1. Writing for Business (M3.05) Corporate Learning & Development Rebecca Johnson

2. Aim To enable you to write and present reports appropriately

3. Objectives Recognise the value of the written word Identify objectives & users of a report Collect information for use in a report Plan the structure, making appropriate use of visual & basic statistical material Use effective and appropriate tone, language and level of formality in a range of cases By the end of session you will be able to:

4. Consider needs of recipient. Make appropriate use of info. Use of appropriate tone & level of language. Appropriate format. Give writing a clear & coherent structure. Layout. Including visual materials. Planning your Writing - General

5. Effective Communication Who do I need to communicate with? What results do I want to achieve? What impression do I want to give? To be effective, you should ask yourself:

6. Communication Purpose Reach some other person Achieve a result Apart from self communication, all communication is designed to: Whether the ‘result’ is to ask/order/persuade or to provide information, either way, it will lead to action.

7. The Communication Process Purpose SenderInformation messages Receiver Action Feedback

8. Effective Written Communication Reaches destination. Receiver notices it. Receiver understands & acts on it. You should therefore choose material appropriate to the receiver & present in a structure/language they understand.

9. Sources for Gathering Information Surveys/questionnaires  Interviews/focus groups  Observations  Tests & assessments  Document reviews  Secondary sources & data reviews  Other organisations  Library/resource centre/internet to seek out & apply relevant management theories & legislation

10. What is lacking in this communication? ‘All my staff have worked very hard over the last year, and output is greatly increased. The team is successful all round, and everyone has contributed to this. I realise that this year things are tight, but I would like to recommend that my team should receive a performance bonus of 1% of annual salary, on top of any additional increases’.

11. Headings & Numbers Headings show points that go together logically. Numbering headings & subheadings can help reader if making notes.

12. Effective Communication Who do I need to communicate with? What results do I want to achieve? What impression do I want to give? To be effective, you should ask yourself:

13. Objective Setting S pecific M easurable A chievable R elevant T ime-based

14. Visual Material Be simple without over-crowding of data. Large enough. Refer to in body of text (even when placed in an appendix). Complement, not replace the text of the report. Clearly and accurately labelled.

15. Visual Material

16. Effective Communication Who do I need to communicate with? What results do I want to achieve? What impression do I want to give? To be effective, you should ask yourself:

17. Other Considerations ‘Jargon’ Quality Writing styles Spelling, punctuation & grammar Formality

18. Summary Recognise the value of the written word Identify objectives & users of a report Collect information for use in a report Plan the structure, making appropriate use of visual & basic statistical material Use effective and appropriate tone, language and level of formality in a range of cases