1. Basics of Report Writing
part 2
Session 11-12

2. Report Patterns

3. Report Patterns
 Direct pattern
 Saves Time
 Easier to understand
 Indirect pattern
 Helps overcome resistance

4. Audience Analysis and
Report Organization
Direct PatternDirect Pattern
ReportReport
-----Main IdeaMain Idea ----
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
If readersIf readers
are informedare informed
If readersIf readers
are supportiveare supportive
If readersIf readers
are eager toare eager to
have results firsthave results first

5. Audience Analysis and
Report Organization
ReportReport
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----------------------
-----Main Idea ----Main Idea ----
Indirect PatternIndirect Pattern
If readersIf readers
need to beneed to be
educatededucated
If readersIf readers
need to beneed to be
persuadedpersuaded
If readers mayIf readers may
be hostile orbe hostile or
disappointeddisappointed

6. Typical Business Reports
Periodic operating reports. To monitor and control production, sales, shipping, service, etc.
Situational reports. To describe one-time events, such as trips, conferences, and seminars.
Investigative/informational reports. To examine problems and supply facts – with little analysis.
Compliance reports. To respond to government agencies and laws, such as the Federal Employment Equity Act.
Justification/recommendation reports. To make recommendations to management and become tools to solve
problems and make decisions.
Yardstick reports. To establish criteria and evaluate alternatives by measuring against the “yardstick” criteria.
Feasibility reports. To analyze problems and predict whether alternatives will be practical or advisable.
Proposals. To offer to solve problems, investigate ideas, or sell products and services.

7. Determine the Report Purpose
 Conduct a preliminary investigation
 Gather facts to better understand the problem
 Consult many sources
 State the problem in writing
 To serve as a record
 To allow others to review it
 To force the writer to get the problem clearly in mind

8. State the problem in one of
three ways.
 Infinitive phrase:
"To measure the effect of radio spot advertising on X company
sales"
 Question:
"What are the effects on X company sales of radio spot
advertising?"
 Declarative statement:
"Company X wants to know how a spot advertising campaign will
affect its sales."

9. Types of Factors
Determine the Factors
 Subtopics in informational and some analytical reports
 Hypotheses in problem-solving situations
 Bases in comparison reports

10. State the Problem and Factors
Use the infinitive form with subtopics.Use the infinitive form with subtopics.
A consumer research organization plans to test three leading low-priced
automobiles in an effort to determine which one is the best buy as a family car
for the typical American consumer.
Problem statement
To determine which of three economy cars is the best buy for the American
Consumer
Factors
Durability Original and trade-in costs
Operating costs Repairs
Comfort Safety

11. State the Problem and Factors
Use the question form with subtopics.Use the question form with subtopics.
A national chain of dress shops wants to learn what qualities to seek in hiring
sales personnel.
Problem statement
What qualities determine the successful salespeople for X Dress Shop?
Factors
Education
Cultural Background
Experience
Vital Statistics (age, height, weight, marital status, religion, etc.)
Personal qualities (personality, character, etc.)

12. State the Problem and Factors
Use the question form with subtopics.Use the question form with subtopics.
A daily newspaper wants to know how well the various types of items in a
typical issue are read.
Problem statement
What is the readership of the types of items in a typical issue of X
newspaper?
Factors
Probably such a study would involve an item-by-item survey. The items would
be classified by types, which would be the factors of the problem.
World news Local news Society
Editorials Sports Comics

13. State the Problem and Factors
Use the question form with hypotheses.Use the question form with hypotheses.
You’ve been assigned the problem of determining why sales at the Moline
store have declined.
Problem statement
Why have sales declined at the Moline store?
Factors
Activities of the competition have cause the decline.
Changes in the economy of the area have caused the decline.
Merchandising deficiencies have caused the decline.
Changes in the economic environment have caused the decline.

