Reports: Research, Format, and Tone

1. Reports: Research, Format, and Tone Includes materials from Guffey: Chapters 12, 13, and 14

2. Research Organization Presentation Planning What Are Business Reports? • Business reports are systematic attempts to answer questions and solve problems. They include the following activities.

3. If readers are informed Report -----Main Idea ---- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- If readers are supportive Direct Pattern If readers are eager to have results first Audience Analysis and Report Organization

4. If readers need to be educated Report ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- -----Main Idea ---- If readers need to be persuaded Indirect Pattern If readers may be hostile or disappointed Audience Analysis and Report Organization

5. Report Components • Refer to separate packet

6. Formal Report Tone • Goal: come across as objective and credible • Avoid first-person pronouns (I, we, me, my, us, our) • Use second-person pronouns as needed(he, she, they) • Use ‘it’, not ‘they’ when referring to the company

7. Formal Report Tone • Avoid attributing action to “the company” (it is inanimate) • Use “the client(s)” (or names) • Use your consulting name to refer to yourselves and/or use “the analysts”

8. Formal Report Tone • Avoid passive voice Not: • Periodicals were consulted • The study was conducted Instead: • Periodicals indicated • The study revealed

9. Formal Report Tone Be consistent in tense • Use past-tense to describe completed actions (the respondents said, the study showed) • Use present-tense to explain current actions (the purpose of this report is to.., this table shows…) • Use present-tense in conclusions and recommendations • When citing references use past-tense verbs (Jones reported that…) • DON’T switch back and forth between tenses in a sentence

10. Highlighting: Making Your Report Accessible

11. Structural Cues • Topic Sentences • Transitions • Present additional thoughts (additional, again, also, moreover) • Suggest cause and effect (accordingly, as a result, consequently, therefore) • Contrast ideas (however, though, but, at the same time) • Show time and order (after, before, first, finally, now, previously, then) • Clarify points (for example, for instance, in other words)

12. Headings • At least 1 heading per page • All headings parallel within level • Do not repeat heading in topic sentence • Do not use pronoun for heading in topic sentence

13. Levels of Report Headings MAJOR SECTION HEADINGS • Bold, centered, all caps. • Double-space after (1 blank line) • Start new page for each • Use for • executive summary • introduction • research and analysis • conclusions and recommendations • appendices

14. Levels of Report Headings First-Level Sub-heading • Left-justified, bold, title case • Double-space (leaving one blank line) before and after.

15. Levels of Report Headings Second-Level Sub-heading.Part of the paragraph that follows it. Use bold, title case, ending with a period.

16. RESEARCHING REPORT DATA

17. Secondary Data • Books • Periodicals • Web sites • How current is the information? • How credible is the author or source? • What is the purpose of the site?

18. Researching Primary Data • Surveys • Interviews • Observation • Experimentation

19. Preparing Effective Surveys Provide clear instructions Keep it short and easy to answer Use questions that are easily tabulated Avoid leading questions Ask only one thing at a time Pretest the questionnaire

20. Next Steps • Analysis (next lecture) • Conclusions and Recommendations (next lecture)

21. END