NFC INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING & FERTILIZER RESEARCH

FAISALABAD

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING

SEMESTER-05 [2020]

Assignment
SUBMITTED TO

ENGR. Dr Awai’s bail

SUBMITTED BY

Narjis Batool 2020-UET-NFC-FD-CIVIL-01

Rabia Zulfiqar 2020-UET-NFC-FD-CIVIL-02
Kashaf Ijaz 2020-UET-NFC-FD-CIVIL-03
Asim Sajjad 2020-UET-NFC-FD CIVIL-05
1: What is a Technical Report?
A technical report (also scientific report) is a document that describes the process, progress,
or results of technical or scientific research or the status of a technical or scientific research
problem. It may also include research recommendations and conclusions. Unlike other
scientific literature, such as scientific journals and the proceedings of some academic
conferences, technical reports rarely undergo comprehensive independent peer review before
publication.
They can be considered gray literature. Where there is a review process, it is often limited to
the originating organization. Similarly, there are no formal procedures for publishing such
reports, except where they have been established locally.
Technical reports are the main source of scientific and technical information today. They are
prepared for internal or wider distribution by many organizations, most of which lack the
extensive editorial and printing capabilities of commercial publishers.
Example:
An example of a technical report is a written document prepared by a researcher that details
the results of a project. After creating the technical report, the researcher will hand it over to
the project sponsor.

2: Why is Report Writing considering an important skill? How

can it help in conducting good business communication?
This is important because being able to identify the audience and purpose of your message.
Know how news is read by your audience. Knowing the purpose of each part of the message
(not just where the information is going) Understanding how good organization of the
message helps the reader find the information they want.

Such importance can be understood through the following

discussion:
• Decision tool: Today's complex business organizations require thousands of pieces of
information. Reports provide the required information. A large number of important
decisions in business or other areas are taken based on the information provided in the report.
• Investigation: Whenever a problem occurs, a committee, commission or study group
investigates the problem to determine the cause of the problem and submits a basic output
with or without a recommendation in the form of a report.
Evaluation: Large organizations engage in multidimensional activities. It is not possible for
one top manager to personally monitor what others are doing. Thus, the executive depends on
the reports to evaluate the performance of various departments or units.
• Quick positioning: There is no denying the fact that business managers need information to
make quick decisions. As top executives are busy with various purposes, they need vital
sources of information. Such sources can be business news.
• Skill development: The skill of writing reports develops the power of design, organizational
coordination, judgment and communication. Therefore, such a skill acts as a catalyst.
• Neutral presentation of facts: Facts must be presented in a neutral manner. Such a
presentation is provided through a report that independently investigates, explains, evaluates
and much more about any fact.
• Career advancement: Report also plays a key role in career advancement and advancement.
To be promoted to a rank position, a person needs satisfactory work performance which will
help. But for promotion to a high level, intellectual ability is highly required. This ability may
be expressed through a report submitted to a superior authority.
• Proper control: Whether the activities are going according to plan or not is expressed by the
report. So the control of these activities is implemented based on the information in the
report.
• Management tool: Various reports make activities easier for managers. For planning,
organizing, coordinating, motivating, and controlling, a manager can find help in a report that
functions as a source of information.
• Encountering advanced and complex situation: In a big business organization, there is
always some kind of work problems that complex situations can bring. Managers use reports
to deal with these situations.
• A message is most effective when it comes to formal communication and written
communication. However, there are both verbal and informal reports. Several types of reports
provide several types of benefits.

Adapt the message to your audience:

One of the first things you should do to communicate effectively is to learn to adapt your
communication (style and messaging) to different target groups. If you're talking to your
security team about the new policy, they're probably already aware of the problem, so you
can get deeper into the weeds of implementation details. But when you implement the same
policy for frontline employees, adjust your message. You will most likely take a broader
approach. Explain the purpose of the policy and how it should be physically implemented in
their daily lives.

