Module 23

Short Reports

What are the basic strategies for organizing information?

Try one of these seven patterns.

Information can be organized in a variety of ways. There are seven patterns common in organizing information in reports:

· Comparison/contrast

· Problem-solution

· Elimination of alternatives

· General to particular or particular to general

· Geographic or spatial

· Functional

· Chronological

Do different kinds of reports use different patterns of organization?

Yes. Work with the reader’s expectations.

Writers should analyze their audiences carefully to determine which pattern of organization to use. In general, though, readers expect specific patterns of organization in three kinds of reports. Informative and feasibility reports use the following patterns:

Informative and Closure Reports

· Summarize the problems or successes of the project in the first paragraph.

· Give a chronological account of how the problem was discovered, what was done, and what the results were.

· Suggest later actions in the concluding paragraph.

Feasibility Reports

· Open by explaining the decision to be made, alternatives, and criteria.

· Evaluate each alternative in the body.

· Put your recommendation at the end, unless your audience prefers it at the beginning.

Justification Reports

· Indicate what you’re asking for and why it’s needed.

· Briefly give the background of the problem or need.

· Explain each possible solution.

· Summarize the action needed.

· Ask for the action you want.

Problem-Solving or Recommendation Reports (Short)

· Describe the organizational problem.

· Show why easier or less expensive solutions will not solve the problem.

· Present your solution impersonally.

· Show that the disadvantages of your solution are outweighed by advantages.

· Summarize the action you need.

· Ask for the action you want.

Should I use the same style for reports as for other business documents?

Yes, with three exceptions.

Unless the audience expects otherwise, writers should follow the general principles for writing described in Module 15 and Module.

1. Use a fairly formal style, without contractions or slang.

2. Avoid the word you.

3. Include in the report all the definitions and documents needed to understand the recommendation.

In particular, writers should pay attention to three key principles of any writing:

· Say what you mean.

· Tighten your writing.

· Use transitions, topic sentences, and headings.