Lecture 3 -

Report Writing (2)

STEPS IN REPORT WRITING

1. Define the area of investigation

2. Gather the necessary data and
information.
3. Analyse the data and information.

4. Organise the information.

5. Write the report.

 STEP 1:
DEFINE THE PROBLEM/AREA OF
RESEARCH
• Analyse the situation carefully: look at
purpose and audience.

• Pay special attention to your statement of

purpose: to inform, to analyse, to solve
problem

• Prepare a work plan to make the best

use of time.
 STEP 2:
GATHER NECESSARY DATA &
INFORMATION
This requires careful planning so that you collect
all the information needed.
1. Primary sources - observations, surveys,
interviews, experiments
2. Secondary sources - newspapers,
periodicals, business books and textbooks,
directories, electronic databases

Qn: What are your main sources of data?

 PRIMARY SOURCE
PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW
• Gather background information.
• Formulate questions as clearly and concisely as
possible.
• Ask questions in an order that helps your subject
tell you a complete story.
• Ask intelligent questions that show you have done
your homework.
• Use a mix of question types: open and close
ended questions.
• Provide a list of questions in advance if the
interviewee will need more time to research and
formulate quality answers.
TIPS FOR CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS
• Be properly dressed. Ambassadors of Taylor’s!
• Bring all necessary items – paper, pen, camera,
etc.
• Be on time (if not early) for the appointment.
• Get clearance for the taking of notes or use of a
recorder/camera with the interviewee.
• Use your ears and eyes to pick up verbal and
non-verbal cues. If the interviewee is
uncomfortable with your question, move on.
• Be professional at all times.
 STEP 3:
ANALYSE THE DATA AND
INFORMATION
• Have a group discussion immediately after the
interview.

• Review notes and revise them while the

interview is still fresh in your mind.

• Transcribe tape recording, if needed.

 STEP 4:
ORGANISE THE INFORMATION
• Decide the items/information to be included in
reports.
• Discuss the arrangement of information.
• Use effective headings.
• Look for data that can be included in charts –
graphs/pie-charts/tables
• Compile photos to be included in the report
 STEP 5:
TIPS FOR WRITING RECOMMENDATIONS
• Make specific suggestions for actions to solve the
reported problem (readings & case studies).
• Prepare practical recommendations that will be
agreeable to the audience (readings & case studies)
• Avoid conditional words like “maybe” or “perhaps”.
• Present each suggestion separately.
• Number the recommendations.
• Arrange from the most important to the least important.
• Explain the benefits of this action
• List the steps to achieve this action
• Explain the steps in detail, giving details on procedure,
costs, benefits
 STEP 6:
TIPS FOR WRITING CONCLUSIONS
• Interpret and summarise the findings; tell
what they mean.
• Relate the conclusions to the report
problem.
• Limit the conclusions to the data
presented; do not introduce new
material.
 PREPARE THE TITLE PAGE

 Title: Business Report on …

 Authors’ names & ID
 Recipient’s name: Tutor’s name
 Subject: Business Communication
COM40904

 Date of submission: Week 8

 PREPARE THE TABLE OF CONTENTS
&
LIST OF FIGURES
Prepare TABLE OF CONTENTS
 Title page to List of Figures: use Roman numerals
(e.g. i to v)
 The Introduction is on Page 1.
 Word all headings exactly as they appear in the text.
 List all parts with page numbers

Prepare the LIST OF FIGURES.

 Format the list the same way as the Table of
Contents.
 PREPARE APPENDIX & REFERENCE
LIST

APPENDIX
Prepare the appendices, if necessary.
 Begin each appendix on a separate page.
 Give each appendix a title.

REFERENCE LIST
 Begin on a separate page.
 Use a consistent format – Harvard Ref.
 SPECIAL REPORT WRITING SKILLS

• The ability to record facts clearly and objectively

• The ability to interpret information and make
conclusions
• The ability to present suggestions on ways in which
a situation may be improved
• Business reports help companies make decisions
and solve problems.
• Write reports in third person and reported speech.
• Keep all facts impartial and impersonal.
• Use headings and sub-headings.
 FORMAL WRITING STYLE

• Absence of first-person pronouns

• Absence of contractions
• Use of active (√) and passive voice
• A variety of sentences
• Absence of humour and figure of speech
• Reduced use of colourful adjectives and
adverbs
CHECKLIST FOR COMPILING REPORTS
1. State the facts.
2. Be objective.
3. Be logical.
4. Be consistent.
5. Be concise.
6. Be clear.
HOW TO AVOID ETHICAL LAPSES
• Keep an open mind so that you don’t skew the
report toward answers that you want.
• Respect the research interviewer’s privacy.
• Don’t mislead people regarding report purposes.
• Document sources and give appropriate credit.
• Respect your sources’ intellectual property rights.
 USING VISUALS IN REPORTS

With your group members, discuss:

1. Why do you need visuals in your
report?
2. What type of visuals would you use?
 USING VISUALS IN REPORTS
• Carefully prepared visuals can help your
audience understand your message and make
your report more interesting.
• But don’t over do it. You need to use visuals
selectively to enhance your words, not replace
them.
• To organise visuals effectively, you need to be
selective, balanced and economical.
• Maintain a balance between illustrations and
words.
• Illustrating every point dilutes the effectiveness
of your visuals.
 ORGANISING VISUALS
1. Decide which points require visual support.
2. Some information is clearest when presented
in words, others may be clearest in visual
form.
3. Consider your production schedule.
• Creating charts, tables and diagrams takes time,
especially if you are inexperienced.

ARE VISUALS NECESSARY??

• Is the visual necessary?
• Is the visual accurate?
• Is the visual honest?
• Is the visual properly documented?
 ORGANISING VISUALS 1

• To present detailed, specific information.

• Ideal when audience need info that would be
too difficult or tedious to handle in a text.
ORGANISING VISUALS 2

• Ideal to illustrate trends over time

or the relationship of two
variables.
ORGANISING VISUALS 3

• Compare the size of several items at once

• Show changes in one item over time
• Indicate the composition of several items over
time
• Show the relative size of components of a
whole
ORGANISING VISUALS 4

• Shows how parts of a whole are distributed.

• Effective way to show percentages or to
compare one segment with another.
ORGANISING VISUALS 5

• Illustrates a
sequence of
events from start
to finish.
• To describe
processes,
procedures and
sequential
relationships.
ORGANISING VISUALS 6

• Illustrates the positions, units or functions of

an organization and the way they interrelate.
ORGANISING VISUALS 7

• Illustrates the positions of items in

spatial order.
ORGANISING VISUALS 8

• Capture reader’s interest.

• Show how something looks or operates.
 FITTING VISUALS INTO THE TEXT

• Introduce visuals in the text.

E.g.
Figure 1 summarises the outlet’s motorcycle
sales over the past five years.
• Place visuals near the points they illustrate.
• Write captions that reinforce the point you want
to make.
• Assign a number to each visual.
• Clearly reference illustrations in text.
REFERENCES:

Thill, JV & Bovee, CL 2005, Excellence in

Business Communication, 6th edn, Pearson
prentice Hall, USA.

Guffey, MA 2000, Business

Communication:Process and Product,
International Thomson Publishing Europe,
London.

Taylor, S 2005, Communication for Business: A

Practical Approach, 4th edn, Pearson, UK.