HUM 102

REPORT WRITING SKILLS

Lecture 30

1
Memorandum [1/2]

• Bring to remembrance
• Type of informal report used for intraoffice and interoffice
communication
• It is brief and simple, otherwise it is sent as an attachment
• Without any formal salutations and closing remarks
• Avoid personal statements
• Purpose includes relaying information, persuasion, feedback,
motivates employees, builds good relationship, establishes
accountability, issues a directive

2
Memorandum [2/2]

• A good memorandum grabs the reader’s attention, makes

recommendations, asks for action and explains benefits to readers
• In case of your coworkers and colleagues, focus on the main point
and provide details if your audience is from a separate department
• Clear subject line, purpose stated in the first paragraph, using
bulleted and numbered lists to request an action, provide charts
and graphs at the end

3
Memo Types

• Information memo
• Problem solving memo
• Persuasion memo (agreeable point, call to action)
• Internal memo proposal (suggestion to senior management)
• Directive memo (states a policy/ procedure you want your readers
to follow)
• Response to an inquiry memo (providing audience the desired
information)
• Field report memo (written after an employee returns from a
business venture)
• Trip report memo/ lab report memo (to report on an inspection) 4
Format and Structure

• One inch page margins, all lines beginning from left, single spaced
lines and double space between paragraphs
• To, From, Date, Subject (focus + topic: E.g., salary increase for the
accountants)
• Introduction (purpose + subject), discussion (providing necessary
explanation), analysis (method + results in the form of numerical
data), conclusion (call to action), no complementary close
• Distribution list, attachment, copies
• Opening, detail, summary, conclusion, call to action

5
Letter Writing

• Form of writing used to communicate with people at distance

• Record of information, discussing matter of common concern,
maintaining good relations
• Purpose includes job application, enquiries, complaints, business
transaction
• It is a permanent physical record, free from malwares
• Divided into informal (addressed to family and friends) and formal
letters (professionals)

6
Informal Letter
Format & Structure
• Heading (sender’s address)
• Salutation (Dear followed by name of a friend/fellow and comma)
• Body introduction, body, conclusion (written in a conversational
manner)
• Subscription (Yours affectionately for family/ Yours sincerely for
friends) Or (Your affectionate son/daughter)
• P.S./Post Script (additional information after signing off)
• R.S.V.P. (extending invitation for a response)

7
Formal Letter
Format & Structure
• Heading (Sender’s Address)
• Inside Address (Addressee’s Details)
• Salutations/Greetings (Dear Sir/Madam for unknown & Dear
Mr./Ms. Surname for known)
• Subject (Single sentence)
• Body (Introduction, Main Message, Conclusion)
• Subscription (Yours faithfully for unknown/Yours sincerely for
known)
• Signature (name and designation)
• Encl. (Enclosure)
• Cc: (carbon Copy) 8
Types of Letter
• Inquiry Letter (asking someone for specific information, clear intent within
introduction, needs in discussion, precise conclusion)
• Complaint Letter (to bring mistakes into notice, buyer/seller, begin with facts,
discussion on problems faced, end positively to maintain relation)
• Cover Letter (supplement to resume, to express interest in position, key resume
points, prior research, brief with you-attitude, first state why you are writing, then
supporting evidence for your worth, make space for an interview
• Good News Letter (appreciation, motivation, state purpose and begin with the good
news itself, conclude with what you plan next)
• Bad News Letter (rejection, denial, not to be directly stated, prepare receiver to
accept what is coming, state the news in the middle, end with a positive note to
maintain good relation)

9
Email Writing

• Electronic version of a mail/letter, correspondence via internet

• Cost effective, convenient, can be sent to anyone anywhere
• It can be self-fulfilling, inquiries, open-ended dialogue, action based
email
• Determine the audience and desired outcome, stick to facts and
keep it brief and simple
• Pretend first face to face introduction
• Pre-requisite: PC/Laptop/Smart Phone, Internet Connection, Email
Address

10
Format and Structure [1/2]

• Head + Body (greeting, text and closing) with 60-70 characters per
line
• 12-14 lines visible on screen
• Identification Lines (To, Cc, Bcc, Subject)
• Subject has to be focused, clear and informative
• Greetings (Dear+ individual’s surname or designation)
• Opening Sentence provides a reason for writing, a link with
ongoing communication

