Business Communication Report Writing

Business CommunicationReport WritingGurudutt R. KamathAgendaTypes of ReportsHow to Write ReportsComputer ReportsAnatomy of a ReportSales ProposalsFuture of ReportsHow We Communicate3•CVs, Resumes•Email, Web site, FAQs •Letters, Newsletters, Brochures, Articles, Catalogs•Advertisements, Notice Board, Pamphlets, Signs, Press Release•Presentations, multimedia, talks•Reports, Manuals, Proposals, Books Which Reports?AnnualReportsSales ReportsFeasibilityReportsInspectionReportsAudit ReportsProgressReportsWhite PapersTechnical Writing ReportsProposalsUser ManualsTechnical ManualsWhite PapersClassification of ReportsFormal Reports and Informal ReportsInformation ReportsAnalytical ReportsRecommendation Reports5 Steps to Report Writing11.Define the problem2.Gather the necessary information3.Analyze the information4.Organize the information5.Write the reportOrganizing ReportsComparison/contrastProblem-solutionElimination of alternativesGeneral to particularGeographic or spatialFunctionalChronologicalWords, Words, WordsUK English and US English•International English and Indian EnglishDenotation and Connotation•Let me know when you’re free next week for a meeting.•Could you let me know what times you have free?Tone•Terry is hung up on trivial details.•Terry is meticulous and takes care of details that others sometimes ignore.Writing StyleBrief writing style•Omit needless words•Combine sentences •Rewrite•Campus Jewelers’ main objective is to increase sales. Specifically, the objective is to double sales in the next five years by becoming a more successful business.•Campus Jewelers’ objective is to double sales in the next five years.We do IT in Style!Chicago Manual of StyleElements of Style by Strunk & WhiteDictionaryMicrosoft Manual of StyleAMA Style GuideAnatomy of a ReportCover PageTitle PageLetter of TransmittalTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsExecutive SummaryReport BodyReport BodyIntroduction•Purpose and Scope;Limitations, Assumptions, and MethodsBackground/History of the ProblemBody•Presents and interprets dataConclusions and RecommendationsReferences or Works CitedAppendixes•Interview transcripts, questionnaires, question tallies, printouts, and previous reportsLetter of TransmittalBackgroundSummarize conclusions and recommendationsMinor problems. Thank those who helped.Additional research necessaryThank the reader. Offer to answer questions.Sales Proposal2BudgetObjectivesStrategy and TacticsScheduleResultsClosingDocument DesignUse nomorethan5fonts.Use no more than 5 colors.Use glossy paper.Use white space.Use templates.Use parallelism.Avoid double emphasis.Future ReportsProposals250-page reports90-minute oral presentation50-page summaryReportsMulti-mediaWebFAQ and CEQuestions•You, We, I –personal pronouns•Standards for reports•How long?Common Errors•It’s a common error! Its consequences are great!•Singular & Plural errors.•Neutrality (he/she, John)Reference1.Business Communication, Kity O Locker and Stephen Kyo Kaczmarek, 20042.“A Decent Proposal” by John Fellows, www.sellingpower.com, 20023.Better Business Writing, The Sunday Times