Chapter Thirteen

1. Chapter Thirteen Creating Reports for Any Occasion

2. Types of Reports • Formal • Informal • Letter and memo • Online • Slide

3. General Report Requirements Credible reports begin with planning: • Understanding the situation that has led to the report. • Understanding what you want your readers to know after they read the report. • Understanding their perspective on the information.

4. General Report Requirements • Applying your knowledge of how people read and process information to the development and presentation of the message. • Choosing content, organization, style, and tone that are suitable for your audience, the message, and your relationship to both in the organizational context.

5. Characteristics of a Good Informal Report • State the subject early (clear title in subject line). • Begin with the main information. • Keep additional paragraphs short. • Use design principles to highlight information. • Tell readers where to get additional information. • If you plan to e-mail the report as an attachment, include critical information on the first page of the report.

6. The Report Introduction • All reports include some type of introduction. • The introduction must clearly state the report subject, purpose, and plan. • The introduction may include: • The purpose of the report; • The rationale for the report; • The scope of the report—what will be covered; • A summary of the main ideas covered in the main body of the report; • Perhaps a combination of the summary and an introduction.

7. The Report Introduction • The length of the introduction should depend on the readers’ needs. • If a reader may resist the report, the introduction must encourage the reader to consider the content.