This week, you will write a report. A report has a different purpose, which is to communicate information in a clear, concise manner. While some reports include recommendations and thus do persuade to some extent, they are primarily informational. The root meaning of “report” is “to carry back.” You have information, and you are carrying it back to interested co-workers. The art of writing a good report lies in recognizing pertinent information and presenting it well.
Here is this week’s challenge:
____ Read pp. 190-202 in the .pdf “The Report That Changes Things” included in this folder. Note the emphasis the author places on knowing one’s audience and tailoring the report to that audience.
There are many reasons one might be called upon to write a business report. Note the common types of reports and the sections they might include.
____ Write a progress, trip, investigative or trouble report. We’ll skip expense reports (which don’t involve much writing) and annual reports (which are quite long) for now. Give your imagination free rein when devising a situation that necessitates a report.
– Include a table of contents in your report plus the five sections listed on page 193: executive summary, introduction, text, conclusion and recommendation.
– Format the table of contents and the report in general with the end of enhancing clarity.
– You do not need to include back material or a cover page.
Recommended length. I’ll leave this to your discretion, but this is one of the longer pieces you will produce this semester. It should be a minimum of 3 pages, including the table of contents.