Chapter 9 Business Communication

transmittal message

message that transmits the report to the reader, in formal situations it takes letter form, in less formal situations can be transmitted by email, personal message from the writer to the reader

short reports

organized in either direct or indirect, addressed to an internal audience, middle ground formality

title page

remains to the last because it serves as a useful cover page and contains the most important identifying information, contains identification information such as the title, identification of the writer build around who what where when why

progress reports

routine operational report except it tends to be sumbitted on an as-needed basis, focus on progress toward a specific goal, to show work is on track, typically set no form

routine operational reports

short report that keep supervisors, managers, and and team members informed about the companys operations

letter reports

shorter report form to present info to people outside of the organization

shorter reports usually solve routine problems

so they are likely to be written in the direct order

indirect order letters

tend to not use a subject line, following intro would be logical presentation and analysis of the information gathered

moving down the ladder to more informal and shorter reports

the need for direct order increases, @ bottom direct is a rule

executive summary

the report in miniature, serves as a preview to the report (meant for busy executives that can't read the whole report),

1st level (high formality)

title fly, title page, transmittal page, transmittal message, table of contents, executive summary, the report proper

4th level

title page, combo transmittal/executive summary, the report proper

3rd level

title page, table of contents, combination transmittal/ executive summary, the report proper

5th level

title page, the report proper

2nd level

title page, transmittal page, table of contents, executive summary, the report proper

formal situations

use impersonal writing

when using indirect order open with

coherent statement of your problem and purpose

reports written to external audiences

may or may not state the main conclusions or recommendations in the opening paragraphs, but it is customary to include these in the transmittal message since it doubles as an executive summary

structured coherence plan

for formal reports, a network of introductions, conclusions, and transitions that guide the reader to the report

formal reports

have pages before the reports called prefatory pages when the situation is formal and the report is long

problem-solving reports

help decision makers figure out what to do any time a problem arises within an organization

table of contents

if short report goes over 5 pages or 1500 words, it is the report outline in finished form

organize in indirect order if

if there is reason to believe it would be better for your readers to arrive at conclusions after a logical analysis of your data, FAVOR WHEN RECOMMENDING SOMETHING READERS WONT WANT TO HEAR (give reasoning first)

6th level

letter report

characteristics of a short report

little need for introductory information, predominance of the direct order, a more personal writing style, less need for structured coherence plan

direct order in long report form

main findings up front, in the letter of transmittal the executive summary or both, but report itself may be organized indirectly (fullest statements at end)

reports to external audiences

may or may not state the main conclusions or recommendations

direct order

BACKWARDS ORDER, start with conclusions and recommendations then stating the other info

indirect uses

3rd person

short reports consist of

4th and 5th steps of ladder

indirect order

IN NORMAL ORDER summary, MATCHES THE ORDER OF REPORT CONTENTS, start executive summary with with topic purpose, and origin of report, present key findings, analysis and state the main conclusions and recommendations

short reports

WRITTEN IN DIRECT ORDER (report starts with the most important information) , most common in business, everyday working reports, used for routine information that is vital to an organization's communication, don't need intro, not kept on file very long, intended only for a few readers

flyleaves

blank pages at the beginning and end of report

shorter reports

day to day problems, use personal pronouns

indirect order letters

do not use a subject line, open with brief background info

7th level

email or memo report