11
Format and Structure [2/2]

• Provide supporting details

• Closing Sentence paves the way for feedback and call to action
• Appreciate with a thank you note
• Subscription/Sign Off: Sincerely, Thank you, Best Regards, etc.
• Addressor’s Information
• Attachments

12
Spamming and Flaming

• Spamming: The practice of sending auto-generated emails

• Often fake and used to collect an individual’s personal data
• Care needed while giving an open access to personal email address
or it may be used to send spam emails without your consent
• Flaming: Emotional exchange of words which may harm and affect
social relationships of the individuals going through an interaction

13
Presentation Skills

• Means of communication to convey thoughts and ideas adapted to

speaking situations
• Used for briefing a team, addressing a meeting, talking to a group,
making a speech, getting points across in a video conference
• Purpose includes information, education and persuasion
• Key elements of a presentation include: context, presenter,
audience, reaction, delivery method, barriers
• Involves a Three Stage Process: Creation, Preparation, Presentation
• So no worries about anxiety and fear

14
Three Stage Process [1/2]

• Creation: Topic Selection, setting objectives, conducting research,

audience analysis(demographics & knowledge), creating outline,
selecting and inserting content in the presentation tool, preparing
additional material, few words/ bullet, avoiding excessive use of
bullets, proper background and color
• Preparation: Rehearsals, Rest, Proper Dressing, Early arrival
• Presentation: Begin with attention getter (anecdote, analogy,
gimmick, humor, question, statistics)

15
Three Stage Process [2/2]
• Introduce self, title and agenda
• start on time
• have confidence
• maintain eye contact
• Keep some main points and keyword reminders to maintain the conversational flow
• use presentation tool as a guide and variety to supplement your own skills
• Do not read from the slides
• In case of a Power Point presentation, use less slides, few bullet points, contrast
between text and background
• Use gestures and pitch to involve the audience (non-verbal & paraverbal
communication)
• Be prepared with a contingency plan

16
Verbal & Non-Verbal
Communication Strategies
• Listen and read more
• Be honest and convey more with less words
• You-attitude with gender neutral language
• 2-3 minutes on each slide
• Gain attention & Greet your audience, create a desire with an
effective opening and signposting, end your talk to stimulate
action
• Tidy hair, well pressed dressing, clean shoes, eye contact,
• No repetitive sighing, only pertinent pauses where needed
• Active nodding while listening and no finger pointing
17
Plagiarism [1/2]
• The act of stealing identity, language, thought, ideas and expressions of another
individual or his/her work and then claiming to be your own contribution
• Without acknowledging the source
• If it is intentional, it will affect your academic standing as well as your professional
life
• Cite the source to avoid plagiarism by placing the quote (in text/block) within
quotation marks using the standard documentation styles (APA/MLA/Chicago)
• Facts which are not that common, comments, opinions and interpretation about
facts are all documented
• Cite together the content of a single paragraph and separately for widely separated
parts of a work
• Insert your own comments within quotes using square brackets

18
Plagiarism [2/2]
• Paraphrase to condense the original version of a text with an original
articulation of the other author’s ideas
• Original author has to be credited
• Synonyms is not the solution to paraphrase a text
• For paraphrasing, read, cover, rewrite, compare, and then acknowledge
the source
• In case of copyrights (legally stated list of rights of an author), plagiarism
is no longer a moral issue but becomes a legal issue
• You can not cite without a prior written permission
• Other examples of plagiarism include copying outline, collusion, false
citation, multiple submission of a work
19
Referencing Styles
• We cite to document the original source and to enhance the
credibility of our research
• We cite exact words, unique phrases, ideas, diagrams, illustrations
• Methods of citation include footnotes (superscript number),
endnotes (superscript number), parenthetical references (author’s
last name and page number)
• Referencing styles include APA, MLA, Oxford, Harvard, Chicago

