1. Short Reports Module Twenty Three McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Learning Objectives
LO 23-1 Select patterns for short business report organization. LO 23-2 Apply strategies for short business report organization. LO 23-3 Apply principles for good business report style. LO 23-4 Apply strategies for specific and polite question use.
LO 23-1 Select patterns for short business report organization.
LO 23-2 Apply strategies for short business report organization.
LO 23-3 Apply principles for good business report style.
LO 23-4 Apply strategies for specific and polite question use.

3. Do different kinds of reports use different patterns of organization?
Informative or closure report
summarizes completed work or research that does not result in action or recommendation
Introductory paragraph, chronological report, concluding paragraph
An informative or closure report summarizes completed work or research that does not result in action or recommendation.
Informative reports often include the following elements:
• Introductory paragraph summarizing the problems or successes of the project.
• Chronological account of how the problem was discovered, what was done, and what the results were.
• Concluding paragraph with suggestions for later action.

4. Do different kinds of reports use different patterns of organization?
Introductory paragraph
summarizes the problems or successes of the project.
Chronological account
how the problem was discovered, what was done, and what the results were.
Concluding paragraph
suggestions for later action.
Informative reports often include the following elements:
• Introductory paragraph summarizing the problems or successes of the project.
• Chronological account of how the problem was discovered, what was done, and what the results were.
• Concluding paragraph with suggestions for later action. In a recommendation report, the recommendations would be based on proof. In contrast, the suggestions in a closure or recommendation report are not proved in detail.

5. An Informative Memo Report Describing How Local Government Solved a Problem
Figure 23.1 presents this kind of informative report.

6. Do different kinds of reports use different patterns of organization?
Feasibility reports
evaluate several alternatives and recommend one of them.
normally open by explaining the decision to be made, listing the alternatives, and explaining the criteria
Feasibility reports evaluate several alternatives and recommend one of them. (Doing nothing or delaying action can be one of the alternatives.)
Feasibility reports normally open by explaining the decision to be made, listing the alternatives, and explaining the criteria. In the body of the report, each alternative will be evaluated according to the criteria. Discussing each alternative separately is better when one alternative is clearly superior, when the criteria interact, and when each alternative is indivisible. If the choice depends on the weight given to each criterion, you may want to discuss each alternative under each criterion.

7. Do different kinds of reports use different patterns of organization?
Justification reports
recommend or justify a purchase, investment, hiring, or change in policy
Justification reports recommend or justify a purchase, investment, hiring, or change in policy. If your organization has a standard format for justification reports, follow that format.

8. Justification Reports
Indicate what you’re asking for and why it’s needed.
Briefly give the background of the problem or need.
Explain each of the possible solutions.
Summarize the action needed to implement your recommendation.
Ask for the action you want.
1. Indicate what you’re asking for and why it’s needed. Because the reader has not asked for the report, you must link your request to the organization’s goals.
2. Briefly give the background of the problem or need.
3. Explain each of the possible solutions. For each, give the cost and the advantages and disadvantages.
4. Summarize the action needed to implement your recommendation. If several people will be involved, indicate who will do what and how long each step will take.
5. Ask for the action you want.

9. Justification Reports
If the reader will be reluctant to grant your request:
Describe the organizational problem.
Show why easier or less expensive solutions will not solve the problem.
Present your solution impersonally.
Show that the disadvantages of your solution are outweighed by advantages.
Summarize the action you need.
Ask for the action you want.
If the reader will be reluctant to grant your request, use this variation of the problem solving pattern described in Module 12:
1. Describe the organizational problem (which your request will solve). Use specific examples to prove the seriousness of the problem.
2. Show why easier or less expensive solutions will not solve the problem.
3. Present your solution impersonally.
4. Show that the disadvantages of your solution are outweighed by the advantages.
5. Summarize the action needed to implement your recommendation. If several people will be involved, indicate who will do what and how long each step will take.
6. Ask for the action you want.

10. What are the basic strategies for organizing information?
Comparison/Contrast
Problem/ Solution
Elimination of Alternatives
General to Particular or Particular to General
Geographic or Spatial
Functional
Chronological
Seven basic patterns for organizing information are useful in reports. Comparison/Contrast takes up each alternative in turn, discussing strengths and weaknesses. Problem/Solution analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of possible solutions. Elimination of Alternatives discusses the impractical solutions first, showing why they won’t work, and ends with the most practical solution. General to Particular starts with the problem as it affects the organization or as it manifests itself in general and then moves to a discussion of the parts of the problem and solutions to each of those parts. Particular to General starts with the problem as the audience defines it and moves to larger issues of which the problem is a part. Geographic or Spatial discusses problems and solutions by physical arrangement. Functional discusses problems and solutions by functional unit. Chronological records events in the order in which they happened or are planned to happen.

11. Should I use the same style for reports as for other business documents?
Follow the advice in Modules 15 & 16, except
Use a fairly formal style, without contractions or slang.
Avoid the word you.
Include in the report all definitions and documents needed to understand the recommendations.
Good business writing style applies to reports, though reports are often written with a more formal style than other kinds of business documents.

12. Should I use the same style for reports as for other business documents?
The following apply to any kind of writing, but they are particularly important in reports:
Say what you mean.
Tighten your writing.
Use blueprints, transitions, topic sentences, and headings to make your organization clear to your reader.
The following points apply to any kind of writing, but they are particularly important in reports.
1. Say what you mean.
2. Tighten your writing.
3. Use blueprints, transitions, topic sentences, and headings to make your organization clear to your reader.

13. Use Blueprints, Transitions, Topic Sentences, and Headings
overviews or forecasts that tell the reader what you will discuss in a section or in the entire report.
Transitions
words, phrases, or sentences that tell the reader whether the discussion is continuing on the same point or shifting points.
Blueprints are overviews or forecasts that tell the reader what you will discuss in a section or in the entire report. Make your blueprint easy to read by telling the reader how many points there are and numbering them. Transitions are words, phrases, or sentences that tell the reader whether the discussion is continuing on the same point or shifting points.

14. Use Blueprints, Transitions, Topic Sentences, and Headings
introduces or summarizes the main idea of a paragraph
Headings
single words, short phrases, or complete sentences that indicate the topic in each section.
A topic sentence introduces or summarizes the main idea of a paragraph. Readers who skim reports can follow your ideas more easily if each paragraph begins with a topic sentence. Headings are single words, short phrases, or complete sentences that indicate the topic in each section. A heading must cover all of the material under it until the next heading.

15. Use Blueprints, Transitions, Topic Sentences, and Headings
Talking Heads
Tell the reader what to expect.
Are preferred over topic headings.
Should be expressed in parallel form.
Use visual and organizational features like informative or talking heads and topic headings to help readers find the information they need.

16. Asking Specific and Polite Questions
Specificity
Give simple choices.
Ask the real question.
Start with the 5Ws and H (who, what, where, when, why, and how) if you want longer, more qualitative answers.
Learning to ask the right question the right way is a critical skill in business. Good business communicators use specificity and politeness.

17. Asking Specific and Polite Questions
Politeness
Use timing.
Keep questions to a minimum.
Avoid embarrassing or provocative questions.
Avoid language that implies doubt, suspicion, or criticism.
Use you-attitude and empathy
Politeness is a matter of timing, tone, language, and culture (◀◀ Module 3). Remember that when and how you ask the question are almost as important as the question itself.