Transcript Chapter 21 Formal Reports

Chapter 21
Formal Reports
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Formal Reports
‣ Are products of particular rhetorical situations
‣ Are composed to solve problems
‣ Meet audience expectations
‣ Are typically recommendation reports,
feasibility reports, and evaluation reports
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Recommendation Reports
‣ Answer the question: what option should be
chosen?
‣ Try to help a company or organization make
the best choice or choices to solve the
particular problems at hand
‣ Involves comparing and contrasting the
different choices, drawing conclusions, and
making the actual recommendations
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Recommendation Reports
‣ Are detailed, thorough, clear, and professional
‣ Understand the different facets of the problem
‣ Recognize the audience of stakeholders
‣ Recommend a choice or choices that best suit
the needs of the company, organization, or
stakeholders themselves
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Feasibility Reports
‣ Study a situation or problem and provide a
plan for addressing that situation or problem
‣ Help readers decide whether it is possible to
implement the plan
‣ May provide readers with a recommendation
that more research is necessary
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Feasibility Reports
‣ Often require a great deal of research and
collaboration
‣ Consider a diverse range of audiences
‣ Are well researched, systematic,
comprehensive, and professional
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Evaluation Reports
‣ Provide a researched opinion about the
worth, value, or effectiveness of something
‣ Tend to consider the past to explore whether
previous decisions were good ones or not
‣ Are sometimes referred to as “assessment
reports” or “performance reports”
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Problem-Solving &
Rhetorical Concerns
‣ Are unique when writing formal reports
‣ Do not rely one single formula to follow when
producing a formal report
‣ Must consider strategies when writing formal
reports
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Audience
‣ Drives the composition of formal reports
‣ Is crucial when composing formal reports
‣ Is often distinct and diverse
‣ Might have different levels of knowledge and
different reasons for wanting or needing the
document itself
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Research
‣ Is necessary in order for the report to be
thorough and detailed
‣ Provides accurate information and facts to
support one’s recommendations or evaluations
‣ Might differ depending on the document’s needs
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Visuals and Graphics
‣ Used in formal reports to help readers use the
document
‣ Should not be used gratuitously or
indiscriminately
‣ Cannot make up for poor writing and planning
‣ Is persuasive by letting one’s audience see
information rather than just read it
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Because formal reports can be
lengthy, detailed, and complex, it is
not uncommon for them to be
composed collaboratively by teams or
committees of individuals, each of
which has a particular role or
responsibility in producing the report
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Drafting & Revising
‣ Are often done “inside-out,” meaning that
they often begin in the middle with body
sections of the document or with research
and data
‣ Are often done many times until finalized
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Distributing
‣ Is important to consider, since formal reports
should look as professional as possible
‣ Typically happens as hardcopies, printed on
quality paper, and illustrated with color,
when applicable
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Components of Formal Reports
‣ Includes front matter
‣ Includes body
‣ Includes back matter
‣ Will not require all sections and pieces of
information in every report
‣ Depends on its own rhetorical situation
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Front Matter
‣ The cover includes a specific title, a byline,
and a date
‣ Covers might also include visuals and graphics
‣ The table of contents
‣ The list of tables, figures, and symbols
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Body
‣ The introduction: should be clear and concise
and alert your audience to what they are reading
‣ The description of the problem the report will
specifically address
‣ The technical background addresses technical
concerns the audience may need
‣ The criteria states how the final decisions,
assessments, or recommendations will be reached
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Body
‣ The discussion of options will summarize the different
options considered for solving the problem
‣ The comparisons look at the options side by side to show
your line of thinking, your rationale for the decisions
‣ The conclusions provide a summary of conclusions
‣ The final recommendations or opinions clearly state
the recommendation, plan, or judgment being given
‣ The executive summaries condense the report for those
who do not need to read the whole thing
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Back Matter
‣ The references refers to works cited pages or
notes
‣ The appendices contain support material for
the body sections of a report or other document
‣ The back cover may present readers with
information about the report, its authors, the
organization or company, or additional
information about the subject
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.
Ethical Issues
‣ Concern accuracy and disclosure
‣ Concern honesty, even when feeling pressure
from an authority to provide desired or
expected answers
Dobrin / Keller / Weisser : Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century.
© 2008 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.