14. State the Problem and Factors
Use the infinitive form with bases of comparison.Use the infinitive form with bases of comparison.
A major soap manufacturer wishes to determine which of three cities would be
best for a new factory.
Problem statement
To determine whether Y company’s new factory should be built in City A, City
B, or City C.
Factors
Availability of labor Nearness to markets
Abundance of raw material Power supply
Tax structure Community attitude
Transportation facilities

15. Gather Information
 Primary
 Observation
 Experiments
 Surveys
 Telephone
 Mail/Email
 Web surveys
 Interviews (personal,
expert)
 Company records
(raw data)
 Secondary
 Library
 Online
 Company records
(interpreted data)

16. Attitudes and Practices Conducive
to Sound Interpreting
 Maintain a judicial attitude.
 Consult with others.
 Test the interpretations.
1. Test of Experience
“Is this conclusion logical in light of all I know?”
2. Negative Test
 Examine the opposite interpretation--build a case for it.

17. Use of Statistical Tools in
Interpretation
 Statistical tools enable writers to simplify data.
 Most readers can understand descriptive statistics.
 Writers should explain explicitly statistical techniques used.

18. An organizational plan
Organize the Information
 serves as a blueprint for the report
 insures order in the report
 provides headings for use in the report

19. 5 Organizational
Methods
Of
Structuring
Data
Component
Time
Convention
CriteriaImportance

20. Organizational Methods Of
Structuring Data
1) Time:
 Establishing a chronology of events
 Easy
 Often mirrors the way data are collected
Examples
 Monthly trip report
 Sales rep’s trip
 Minutes of meetings

21. Organizational Methods Of
Structuring Data
2) Component:
 Organized by components such as
location, geography, division, product or
part
 Works best when the classifications
already exist
Examples
 Expansion plan in
different departments on
an organization
 Comparing profits among
departments

22. Organizational Methods Of
Structuring Data
3) Importance:
 Involves beginning with the most important item and proceeding
to the least important or vice versa, keeping in mind the reader’s
priorities & expectations
 Involves a value judgment
 Saves time of busy readers
 Probability of retaining the information is high
Examples
 Reasons of declination in the
monthly sale
 Reasons of poor
performance of the team

23. Organizational Methods Of
Structuring Data
4)Criteria:
 Single judgment criteria
 Fair Evaluation
 Helps reader in making comparison
Examples
 Comparing different
alternatives of expansion
plan

24. Organizational Methods Of
Structuring Data
5) Convention:
 Operational & recurring reports are structured according
to convention and everybody understands that convention
 Simplifies organizational task
 Saves time & resources
Examples
 Weekly or monthly update
report
 Order booking reports

25. Steps in Organizing the Information
 Construct an outline for the report.
 Write it out to insure order in the report.
 Incorporate topics in text of headings.
 Use either the conventional or decimal division format.

26. I. First-level heading
A. Second-level heading
B. Second-level heading
1. Third-level heading
2. Third-level heading
a. Fourth-level
(1) Fifth-level
(a) Sixth-level
II. First-level heading
A. Second-level heading
B. Second-level heading
Etc.
Conventional System

27. 1.0 First-level heading
1.1 Second-level heading
1.2. Second-level heading
1.2.1 Third-level heading
1.2.2 Third-level heading
1.2.2.1Fourth-level
2.0 First-level heading
2.1 Second-level heading
2.2 Second-level heading
Etc.
Decimal System

28. Procedure for Constructing an
Outline by Process of Division (1 of 3)
Step 1
Divide the whole into comparable
parts. This gives the Roman number
parts of the outline. Usually an
introduction begins the outline. Some
combination of summary, conclusion,
recommendation ends it.
I.
Introduction
II.
III.
IV.
V.

