MR2300 MARKETING RESEARCH PAUL TILLEY Unit 11: Communicating Results

IN THIS VIDEO WE WILL  Review the components of effective communications  Discuss the general guidelines for writing the research project  Show how to prepare a formal research report  Discuss presenting an oral report

Message CommunicatorAudience EncodingDecoding Communication Field of Experience THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Report parts Prefatory partsMain body of the report Appended parts

Prefatory parts Title page Letter of transmittal Letter of authorization Table of contents Objectives Results Conclusions Recommendations Summary

The title page should include the title of the report, for whom the report was prepared, by whom it was prepared, and the date of release or presentation. The title should give a brief but complete indication of the purpose of the research project. Title page: Prefatory parts

Letter of Transmittal: This element is included in relatively formal to very formal reports. Its purpose is to release or deliver the report to the recipient. It also serves to establish some rapport between the reader and the writer.

Letter of Transmittal: This element is included in relatively formal to very formal reports. Its purpose is to release or deliver the report to the recipient. It also serves to establish some rapport between the reader and the writer.

Letter of authorization:: This is a letter to the researcher approving the project, detailing who has responsibility for the project, and what resources are available to support it. The researcher would not write this personally.

Table of Contents: The table of contents is essential to any report more than a few pages long. It should list the divisions and subdivisions of the report with page references. If the report includes many figures or tables, a list of these should also be included, immediately following the table of contents.

Executive Summary: The summary should be written only after the rest of the report has been completed. The summary contains four elements. First, the objectives of the report are stated, including the most important background information and the specific purposes of the project. Second, the major results regarding each purpose are presented. Third come the conclusions. Finally come the recommendations, or suggestions for action, based on the conclusions.

Main body of the report Introduction Methodology Area 1 Area 2 Final area Results Limitations Conclusions and recommendations

The Introduction explains why the project was conducted and what it aimed to discover. Enough background should be included to explain why the project was worth doing, but unessential historical factors should be omitted. The last part of the introduction explains what this particular project tried to discover. Introduction

Methodology The methodology involves an explanation of the research design, data collection methods, sampling procedures, and other technical procedures dealing with collection of data, such as fieldwork and analysis.

Results The Results should occupy the bulk of the report. No report is perfect, so its limitations should be indicated. However, the discussion of limitations should avoid overemphasizing the weaknesses.

Limitations The limitations of a study are those characteristics of design or methodology that impacted or influenced the application or interpretation of the results of a study.

Conclusions & Recommendations The conclusions and recommendations should be presented here in more detail than in the summary, with whatever justification is needed.

Appended parts Data collection forms Detailed calculations General tables Bibliography

Presenting an oral report The key to effective presentation is preparation. Select the three or four most important findings for emphasis and rely on the written report for full summary. Be ready to defend the results. Adapt to the audience. Know the material - Rely on brief notes, along with memory, and as much rehearsal as the occasion calls for. Visual aids are useful in an oral presentation as in a written one. Visual aids should be designed to convey a simple, attention-getting message that supports a point on which the audience should focus its thinking.