Prepare for the message delivery:

How are you doing Is your body language open and inviting? Do you maintain a lot of eye
contact or stare at a screen?
Before any communication, whether it's a face-to-face meeting or a big speech, prepare
yourself. Before your presentation, you can spend a few minutes taking deep breaths or going
over the meeting agenda before the chat.

Be authentic as you communicate:

According to a post from Quantified Communications, authentic leaders are 50% more
passionate and their messages are 29% clearer. They radiate warmth and openness. When
talking with colleagues and subordinates, they have a sense of immediacy and are fully
present in the conversation.
People also want to engage more with authentic leaders and communicators. Being
trustworthy and reliable will ultimately make your job easier because people will want to
work with you.

Be enthusiastic and engaged when speaking:

People are more receptive to positive stimuli. Smiling and showing enthusiasm are the best
strategies for better communication. By using these techniques, you increase the likelihood
that people will listen to you and follow what you say.

Manage nonverbal signals to control the message:

According to body language researcher Albert mehrabian, 55% of communication is non-
verbal and 38% is vocal, while only 7% is spoken words.
This means that it is extremely important to manage your non-verbal signals. If you're
constantly looking at the clock with your feet pointed at the door, your audience will think
you're not interested in the conversation. For better communication, your non-verbal signals
and spoken words must be coordinated.

Practice active listening when people respond to you:

Active listening is not just hearing what someone is saying. It means showing your
involvement in the discussion by asking questions and caring about what they are saying. By
being an active listener, you demonstrate your interest in the other person's message and build
a stronger relationship with them. It also helps you remember the details of the conversation.

Ask for feedback from team members:

One of the most effective and efficient ways to improve your communication is to ask for
feedback. After all, most of us learn and grow with change.
Start by creating a feedback process. This could be a short post-meeting survey or a one-on-
one discussion. Also, implement an open door policy so that employees feel they can come to
you with any problem they may have.

Probe for understanding to confirm you are being heard:

Asking questions shows the speaker how engaged you are in the conversation. It also gives
you more information and a natural opportunity to practice active listening.

Handle conflicts respectfully:

You will not always agree with your team members, bosses and subordinates. Even if you
don't agree on everything, you need to communicate respectfully if you want to maintain your
working relationship. In general, never say anything in anger that you wish to take back once
you have calmed down.

3. What are the elements of long formal report? Discuss in detail.

A formal or long report has three main parts:
• Preparatory parts
• Text sections
• Additional parts

In news writing, all these elements play a significant role because each element represents
important information to the audience.

Preparation parts:
This is the introductory part of any formal report. As this section contains items like table of
contents, summary, list of diagrams, it is easier for the researcher to prepare this section after
the text. The preparatory part contains the following items:

• Cover

• Homepage

• Authorization letter

• Letter of acceptance

• Letter of transfer

•Content

• List of illustrations

• A summary or summary

Cover:
The title page of a formal report usually includes the following:

• Name of the message

• Writer's name

•Submission date

• Recipient's name, title and organization.

Homepage:
It includes all the envelope items and is placed before the authorization letter.

Authorization letter:
It is a formal requirement to produce a report. Researchers usually include this in their
reports.
Acceptance Letter:
Approves the assignment to conduct research and prepare a report.

Transfer letter:
It conveys a message to the audience. It can be compared to the preface of a book. It will
appear directly before the content.

Content:
Headings used in the text of the message are the basis of the content. It is prepared after the
text is finished.

List of illustrations:
Basically, it is a part of the content, but to highlight the given pictures and illustrations, it is
becoming a trend to prepare an extra list of illustrations.

Synopsis or Summary:
A summary or synopsis is a brief overview of the entire report. This is a fully developed
mini version of the report.

Text of the message:

Message text placed after introductory sections. Detailed discussion and interpretations are
included in this section. All collected information or data is also systematically presented in
this section. The message text contains the following elements.

Introduction:
In this section, through a general discussion, the researcher introduced the reader to the
research problem, its importance, the research process, etc. A good introduction should
include the following points:
• Problem definition and purpose.
• Scope of the message
• Background
• Data sources
• Research method
• Restrictions
• Definition of technical terms.

