Chapter 11 Business Report Basics Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e Mary Ellen Guffey Copyright © 2008

Preparing to Write Business Reports Report functions Writing style Informational reports Formal Analytical reports Informal Report patterns Direct pattern Indirect pattern Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Preparing to Write Business Reports Report formats Letter Memo Manuscript Printed forms Digital Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Audience Analysis and Report Organization The Direct Pattern If readers are informed If readers are supportive If readers are eager to have results first Direct Pattern Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e 8

Direct Pattern Informational Report Analytical Report Introduction/Background __________________________________ Facts/Findings _________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ Summary ______________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ Analytical Report Introduction/Problem __________________________________ CONCLUSIONS/ RECOMMENDATIONS __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ Facts/Findings Discussion/Analysis____________ Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e 8

Audience Analysis and Report Organization The Indirect Pattern If readers need to be educated If readers need to be persuaded If readers may be disappointed or hostile Indirect Pattern Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Indirect Pattern Analytical Report Introduction/Problem __________________________________ Facts/Findings_________________ Discussion/Analysis CONCLUSIONS/ RECOMMENDATIONS____________ Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Applying the Writing Process to Reports 1 2 3 4 Analyze the problem and purpose. Anticipate the audience and issues. Prepare a work plan. Implement your research strategy. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Applying the Writing Process to Reports 5 6 7 Organize, analyze, interpret, and illustrate the data. Compose the first draft. Revise, proofread, and evaluate. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Researching Report Data Secondary Print Data Books – card catalog, online catalog Periodicals – print indexes, electronic indexes Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Researching Report Data Secondary Electronic Data Electronic databases ABI/INFORM LexisNexis Academic Factiva EBSCO Web search tools Google Yahoo Search MSN Search AOL Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Tips for Searching the Web Use two or three search tools. Know your search tool. Understand case sensitivity. Use nouns as search terms and up to eight words in a query. Combine keywords into phrases. Omit articles and prepositions. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Tips for Searching the Web Use wild cards. Learn basic Boolean search strategies. Bookmark the best sources. Repeat your search a week later. Keep trying. Evaluate your Web sources for currency, authority, content, and accuracy. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Researching Primary Data Surveys Interviews Observation Experimentation Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Documenting Data Reasons for crediting sources Strengthens your argument Protects you from charges of plagiarism Instructs readers Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Documenting Data Two documentation formats Modern Language Association Author’s name and page (Smith 100) placed in text; complete references in "Works Cited." American Psychological Association Author’s name, date of publication, and page number placed near the text reference (Jones, 2006, p. 99). Complete references listed at the end of the report in "References.” Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Documenting Data Learn what to document Another person's ideas, opinions, examples, or theory Any facts, statistics, graphs, and drawings that are not common knowledge Quotations of another person's actual spoken or written words Paraphrases of another person's spoken or written words Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Documenting Data Learn to paraphrase Read the original material carefully so that you can comprehend its full meaning. Write your own version without looking at the original. Do not repeat the grammatical structure of the original, and do not merely replace words of the original with synonyms. Reread the original to be sure you covered the main points but did not borrow specific language. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Illustrating Report Data Functions of graphics To clarify data To create visual interest To condense and simplify data To make numerical data meaningful Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Vertical Bar Chart Use bar charts to make visual comparisons. Compare related items, illustrate changes in data over time, or show segments as parts of wholes. Make bar charts in vertical, horizontal, grouped, or segmented forms. Avoid showing too much information, thus producing clutter and confusion. Make the length of each bar and segment proportional. Start dollar or percentage amounts at zero. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

Pie Chart Use pie charts to show a whole and the proportion of its components. Generally begin at the 12 o’clock position, drawing the largest wedge first. Include, if possible, the actual percentage or absolute value for each wedge. Use four to eight segments for best results; if necessary, group small portions into one wedge called “Other.” Distinguish wedges with color, shading, or crosshatching. Keep all labels horizontal. Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e

End Mary Ellen Guffey, Business Communication: Process and Product, 6e