Reports and proposals

1
Reports and proposals

• Public Relations and New Media
• Richard Bailey

2
Reports or proposals?

• Reports look back on something that has happened
  and provide analysis
• What has happened? Does it matter?
• Proposals start with problem diagnosis and
  recommend a solution (forward-looking)
• Whats the problem? What should we do about it?

3
Your assignments

• 2,500 word report applying critical thinking to
  contemporary corporate communications challenges
  faced by an international organisation of the
  students choice in the context of new media
  developments (weighted 60).
• 1,500 word proposal written for the same
  organisation covering possible strategies and
  tactics to address their challenges in the
  digital environment (weighted 40).

4
What is a report?

• A formal business document
• Information on a situation
• Recommendations on future action
• Based on fact
• You must distinguish between facts and opinions
• Need to provide evidence of research reading

5
Report structure

• Title
• Table of contents
• Executive summary (write this last)
• Introduction (terms of reference, background)
• Facts
• Analysis and discussion of factual material
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Appendices
• References

6
Structure

• Use headings for sections
• You can use section numbers
• 1. Section title
• 1.1 Sub-section
• 1.2 Sub-section
• Use consistent headings/numbering

7
Executive summary

• Write this at the end
• It is a one page summary of the whole report,
  including any conclusions and recommendations
• Helps the reader decide whether to read full
  report

8
Introduction

• Set out the terms of reference for the report
  (who is writing it, and why, and what is its
  scope)
• Provide any background information the reader
  might require
• Statement of problem
• History of events leading to this situation
• An account of the methods used to gather
  information

9
Body of report

• Should contain the factual information gathered
• Break down blocks of text with tables and lists
• Headings and sub-headings help to break up the
  page and make it readable
• Remove over-detailed information to an appendix

10
Conclusions, recommendations

• Even if these are covered in the body of the
  report, they should be gathered again at the end
  (and summarised up front in the executive
  summary)
• If recommendations are required, they should be
  in a separate section

11
Appendices, references

• Appendices should contain background data or
  complex information
• Appendices do not count towards word limit
• References demonstrate authority, credibility and
  professional practice
• Name of author or authors
• Year of publication / edition and publication
  date
• Full title
• Place of publication and name of publisher

12
Style

• A report is factual, mostly objective
• Formal language preferable
• Spelling and punctuation matter (you will be
  judged on this)
• Should be comprehensible if read in isolation

13
What is a proposal?

• A proposal is a persuasive document
• Looks to the future (reports are
  backward-looking)
• Proposes a plan of action
• Seeks agreement

14
Structuring a PR proposal

• Executive summary
• Situation analysis
• Problem statement
• Campaign goal
• Audience identification and messages
• Strategies
• Communication tactics
• Timescale
• Budget
• Evaluation plans

15
Executive summary

• The Problem State here what you believe the
  problem to be. 
• Programme Goal State here what your ultimate
  goal is. 
• Target Audiences (1) Your primary audience, (2)
  your secondary (intervening) audience(s), and (3)
  your tertiary (special) audience(s).
• Major Strategy State your major strategy here,
  listing the key tactics that you will use in your
  campaign. 
• Recommended Budget State your total anticipated
  income and sources, your anticipated expenses,
  and the anticipated net profit or loss. 
• Evaluation Plans State how you expect to
  evaluate (and expect to know) whether or not
  you've achieved each of your campaign and
  audience objectives

16
Problem statement

• The problem statement itself should be concise
  and very specific. If possible, write it in 25
  words or less, using standard subject-verb-object
  order. This step is crucial to your plan and to
  the success of your campaign. Mess up here and
  you will end up way off course.

17
Campaign goal

• Goals are general directions that are not
  specific enough to be measured "To boldly go
  where no man has gone before." You can't measure
  it, and you probably will never know if the goals
  were accomplished.
• Objectives are specific and measurable. They can
  be output objectives, or they can be attitudinal
  or behavioural. But most of all, they can be
  measured. They are concise. They are specific.

18
Audience identification

• A "public" is a group of people with similar
  interests.
• "Stakeholders" are a special kind of public,
  composed of people who have a particular interest
  (or "stake") in your organisation.
• An "audience" is a public with whom you are
  communicating.

19
Strategy

• There are four basic strategies
• Do nothing (inactive)
• Do something only if necessary (reactive)
• Do something before a problem arises (proactive)
• Involve others in solving or heading off problems
  (interactive)

20
Tactics, schedule, budget

• What will you do (to achieve your objectives)?
• Who will do it?
• When will you do it by? (Gantt chart)
• How much will it cost?

21
Evaluation

• How will you show that youve achieved your
  objectives
• Output measures what did you do?
• Impact measures what happened as a result?

22
Sources

• ESRC, Communications Strategy template (Word
  file)
• Manser, M Curtis, S (2002) Penguin Writers
  Manual
• Myamoto, C How to write a comprehensive
  communications plan, CIPR website (member area)
• Newsom and Haynes (2005) Public Relations
  Writing Form Style (chapter 7)
• Wilcox, D and Nolte, L (1997) Public Relations
  Writing and Media Techniques (chapter 15)