20
Modern Language Association (MLA)
• Used for subjects such as Arts and Humanities
• In case of direct quotes, in text for less than 4 lines and block text for
more than 4 lines (within quotation marks in both cases)
• In case of indirect quotes, state directly the primary source and use
parenthesis for secondary source alongside qtd.in for quoted in
• For 3 authors, names are mentioned but for more than 3, use et. al.
• For a book:
o Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Year. Format
• For an Article:
• Lastname, Firstname. “Article Title.” Journal Title volume. issue (year):
page numbers. Database name if applicable. Web. Day month year
accessed 21
American Psychological
Association (APA) [1/3]
• Author-Date Citation System used in Social Sciences
• Times New Roman for text and Ariel for figures
• Double spacing with an indented first line of each paragraph
• Text aligned to left hand margin
• Running head (top left) and page number (top right)
• In case of multiple authors with separate years, mention each alongside
the separate year
• Use signal phrases (According to X…)
• In case of two authors, Name and Name within statement and (Name &
Name)
• For three to five, first mention all then use et. al. with the first name
22
American Psychological
Association (APA) [2/3]

• For six and more authors, et. al. with first author
• Use first initials for two authors with similar surnames
• For a single author with multiple publications in a single year, use
a,b,c alongside year
• For Reference Page, double space reference entries, flush left the
first line and indent the subsequent lines
• Maintain alphabetical order
• Invert author’s name
• For Book:
o Author’s last name, first initial. (Publication date). Book title.
23
Additional information. City of publication: Publishing company
American Psychological
Association (APA) [3/3]
• For Encyclopedia and Dictionary:
o Author’s last name, first initial. (Date). Title of Article. Title of
Encyclopedia (Volume, pages). City of publication: Publishing company
• For Magazine and Newspaper Article:
o Author's last name, first initial. (Publication date). Article title. Periodical title,
volume number(issue number if available), inclusive pages
• For Online Periodical:
o Author's name. (Date of publication). Title of article. Title of Periodical, volume
number, Retrieved month day, year, from full URL
• For Online Document:
o Author's name. (Date of publication). Title of work. Retrieved month day, year,
from full URL

24
Resumé
• Document used to present your skills and abilities
• Personal advertisement focusing on employer’s needs
• Stating your professional credentials
• Prepared to get an interview call for a job
• A summary of what you are and what you can do
• A resume is generally prepared in three formats:
• Chronological format provides work history in reverse chronological order
• Functional format states different types of skills when the work history is
not directly related with the selected job
• Combination format states different types of skills in a reverse
chronological order
25
Resumé Structure
• Identification: Name, postal address, numbers, email address
• Objective/ Personal Statement: Stating desired job/field, what can
you contribute and how is it significant
• Skills & Abilities: Computer/Language Proficiency, Research
• Education:
Degree/Institutions/Specialization/honors/publications/projects
• Work Experience: Jobs, Internships and volunteer work in reverse
chronological order
• Interest: Hobbies which suits your area of employment
• References: Enclosed after their permission, can be colleague,
26
team mate, teacher, supervisor
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• An outline of person’s educational and professional history
• Prepared for faculty positions, research positions, fellowships, grants,
awards
• CV is detailed compared with a Resume
• CV provides a summary of educational background, teaching/research
experience, publications/ presentations, academic awards/honors
• Resume and CV serve a similar purpose in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia
• In US, CV is particularly used to apply for academic, scientific and research
positions
• CV has to be ordered in accordance with job description

27
Curriculum Vitae Structure
• Contact Information
• Professional research objective
• Educational/Academic background: Postgraduate, graduate, undergraduate
• Scholarships/Fellowships
• Research & Scholarly Activities: Journal Articles, Conference Proceedings, Seminars and
Workshops
• Academic Certifications
• Professional Memberships
• Technical and Specialized Skills
• Academic/Teaching Experience: courses taught, courses introduced, innovation in teaching,
• Academic and Research Interests
• Volunteer Work
• References

28
Interview Skills [1/2]
• Interview refers to the interaction of views
• Involves one-on-one conversation between a job applicant and employer
• An opportunity for an employer to match applicant’s qualification with
employer’s needs
• There are different types of interviews which include: Screening Interview
(job fairs), Follow-up Interview (identifying finalists), Phone Interview
(distance), Search Committee Interview (respond to each interviewer),
Group Interview (leadership and Decision making), Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Interview (with serving employees), Final Interview (by supervisors,
managers, executive officer)

