Writing Short Reports
In this lecture we will learn about:
- Characteristics of effective short reports
- Accuracy and evidence
- Concrete description of facts and events
- Putting facts in perspective
- Maintaining objectivity and avoiding personal bias
- Judgment, format, style, and organization
- Planning and structuring short reports
What makes a good report?
• Reports are essentially a management tool. Even the most capable managers rely on other people to collect information for them.
• You may be surprised that a variety of documents qualify as reports.
• The word report covers everything from preprinted forms to brief, informal letters and memos to three-volume manuscripts.
• The goal of developing a report is to make information as clear and convenient as possible.
• Good reports have three things in common:
– The information is accurate.
– The content shows writer’s good judgment.
– The format, style, and organization respond to reader’s needs.
Accuracy
• The first thing a business report must learn to do is to tell the truth.
• To ensure accuracy:
– Check the facts
– Reduce distortion
Describe facts and events in concrete terms
• It’s better to say:
– Sales have increased from Rs. 400,000 to Rs. 450,000 in two months
• Rather than:
– Sales have skyrocketed.
Put the facts in perspective
• If you tell your reader:
– The value of stock has doubled in three weeks
• You are only giving a partial picture. Readers will have a much better understanding if you say:
– The value of stock has doubled in three weeks rising from Rs. 2 to Rs. 4 per share on the rumor of a potential merger.
Give plenty of evidence for your conclusions
• Statements like:
– We have to recognize the sales force or we are bound to lose market share
• May or may not be true unless sufficient data is provided.
Present only objective evidence and verifiable conclusions
• Avoid drawing conclusions from insufficient information.
• Also don’t assume that a preceding event is a cause of what follows.
• Example:
– If sales decreased after a new advertising agency was contracted, it doesn’t mean the agency is to blame. Other factors may have a role as well.
Keep your personal biases in check
• Even if you have a personal bias, try to keep your feelings from influencing your choice of words.
• Such biases not only offend but also obscure facts and provoke emotional responses.
Good judgment
1. Getting the main idea at the beginning of the report.
2. Seeing the facts.
3. Receiving the whole story.
4. Reading language the audience can understand.
5. Learning something that will make their jobs easier.
Responsive format, style, and organization
• Before you write, decide:
– Whether to use a letter, memo, or manuscript format
– How to group your ideas logically
– Whether to employ a formal or informal style
• Consider origin, subject, timing, distribution, purpose, and probable reception of the report.
Planning Short Reports
• Follow report-writing customs your audience expects.
• Length and format depend on audience, purpose, and subject matter.
• Short reports can be preprinted forms, letters, memos, or manuscripts.
Establishing a Basic Structure
• Choice of structure involves three decisions:
– What to say?
– Direct or indirect?
– Topical or logical organization?
Key points to cover
• Your report should answer the audience’s key questions:
– What ideas would you include?
– What major questions does your audience have about the subject?
• Objective is to answer all questions in a logical order.
Practical Tool for Writers
• When writing short reports, many organizations require strict length limits. You can use our Character Counter Tool to instantly check character and word counts before submission.