1. Writing Informal Recommendations Dr. Lam TECM 4250

2. What we’ll cover Briefly discuss writing style Discuss content in each section of report Analyze 3 examples

3. Let’s Quickly Review Visual design is vitally important because…??? Four principles of visual design are …??? Practical strategies for creating good design in report writing might include …??? SO…be sure to use visual design in your project 2 and beyond. Or else.

4. Style vs. Tone? Poll questions Text CHRISLAM138 to 22333

5. Tone "Tone in writing refers to the writer's attitude toward the reader and the subject of the message. The overall tone of a written message affects the reader just as one's tone of voice affects the listener in everyday exchanges" (Ober 88).

6. Obvious Applications of Tone Don’t use racist language Don’t use sexist language Don’t use rude language

7. Not so obvious applications of tone Informal “If it were me, I would probably pick the big old TV.” Just right “According to the criteria presented out in this report, the 60 inch television will meet all of your needs.” Too formal “The implications of the systematic research report, as evaluated through mutually exclusive criteria, suggest that the 60 inch television will best suit the immediate and long-term needs of your company.”

8. Grade each example for tone Skim the each report and grade each for tone (A-F)

9. Style Style is structure (or syntax) of writing Wordy, awkward, passive voice All point to conciseness and clarity

10. Watch out for… Nominalizations (verbs acting as nouns) The implication of the findings of the report show… To be verbs (am, is, are, be, being, been) There are four major findings in the report… Overly complex or redundant words There are important and significant implications based on the complex analysis that was performed…

11. Grade each example for style..

12. How Users Read According to 2008 study, casual users read about 18% of the content on a website. IF users are invested and have time, they will read 28% of a site’s content. So, what implications does this have when writing a report?

13. Example Analysis For each example, write down the content in each section. Then, grade each section and justify the grade. Introduction Body Conclusion/Recommendation