MGT1200 Business Communication

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MGT1200 Business Communication

• Module 5 - Writing Skills
• Reports

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References

• Study Book Module 5
• Selected reading 5.1
• Text, chapters 8, 11 12

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This session

• Types of reports
• Qualities of reports
• Components of a report
• Sorting information

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Types of reports

• Letter report
• Memo report
• Formal report
• Structured formal reports
• Routine/standard format reports
• Oral reports
• Progress reports

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Memo Reports

• brief and concise
• used for internal circulation

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Letter reports

• formal, but brief and concise
• used for external circulation

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Structured Formal Report

• Longer than letter or memo reports
• Accepted structural elements
• For internal or external circulation

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Qualities of effective business reports

• Accuracy of information
• Clarity
• attention to overall form, choice of words,
  sentence and paragraph construction
• Conciseness
• keep to the point, write only what is relevant
• Objectivity
• be impartial, dont allow personal feelings to
  influence your report

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Qualities

• Completeness
• ensure you have covered all aspects relating to
  the topic
• Consistency
• be consistent in viewpoint, information and style
  of presentation
• Indirect third person perspective
• normally do not use I or we

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Qualities

• Distinguish between fact and opinion
• Reference all ideas which are not your own
• Show direct quotes from publications in inverted
  commas

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Letter/memo of Transmittal

• The content should provide an overview of the
  report itself, with enough information to sell
  it to the reader/recipient it is intended for.

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Title Page

• Contains
• Report title
• Audience
• Author
• Date of submission

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Table of Contents

• Must use roman numerals for the numbering of
  pages preceding the introduction section of the
  body
• Must have linear page numbering
• Must demonstrate a hierarchical flow of ideas and
  have a logical argument

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Executive Summary

• Be concise and coherent outline
• The problem
• The aim
• The Scope
• The approach taken to any data collection
• Incorporate the main points of the conclusions
  and recommendations

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Introduction

• Contains the following elements
• Background
• Authorisation
• Aim
• Scope
• Sources of Information
• Limitations

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The Report Body

• Should
• Be objective
• Address all aspects of the task
• Use examples and direct quotations
• Remain focused
• Use in-text referencing

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The Conclusions

• ALWAYS
• Restate the main points referred to in the body
  of the report
• Provide some assessment of these points with
  relevance to their implications in the context of
  the report
• DO NOT DISCUSS/INTRODUCE ANY NEW MATERIAL

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Recommendations

• Should provide recommendations which follow the
  discussion in the body and conclusions
• Should be very specific in terms of recommended
  actions to be taken
• i.e.. WHAT, BY WHOM, HOW, WHEN, and WHERE

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Reference list

• Use the author/date system (Harvard)
• List entries in alphabetical order of the first
  authors last name

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APPENDICES

• Follow the reference list (if the report contains
  appendices)
• e.g. newspaper articles, extra information such
  as statistics or graphs, pamphlets etc

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Planning Reports

• Identify your purpose
• Consider readers needs
• Decide upon key ideas
• Decide how best to order your ideas

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Sorting information

• Need to sort the information before deciding on
  the order
• Four patterning techniques
• traditional written outline
• mind map
• Your choice of method

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Traditional written outline

• See Fig. 8.5
• List of important points
• Provides outline or structure for document
• Written outline provides headings and subheadings
  in final piece of writing

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Mind Map

• See Fig. 8.8
• Centre of map contains central theme
• Key concepts are focused around the central theme
  to sort and order information
• Sub-topics branch out from key concepts
• More important ideas are closer to the centre
• Easy to add new ideas

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Graphics in reports

• Can be used to communicate complicated
  information more clearly
• e.g. tables, graphs, figures, flowcharts,
  diagrams
• Label graphics and discuss them in the text
• Reference all tables or figures which you have
  sourced from secondary data

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Next session

• Module 6 Writing for large audiences
• Study book module 6
• Selected readings 6.1 to 6.4