29
Interview Skills [2/2]
• The style of an interview can be Directive, Non-Directive, Confrontational,
Behavioral
• For an effective interview, we require:
o Some planning which includes Self-Assessment, Understanding field of
interest, Employer’s Information, Awareness of Job Description, Prior
Knowledge of Interview Format, Mock Interviews
o Then prepare for the interview by writing answers, Practice saying the
responses, film and record responses, get feedback
• Make a good first impression with appearance (dressing), behavior
(handshake/eye contact/smiling face), attitude (sincerity and
commitment)
• The nature of interview questions varies:
o Traditional Questions are more related with experience, background
and personal qualities
o Behavioral Questions are used to predict future behavior from
discussing the past events and situations, used to analyze
interpersonal skills, creativity, leadership, planning, flexibility,
STAR/CAR Formula 30
Barriers to Effective
Communication [1/2]
• Impediments which affect the whole communication process
• It can be the mechanical devices, symbols, nature of individuals
• Barriers are categorized into Physical barriers, Semantic barriers and Language
barriers, Socio-Psychological barriers, Organizational barriers, Cross-cultural barriers
• Physical barrier is the result of defects in the medium, environmental noise,
information overload
• Semantic and Language barriers include: different meanings of words (Charge,
Head, Bank), words with same spelling, different pronunciation and different
meanings (wind), different position of stress (present), words confused in listening
(Cite Vs Site), Misspelled words (week vs weak), words with associative meaning
(home, table), technical terms, placement of stress in a phrase,

31
Barriers to Effective
Communication [2/2]
• Socio & Psychological Barriers include: attention to points of our own interest, only
accepting the ideas of our own group, accepting points strengthening our self-
image, defensiveness, status block, resistance to change, narrow mind, poor
communication skills,
• Organizational/Professional Barriers: Filtering information, Over-dependence on
written communication
• Inter-cultural barriers: Language (yes used by Americans[agree] and
Chinese[listening]), expressions for social relationships (cousins, uncle, aunt,
grandparents), Time (Circular Vs Linear), Space (East Vs West), Thought Process
(clear, rational and law-based Vs emotional and superstitious), Use of gestures (East
Vs West), Paralinguistic Differences (interpretation of stress, pauses and differences
(Eastern silence Vs Western verbosity), Perception (Eskimos)

32
Punctuation Marks [1/3]

• Application of signs, spacing and typographical devices for effective

reading, interpretation and comprehension
• Perform a role in writing similar to stress, intonation, rhythm, pauses, hand
or body movement in speech
• Period/Full Stop: To end a declarative sentence, To signify an acronym
• Question Mark: To end an interrogative sentence, To mention something
uncertain using (?)
• Exclamation Mark: To end an exclamatory sentence with !
• Comma: Substitute of and/or for separating and listing items, to join two
sentences alongside conjunction, to indicate that few redundant words
have been left out, to insert additional information (bracketing comma)
33
Punctuation Marks [2/3]

• Semicolon: To separate equal parts of a sentence, to join two closely

related sentences, to separate two complete sentences when second
sentence begins with conjunctive adverb (however, nevertheless), to
separate items in a list already separated with commas
• Colon: What follows is an explanation of what precedes (general to
specific), to introduce a list
• Hyphen: To separate syllables of a word, in compound word, adjectival
compound has a number
• Dash: To indicate a break in thought, to add parenthetical statements, To
add emphasis, To indicate numerical range, To link two connected words
• Parenthesis: To contain extra information, sets off an interruption,
encloses an acronym, formal than dash 34
Punctuation Marks [3/3]

• Quotation Marks/ Speech Marks/ Inverted Commas: To enclose the

exact words, single quotation marks used within double quotation
marks, for irony and sarcasm (scare quotes), for referring to a
word/ phrase
• Ellipsis/ Suspension Marks/ Omission Marks: To omit some writing
• Apostrophe: To indicate a contraction, a possession, after s in
plural

35
Run-on Sentences

• When two independent clauses are written adjacent to one

another but not connected properly
• When a comma is used to join two independent clauses within a
Run-On Sentence, it is called Comma Splice
• Transitional expression (therefore) may also precede a comma of
Run-On Sentence
• A Run-On Sentence can be corrected using a Period, Semicolon,
Comma followed by Coordinating Conjunction, Subordinating
Conjunction to change one independent clause to dependent
clause
36
Determiners

