Technical Communication A Practical Approach Chapter 10: Formatting Reports and Proposals William Sanborn Pfeiffer Kaye Adkins

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 2 Formatting Reports and Proposals When to Use Informal Document Format General Guidelines for Informal Document Format When to Use Formal Document Format Strategy for Organizing Formal Documents Guidelines for the Nine Parts of Formal Documents

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 3 Informal Reports When to Use Informal Reports General Guidelines for Informal Reports Specific Guidelines for Five Informal Reports

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 4 Informal Reports Contain about two to five pages of text, not including attachments Contain more substance than a simple letter or memo but less than a formal report Directed to readers outside your organization (letter report) or inside your organization (memo report)

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 5 Letter Reports at M-Global

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 6 Letter Reports at M-Global

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 7 Memo Reports at M-Global

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 8 Memo Reports at M-Global

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 9 General Guidelines for Informal Reports Plan Well Before You Write Use Letter or Memo Format Make Text Visually Appealing Use the ABC Format for Organization Call the Abstract an Introductory Summary

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 10 General Guidelines for Informal Reports Put Important Details in the Body Separate Fact from Opinion Focus Attention in Your Conclusion Use Attachments for Less Important Details Edit Carefully

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 11 General Guidelines for Informal Reports Plan Well Before You Write Use the Planning Form to record specific information about these points Document’s purpose Variety of readers who will receive document Needs and expectations of readers Outline of main points Use Letter or Memo Format

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 12 General Guidelines for Informal Reports Make Text Visually Appealing Use bulleted points Use numbered points for ordered steps Use frequent headings and subheadings Use the ABC Format for Organization Abstract Body Conclusion

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 13 General Guidelines for Informal Reports Call the Abstract an Introductory Summary Include three essential pieces of information Purpose for the report Scope statement Summary of essentials

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 14 General Guidelines for Informal Reports Put Important Details in the Body Use headings generously Precede subheadings with a lead-in passage Move from general to specific in paragraphs

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 15 General Guidelines for Informal Reports Separate Fact From Opinion Report facts you uncover Provide ideas or beliefs you develop from your findings Recommend or suggest action items based on your conclusions

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 16 General Guidelines for Informal Reports Focus Attention in Your Conclusions Briefly restate your conclusion or recommendation to reinforce importance Give more detail if not covered earlier Use Attachments for Less Important Details

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 17 General Guidelines for Informal Reports Edit Carefully Keep most sentences short and simple Proofread several times Triple-check all cost figures for accuracy Make sure all attachments are included Check the format and wording of all headings and subheadings Ask a colleague to check over the report

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 18 Formal Reports Formal Report Covers complex projects and is directed to readers at different technical levels. Usually contains at least six to ten pages of text, not including appendices. Directed to either inside or outside your organization.

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 19 When to Use Formal Reports Complicated Projects Longer than six pages Expected by readers

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 20 Strategy for Organizing Formal Reports Write different parts for different readers Place important information first Repeat key points when necessary

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 21 Strategy for Organizing Formal Reports Follow ABC Format for Formal Report Abstract Cover/title page Letter or memo of transmittal Table of contents List of illustrations Executive summary Introduction

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 22 Strategy for Organizing Formal Reports Follow ABC Format for Formal Report Body Discussion sections Appendices—appear after text but support Body section Conclusion Conclusions Recommendations

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 23 Guidelines for the Nine Parts of Formal Reports Cover/Title Page Letter/Memo of Transmittal Table of Contents List of Illustrations Executive Summary Introduction Discussion Sections Conclusions and Recommendations End Material

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 24 Guidelines for the Nine Parts of Formal Reports Cover/Title Page Project title Client’s name (“Prepared for…”) Your name and/or the name of your organization (“Prepared by…”) Date of submission

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 25 Title Page

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 26 Guidelines for the Nine Parts of Formal Reports Letter/Memo of Transmittal Place letter/memo immediately after title page Include a major Point from report Acknowledge those who helped you Follow letter and memo conventions

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 27 Letter of Transmittal

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 28 Guidelines for the Nine Parts of Formal Reports Table of Contents Make it very readable Use the contents page to reveal report emphases Consider leaving out low-level headings List appendices Use parallel form in all entries Proofread carefully

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 29 Table of Contents

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 30 Guidelines for the Nine Parts of Formal Reports List of Illustrations Number Title Page number

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 31 List of Illustrations

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 32 Guidelines for the Nine Parts of Formal Reports Executive Summary Put it on one page Avoid technical jargon Include only important conclusions and recommendations Avoid references to the report body Use paragraph format Write the executive summary last

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 33 Executive Summary

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 34 Guidelines for the Nine Parts of Formal Reports Introduction State your purpose and lead-in to subsections Include a project description Include scope information Consider including information on report format

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 35 Guidelines for the Nine Parts of Formal Reports Discussion Sections Move from facts to opinions Use frequent headings and subheadings Use listings to break up long paragraphs Use illustrations for clarification and persuasion Place excessive detail in appendices

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 36 Guidelines for the Nine Parts of Formal Reports Conclusions and Recommendations Conclusions Convictions or beliefs based on the findings in your study Recommendations Actions you are suggesting based on your conclusions

Technical Communication: A Practical Approach, Eighth Edition W. S. Pfeiffer and K. Adkins Copyright © 2013, 2010, 2006 Pearson Education, Inc., All Rights Reserved. 37 Guidelines for the Nine Parts of Formal Reports End Material Appendices Glossary Bibliography Index