
What will they expect from your report ?
Do they prefer finer details or merely a brief
presentation that touches upon the
highlights ?

Gather Your Information

Information you gather can be of two types
- Secondary and Primary
Secondary is information gathered and
recorded by others
Primary is information you gather and
record yourself

 Do more research
Think WHERE you can find your
information
May even require purchase of information
Check with vendors and distributors for
features and pricing information

 Check the library (books, magazines,

journals, or newspapers)
Search the internet using key words
Create a way to manage information as you
gather it
Difficult to sort through if it is not organized

Analyse your Information

After gathering info, you need to analyze it
The purpose of the analysis is to make
sense, objectively, out of the information
you have gathered
Avoid personal bias of any kind entering
into the analysis

 Information is compared and contrasted in an

effort to try to find new ideas or the best ideas
Separate facts and figures need to be interpreted
by explaining what they mean--what
significance they have
Once all information is gathered, organised and
analysed, you are ready to determine solutions

Determine the Solution

Based on your analysis, you will be ready
to offer a solution/s to the problem

Organise your Report

Before actually writing, organize your information into
an outline form
Formulate an outline by choosing the major &
supporting ideas, developing details, and eliminating
unnecessary ideas you've gathered.

Your report will have following

Provide identifying
information
four steps:

Define the project or problem (purpose of

the report)
Give the background
Give the supporting data

 State your conclusions and

recommendations
Based on the outline you can NOW begin
the actual writing of your report

Write a rough draft

Dont proof-read or edit at this point. Just
get your thoughts done
Be systematic if you can--starting at the
beginning and work your way through
However, if you can find no logical
approach, start anywhere - BUT START

 Write the opening paragraph/s or page/s at

a later time
Remember, don't think about editing when
writing the first draft
Editing proves a stumbling block in
creativity for many writers
Write first. Then come back and edit
Otherwise, you are working against the
creative process

 Use headings for each of section of your

report
Headings & sub-headings are used as
organizational tools in writing to identify
major parts of a report
They serve as guideposts for a reader,
dividing the information into segments that
make it easy for a reader to understand

Structuring the Report :

Following aspects need particular attention

Outlining and report organisation
Length of the Report
Formal Report
Sequence of presentation
Annexures
Sub-Committee Report
Dissenting Notes, if any

Suggested Format
Table of Contents
Background of the study
Scope and objectives of the study
Composition of the committee
Study Methodology
Findings & observations
Recommendations
Acknowledgements

Writing Style - Dos

Use an Impersonal Style
Use Active Sentences
Use Appropriate Headings
Use Proper tenses
Use Accurate nouns & pronouns
Define all concepts
Tabulate all Data
Proper Documentation
Maintain Objectivity

Writing Style Donts

Avoid Excessive Jargon

Avoid Verbosity(flowery language)

Avoid Personal Bias

Avoid Factual Inaccuracies
Avoid Grammatical Blunders
Avoid Absence of Reasoning
Avoid Absence of Sequencing & References

Graphics in Reports
Consider including pictures or graphics in
the report
Why use graphics ?
What types of graphics could I use ?
How do I relate the graphic to the written
text

Why use graphics ?

Not mandatory
However, your goal in a business report is
to convey information clearly to the
reader
A graphic can often be clearer than text

A graphic does the following:

Presents message in an economical
manner using less space than would be
needed to provide the same information
in the text
Saves your readers time
Focuses the readers attention on specific
information

 Adds interest
Shows relationships
Presents facts and figures in a condensed
manner

What types of graphics could

you use ?

Depends upon type of information you want

to present
Example, to show sales broken down by
categories, a pie chart will be effective

 To show sales trend for the past six months,

a line or bar graphic would be more
effective
Some of the more common graphics that
you might want to consider would include:
Tables / Pie Charts / Line Charts / Bar
Charts / Organisational Charts / Others
(pictograms, maps, photographs, time
lines, flow charts, etc)

How do I relate the graphics to

the written text?

Remember- graphics are PART of the

report, not a supplement
Work the graphic into the flow of your text
Place graphic within the text, immediately
after the paragraph in which the graphic
is first mentioned

 Refer to each graphic by its figure number

Interpret the information found in the graphic
within the text material
Textual material should not merely repeat what
can be seen in the graph or table

Finalize the report

Proofread
Conclude the reporting on work/
investigations
Presenting in power point

THE END