• Words placed in front of noun to clarify what the noun refers to

• Placed in front of noun phrase
• Classified as Definite Article (the), Indefinite Articles (a, an),
Demonstratives (this, that, these, those), Possessive Pronouns
(my, your, his, her, its, our, their), Quantifiers (a few, a little, much,
many, a lot of), Numbers (one, ten, thirty), Distributives (all, both,
half, either, neither, each, every)
• Indefinite for generalization
• Definite is to specify, used with family names, names with of-
phrase, rivers, seas, oceans,
37
Verb Tenses [1/3]

• A verb is used to indicate, action, occurrence and state of being

• Tense refers to the placement of verb in time
• Three major types of verb tenses according to time extended into
sub-categories: Past Tense, Present Tense, Future Tense
• Present/Indefinite Tense: action, event, condition at the moment
(waits, goes)
• For future event in conjunction with an adverbial phrase
• Present Progressive/ Continuous Tense: continuing nature of
action (working, sleeping)
• For future event in conjunction with an adverbial phrase
38
Verb Tenses [2/3]
• Present Perfect Tense: Action that began in past and has just completed at the
moment (has decided, have not delivered)
• Present Perfect Continuous Tense: Action that began in past and continuous into
present (has been talking, have been writing)
• Past Simple/ Indefinite Tense: Action, event, condition that occurred in past (ate an
apple, worked in a factory)
• Past Progressive/ Continuous Tense: Actions ongoing in past (was walking, were
waiting)
• Past Perfect Tense: Actions that took place and were completed in past (had eaten,
had recommended, had closed)
• Past Perfect Progressive Tense: Continuing action in past began before another past
action began or interrupted the first action (had been running, had been talking, had
been digging)
39
Verb Tenses [3/3]

• Future Simple/ Indefinite Tense: Actions which would occur after

the act of speaking and writing (will meet, will call, will speak)
• Future Progressive/ Continuous Tense: Continuing action that will
occur in future (will be working, will be meeting)
• Future Perfect Tense: Action that will be completed sometime in
the future before another action takes place (will have finished,
will have talked)
• Future Perfect Progressive/ Continuous Tense: Continuing action
that will be completed at some specified time in future (will have
been studying, will have been working)
40
Subject Verb
Agreement [1/2]
• Two singular subjects connected by or or nor require a singular verb
• Two singular subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor require a singular verb
• When I is one of the two subjects connected by either/or or neither/nor, put it second
and follow it with the singular verb am
• When a singular subject is connected by or or nor to a plural subject, put the plural
subject last and use a plural verb
• When a singular and plural subject are connected by either/or or neither/nor, put the
plural subject last and use a plural verb
• Use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and
• Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by words such as along with, as
well as, besides, or not, focus on the subject which precedes these expressions

41
Subject Verb
Agreement [2/2]
• Pronouns each, everyone, every one, everybody, anyone, anybody, someone, and somebody are
singular and require singular verbs
• In case of words indicating portions (percent, fraction, part, majority, some, all, none, remainder,
and so forth), use the verb in accordance with the noun being used in the of phrase
• The expression, The number, is followed by a singular verb
• The expression, A number, is followed by a plural verb
• Either and Neither as subjects take a singular verb
• In sentences beginning with here or there, the subject is preceded by verb
• Singular verb with sums of money or periods of time
• With pronouns such as who, that or which, use the verb according to the noun preceding these
pronouns
• Collective nouns such as team and staff may be either singular or plural depending on their use in
a sentence

42
Word Order Rules
• Subject + Verb(s) + Object
• In case of using indirect objects, direct objects, place and time expressions
o Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object + Place + Time
• In case of subordinate clauses
o Conjunction + Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object + Place + Time
• In case of adverbs of frequency (always, never, usually), place these adverbs before
the main verb (except for be as main verb)
o Subject + Auxiliary/ be + Adverb + Main Verb + Object, place or time
• In case of adverb of manner, it is placed after the direct object
o Subject + Verb(s) + Direct Object + Adverb
• For an interrogative expression, interrogatives are placed first
o Interrogative + Auxiliary Verb + Subject + Other Verb(s) + Indirect Object + Direct
Object + Place + Time
43
Conclusions

• Memo, Letter, and Email

• Plagiarism and Referencing
• Resumé and CV
• Interview and Presentation Skills
• Barriers to Effective Communication
• Punctuation Marks, Run-on Sentences, and Determiners
• Verb Tenses
• Subject-Verb Agreement
• Word Order Rules 44