1. Chapter 10Management Communication 2e Bell / Smith Slide 1 of 4 Purposes of the Short Report Inform (what is known?) Analyze (why have circumstances developed?) Persuade (how should readers respond?)

2. Chapter 10Management Communication 2e Bell / Smith Slide 2 of 4 Steps in Writing a Short Report 1. Think about - who will read it - the object of the report - the range of the report - the method of presentation 2. Know what your readers want 3. Brainstorm your topic 4. Research your topic 5. Arrange your major points 6. Write your rough draft 7. Revise 8. Review the appearance of your work 9. Prepare the final copy 10. Present the report advantageously

3. Chapter 10Management Communication 2e Bell / Smith Slide 3 of 4 In report writing, beware of... Anemic verbs Important verbs Atrophy of the strong position Distended sentence length Hypertrophy of the noun Slow sentence pulse Obese paragraphs Noun clots Spastic repetitions Contagious prepositions

4. Chapter 10Management Communication 2e Bell / Smith Slide 4 of 4 Eight Revision Techniques for Short Reports 1. Replace most weak verbs with strong, vivid verbs 2. Use the strong slot for meaningful words and phrases 3. Repair the vague, detached “this” by placing and an identifying word after “this” 4. Repair awkward repetitions of words and phrases by substituting synonyms 5. Vary sentence beginnings 6. Vary sentence length 7. Review diction 8. Check all matters of spelling, grammar and mechanics