Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Chapter 17 Informal Reports Technical Communication: Strategies for College and the Workplace by Dan Jones & Karen Lane
Common Types of Informal Reports
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Progress Reports... Provide updates on work completed and work remaining for a particular assignment, task, product, or process
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Periodic Activity Reports... Are provided at regular intervals Give information on the activities or status of an organization
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Trip Reports... Detail the activities and expenses of a employee while traveling on company business
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Lab Reports... Describe the testing and research performed in a laboratory
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Meeting Minutes... Summarize the best major issues discussed and decisions made during a meeting
Report Formats Memos Letters
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Memo Reports Are for internal use Are usually more informal in format and style than letter reports
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Letter Reports Are directed at audiences outside of the company or organization
Sending Reports via
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Sending Reports via Remember... Both memos and letters can be attached to messages isn’t private Special formatting applied to your message may not be viewable by others (—Continued––)
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Sending Reports via Remember... Informal reports on sensitive or delicate issues are often best written in hard- copy memo or letter format (—Continued––)
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Sending Reports via Remember... Consider the conventions of your employer Ethical considerations may also help determine which format is best
Strategies for Preparing Informal Reports
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Focusing Analyze your audience Determine what your audience needs to know
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Gathering Information Gather information to provide detailed content
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Interpreting Information Spend time interpreting information to understand what it means
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Organizing Carefully consider how to organize your key points Remember your audience
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Designing and Illustrating Enhance readability through effective use of – White Space – Typography – Bulleted and numbered lists – Line spacing – Other design elements
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved. Writing and Revising Write several drafts to create a polished report.