Text message body:

 Detailed and analytical discussions of the problem are presented in this section. The length
of the body depends on the importance of the topic and audience demand.

Text Message Summary:

The key findings of the report are briefly discussed in the summary section.
Text message conclusion:
This section is reviewed as a mirror of the report. It should include:
• Summary of discussion.
• Researcher's opinion.

Text Message Recommendations:

In this section, the researcher should clearly state the course of action that should be taken to
solve the problem.

Text message notes:

To prepare the report, the researcher has to use the knowledge of other people, quotations
from different authors, previously collected data, etc., but it is the legal duty of the researcher
to credit others for their work. Citation of the original source in the notes increases the
acceptance of the message.

Additional parts:
This is the last part of the message. It includes:
•Appendix
• Bibliography
• Index

Appendix:
This is a supplemental section that contains important material related to the report but not
included in the text. Because they are too long or too bulky.

Bibliography:
All published and unpublished material used in the report must be listed at the end of the
report. This list of references known as a bibliography.

Index:
It is a list of names and subjects mentioned in the message. It is listed in alphabetical order.
The page number of each item is also listed.

4. What do you think is the most important part of the report? What
measures can be taken to make this part impressive and impactful?
Summary / Abstract:
A summary is one of the most important elements when writing a report. It is written to
provide a brief overview of the report. It highlights the key points of the report and the
evidence for them and highlights the conclusions or recommendations.
The tips below apply to both print and web messages to make them impactful:

Use a proposal to make the purpose of the message clear:

Use design elements such as color accents, photos, or other images to draw attention and
emphasize your headline and callout line.

To make the message look easy to read:

You can use different design strategies to create the impression that your message will be
easy to read and understand. These strategies address layout, fonts, and color. Use bold to
highlight important words and phrases. However, use it sparingly, as large blocks of text
highlighted in bold are difficult to read. Avoid printing text on a colored background unless
the background is very light (such as light yellow). Background shading reduces contrast and
makes text difficult to read. For easier reading, don't put text on photos or patterned
backgrounds.

Consider using visuals to add appeal and reinforce your content:

Photos, illustrations, or other design elements can add warmth and visual interest to your
message. Choose visuals that are clear, concise and culturally appropriate for your intended
audience.

Visuals should reflect the subject of your message. Use images to reinforce the main content
or message, not just to embellish the message.
For example:
If you are showing performance measures related to surgery, you can show a picture of the
surgical team performing the surgery.

Make it easy to navigate the overview and pick up the highlights:

To guide people smoothly through your report, use a combination of text and graphics to
provide clear and consistent navigation cues. These signals help people notice what's in the
message and help them find the parts of personal interest without distracting or misleading
them. Use plenty of informative headings and subheadings. Keep the overall page layout and
design elements consistent from page to page. Although each page in your report may have
different content, the basic design should be consistent. Keep the formatting of titles,
headings, bulleted lists, labels, and other text consistent throughout the report (same font,
size, color, etc.).

Format tables and graphs to make them attractive and easy to understand:
Keep the layout clean and uncluttered. Leave enough space so that the display doesn't look
crowded, and the font size can remain large enough for easy reading. If you are creating a
paper report, do not compress the information into a predetermined length, but make it as
long as it needs to be. To clearly define the columns of a line and bar chart, use left alignment
and follow strong alignment. You can then remove the layout by removing the vertical lines
between the columns (you won't need them). Try to avoid using footnotes to display data.

Use colors in a consistent and meaningful way:

Use colors purposefully to draw readers to the most important points. It should not be a
distracting decoration. For best effect, use colors sparingly and avoid "color overload." Keep
in mind that some readers have limited color perception. Also in the web message, colors
may vary from one user to another due to differences in computer equipment. When using
symbols in a benchmark chart, use strong contrast in both shape and color to help readers see
the performance pattern in your chart.