SESSION 12 Writing and Completing Reports and Proposals

SESSION 12 Writing and Completing Reports and Proposals

OBJECTIVES : 1 List the topics commonly covered in the introduction, body, and close of informational reports, analytical reports, and proposals 2 Identify six guidelines for drafting effective website content and offer guidelines for becoming a valuable wiki contributor 3 Discuss six principles of graphic design that can improve the quality of your visuals and identify the major types of business visuals 4 Summarize the four tasks involved in completing business reports and proposals

Applying the Three-Step Writing Process to Reports and Proposals Reports fall into three basic categories: • Informational reports offer data, facts, feedback, and other types of information, with- out analysis or recommendations. • Analytical reports offer both information and analysis and can also include recommendations. • Proposals present persuasive recommendations to internal or external audiences, often involving investments or purchases.

Writing Reports and Proposals • Adapting to Your Audience ØThe “you” attitude is especially important with long or complex reports because they demand a lot from readers. ØYou can adjust the formality of your writing through your word choices and writing style. • Drafting Report Content ØThe introduction needs to put the report in context for the reader, introduce the subject, preview main ideas, and establish the tone of the document. ØThe body of your report presents, analyzes, and interprets the information you gathered during your investigation. ØYour close is often the last opportunity to get your message across, so make it clear and compelling.

• Drafting Proposal Content ØIn an unsolicited proposal, your introduction needs to convince readers that a problem or an opportunity exists. ØReaders understand that a proposal is a persuasive message, so they’re willing to accommodate a degree of promotional emphasis in your writting as long as it is professional and focused on their needs.

Writing for Websites and Wikis • Drafting Website Content Readers don’t approach websites and online reports in the same way they approach printed documents, so your approach as a writer needs to change as well. • Collaborating on Wikis Effective collaboration on wikis requires a unique approach to writing Before you add new pages to a wikis, figure out how the material fits with the existing content.

Illustrating Your Reports with Effective Visuals • visual literacy—the ability (as a sender) to create effective images and (as a receiver) to correctly interpret visual messages has become a key business skill. Even without any formal training in design, being aware of the following six principles will help you be a more effective visual communicator: Consistency, Contrast, balance, emphasis, convention, simplicity • Choosing the Right Visual for the Job, You have many types of visuals to choose from, and each is best suited to particular communication tasks

Data Visualization • Data visualization tools can overcome the limitations of conventional charts and other display types. • Unlike conventional charts, data visualization tools are more about uncovering broad meaning and finding hidden connections.

Flowcharts and Organization Charts • A flowchart, illustrates a sequence of events from start to finish; it is indispensable when illustrating processes, procedures, and sequential relationships. • An organization chart illustrates the positions, units, or functions in an organization and the ways they interrelate. Organization charts can be used to portray almost any hierarchy, in fact, including the topics, subtopics, and sup- porting points you need to organize for a report.

INFOGRAPHICS • Infographics have become extremely popular on websites and blogs, partly because their eye-catching appeal attracts visitors, click throughs, and social sharing. • The best use of an infographic is to help readers make connections between fragmented pieces of information, rather than simply dressing up basic data charts with design elements that might be attractive but add little to understanding.

Completing Reports and Proposals • Four tasks to complete your document: revise, produce, proofread, and distribute • The revision process for long reports can take considerable time, so be sure to plan ahead. • Tight, efficient writing is especially important with online content. • Producing Formal Reports and Proposals The number and variety of parts you include in a report depend on the type of report, audience requirements, organizational expectations, and report length A synopsis is a brief overview of a report’s key points; an executive summary is a fully developed “mini” version of the report.

Distributing Reports and Proposals • For physical distribution of important printed reports or proposals, consider spending the extra money for a professional courier or package delivery service • For electronic distribution, unless your audience specifically requests a word processor file, provide documents as portable document format (PDF) files • If your company or client expects you to distribute your reports via a webbased content management system, a shared workspace, or some other online location, double-check that you’ve uploaded the correct file(s) to the correct location. Verify the on-screen display of your reports after you’ve posted them, making sure graphics, charts, links, and other elements are in place and operational.

Question : 1. List the topics commonly covered in the introduction, body, and close of informational reports, analytical reports, and proposals. 2. Summarize the four tasks involved in completing business reports and proposals. 3. Describe the AIDA Model for Persuasive Messages. 4. Compare the Direct and Indirect Approaches for Negative Messages.