Summarizing Information at Work CHAPTER 9 Summarizing Information at Work Philip C. Kolin University of Southern Mississippi

The Importance of Summaries in Business A summary is a brief restatement of the main points of a book, report, website, article, laboratory test, meeting, or convention that saves readers hours of time because it gets directly to the bottom line. Include in a summary a purpose, essential specifics, conclusions or results, and recommendations or implications. Omit from a summary opinion, new data, irrelevant specifics, examples, backgrounds, jargon, and reference data.

Preparing a Summary Preparing a summary essentially means reading the material carefully, making sure you understand it, identifying your major points, and putting the essence of the material into your own words. Follow these steps to prepare a concise, useful summary: Read the material once in its entirety to get an overall impression of what it is about. Reread the material, underlining the most important points. Collect your underlined material or notes and organize the information into a draft summary. Read through and revise your draft(s) and delete whatever information you can.

Preparing a Summary (continued)‏ Now put the material into your own words. Do not include remarks that repeatedly call attention to the fact that you are writing a summary. Edit your summary to make sure it is clear and concise. Identify the source you have just summarized.

Executive Summaries An executive summary is usually one or two pages long and condenses the most important points from the proposal or report for an executive. Executives will look for the four E’s: evaluation, economy, efficiency, and expediency. Organize it as follows: Begin with the purpose and the scope of the report. Relate your purpose to a key problem. Identify in non-technical language the criteria used to solve the problem. Condense the findings of your report. Stress conclusions and possible solutions. Provide recommendations.

Evaluative Summaries An evaluative summary follows the guidelines of an executive summary but also asks for an opinion regarding the work summarized. Blend your evaluations with your summary; do not save your evaluations for the end. Evaluate for both content and style. To evaluate the content, answer these questions for your readers: How carefully and completely is the subject researched? Is the writer or speaker objective? Does the work achieve its goal? Is the material relevant to your audience?

Evaluative Summaries (continued)‏ To evaluate the style, answer these questions for your readers: Is the material readable? What kind of vocabulary does the writer or speaker use? What visuals are included?

Abstracts An abstract is brief summary of the content of a work. It is different from an executive or evaluative summary in that it is much shorter, the first person singular or plural (“I” or “we”) is never used, and footnotes are never incorporated. An informative abstract boils down the essence of a work and provides conclusions. A descriptive abstract boils down the essence of a work but does not provide conclusions.

News Releases A news release is a type of summary that makes an official announcement to the public. Subjects appropriate for news releases include: New products, services, or publications New policies and/or procedures Personnel changes New construction/developments Financial and business news Special events

News Releases (continued)‏ Subjects that do not warrant news releases include: Well-known products or services Products or services still in the planning stages Controversial events or company problems A history of your department, division, or company An obviously padded tribute to your boss, your company, or your customers

Organization and Style of a News Release The three parts of a news release are the slug, the lead, and the body. The slug (or headline) announces a specific subject for readers and draws them into it. The lead is the first sentence, which simultaneously answers the questions who?, what?, when?, where? and why? The body fills in only the most necessary supporting details and amplifies the lead. The style of a news release is objective. When writing a news release: Write concisely. Emphasize benefits to the reader with graphic, understandable language that applies to the reader’s life. Keep your tone upbeat, easygoing, and direct; stress the human side.