29. Procedure for Constructing an
Outline by Process of Division (2 of 3)
Step 2
Divide each roman section. This
gives the A., B, C headings.
.
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
A
B
A
B
C
A
B
C
A
B
A
B

30. Step 3
Then divide each A, B, C heading.
this gives the 1, 2,3 headings
Continue dividing as long as it is
practical to do so.
Procedure for Constructing an
Outline by Process of Division (3 of 3)
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
A
B
A
B
C
A
B
C
A
B
A
B
1
2
1
2
3
1
2

31. General Bases for Division
 Time
 Place
 Quantity
 Factor

32. Organization by time
Organization of a Report on the
History of Manufacturing in New York
I. Introduction
II. Before 1750
III. 1750-1800
IV. 1801-1850
V. Etc.
Main Heading PossibilitiesMain Heading Possibilities (1 of 4)(1 of 4)

33. Organization of a Report on the
History of Manufacturing in New York
I. Introduction
II. Northern region
III. Eastern region
IV. Southern region
V. Etc.
Organization by place
Main Heading PossibilitiesMain Heading Possibilities (2 of 4)(2 of 4)

34. Organization by quantity
I. Introduction
II. More than 500 employees
III. 20-500 employees
IV. Less than 20 employees
V. Conclusion
Organization of a Report on the
History of Manufacturing in New York
Main Heading PossibilitiesMain Heading Possibilities (3 of 4)(3 of 4)

35. Organization of a Report on the
History of Manufacturing in New York
I. Introduction
II. Textiles
III. Foods
IV. Furniture
V. Etc.
Organization by factors
Main Heading PossibilitiesMain Heading Possibilities (4 of 4)(4 of 4)

36. Combination Division Forms
First division by time; second division by timeFirst division by time; second division by time
I. Introduction
II. Before 1750
A. 1630-1680
B. 1681-1710
C. 1711-1750
III. 1751-1800
A. 1751-1780
B. 1781-1800
IV. Etc.

37. Combination Division Forms
First division by time; second division by placeFirst division by time; second division by place
I. Introduction
II. Before 1750
A. Northern region
B. Eastern region
C. Southern region
D. Western region
III. 1751-1800
A. Northern region
B. Etc.

38. Combination Division Forms
First division by time; second division by factor
I. Introduction
II. Before 1750
A. Food
B. Chemicals
C. Textiles
D. Etc.
III. 1751-1800
A. Food
B. Chemicals
C. Etc.
IV. Etc.

39. Topic or Talking Headings? (1 of 2)
Topic headings identify.
I. Population
A. Houston
B. Springfield
C. San Diego
II. Income
A. Houston
B. Springfield
C. San Diego

40. Topic or Talking Headings? (2 of 2)
Talking headings identify and indicate what is
said about that division.
I. Growing population signals market growth
A. Houston leads the nation
B. Springfield has steadiest increase
C. San Diego maintains status quo

41. Wording of Headings
 Parallel Construction
 Conciseness in Wording
 Variety of Expression

42. Parallelism in Construction of
Headings
 Noun Phrase
 “High Rate of Sales in District III
 Sentence
 “District II Sales Rank Second”
 Decapitated Sentence
 “District I at Bottom”
Equal level headings should be in the
same grammatical format whether noun
phrase, sentence, or decapitated sentence.

43. Point out any violations of grammatical
parallelism in the following subheads of
major division of a report.
I. Sporting Good Shows Market Increase
II. Modest Increase in Hardware Volume
III. Automotive Parts Remains Unchanged
IV. Plumbing Supplies Records Slight
Decline.

44. Point out any violations of grammatical
parallelism in the following subheads of
major division of a report.
A. Predominance of Cotton Farming in Southern Region
B. Livestock Paces Farm Income in the Western Region
C. Wheat Crop Dominant in the Northern Region
D. Truck Farming Leads in Central and Eastern Regions

45. Conciseness in Wording
Not this:
Personal appearance enhancement is the most desirable
benefit of lasik surgery that patients report.
But this:
Personal appearance most desirable benefit.
Headings should be the shortest possible
word arrangement.

46. Variety of Expression
Not this:
A. Illinois Computer Sales
B. New York Computer Sales
C. Washington Computer Sales
But this:
A. Illinois Ranks First in Industry Sales
B. New York Maintains Second Position
C. Washington Posts Third Slot
Replace monotonous repetitions of words
in topic headings with a variety of words.

47. Write the Report
 Be objective.
 Believability
 Impersonal vs. Personal Writing
 Maintain a consistent time viewpoint.
 Use smooth transitions.
 Maintain interest.

48. Write the Report
 Be objective.
 Believability
 Impersonal vs. Personal Writing
 Maintain a consistent time viewpoint.
 Use smooth transitions.
 Maintain interest.

49. Introduction
 Tells the purpose of the report
 Describes the significance of the topic
 Preview main points
 Order

50. Headings
 Highlight major ideas
 Give big picture
 Functional Headings
 Background, Administration, Quality Control etc.
 Talking Headings
 Campus parking problem, Job assessment issues etc

51. Headings
 Use appropriate heading levels
 Capitalize and underline carefully
 Include at least one heading per page
 Keep heading short but clear
 Do not repeat word or heading

52. Transitions
 Transitional Expression like additionally, furthermore, on the
contrary etc
 Show relationship
 Reveal logical flow
 Requires appropriate usage

53. Illustrating With Graphics
Why Graphics?
 Easy to understand
Easy to remember
Make numerical data meaningful
Simplify complex idea
Provide summarized information
Visual interest
Protects audience from getting bored

54. Three important functions
of Graphics
Clarify data
Condense and simplify data
Emphasize data

55. A Dilemma
 Same data can be shown in many different forms, Like:
 A table
 A graph – Bar Chart, Pie Chart, Line Chart etc.
 A mach between appropriate graphic and your objective
 Decide what data are significant and to be highlighted
 Who is your audience?

56. Forms of Graphics
Table
 To show exact figures and values

57. Forms of Graphics
Bar Chart
 To compare one item with other

58. Forms of Graphics
Line Chart
 To Demonstrate changes over time

59. Forms of Graphics
Pie Chart
 To visualize a whole unit
and the proportions of its
components

60. Forms of Graphics
 Flow Chart
 To display a process or
procedure

61. Forms of Graphics
 Organization Chart
 To define a hierarchy of
elements

62. Forms of Graphics
Photograph & Map
 To create authenticity or to
spotlight a location

63. Incorporating Graphics in
Reports
Evaluate the Audience
 Nature of report internal or external
 Evaluate reader, content and schedule
 For internal report 5-6 graphs
 For external report can be more

64. Incorporating Graphics in
Reports
Be Accurate and Ethical
 Ensure accuracy of figures
 Graphs must not be misleading
 Use appropriate scaling
 Use references in case of external visuals

65. Introduce Graphic meaningfully
 Place the graphic close to the discussion point
 Use proper reference to every graphics
 Draw the concentration towards the conclusion you derived
 Interpret them for readers
Incorporating Graphics in
Reports

66. Conclusion

67. Conclusion of a Report
Most widely read portion of a report which summarizes & explains the findings in a report. Heart
of a report which shows goals, background & frame of reference, all should support the
conclusion you make.
Audience of a report wants:
 How the data in related to the problem being studied?
 What do the findings mean in terms of solving the original report
problem?

68. Conclusion of a Report -
Functions
 Interpret & summarize the findings
 Don’t manipulate the findings to achieve preconceived purpose
 Always try to be objective & bias free
 Consistent evaluation criteria (same criteria for evaluation…)
 Relate the conclusion to the report problem

69. Recommendation

70. Recommendation
 Conclusions explain what the problem is, while the recommendations tell how
to solve it.
 Readers prefer specific & practical recommendations agreeable to them.
 How a suggestion can be implemented
 Authorization is required for specification
 What are you required to do and what does the reader expect?
 Avoid using conditional words such as maybe & perhaps………..

71. Recommendation
 Try to present the recommendation as a command
 Shows your command on the subject
 When possible, arrange the recommendation in an announced order, such as important
to least important
 Can combine the recommendations & conclusions
 May omit the conclusion in short reports