Chapter 12 - Writing Reports and Proposals

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Four Aspects of Audience Sensivity

1. Adoping the "you" attitude

2. Maintaining good standards of etiquette

3. Emphasizing the positive

4. using bias-free language

- formal tone (remove all pronouns of I etc.)

Drafting Report Content

Introduction includes

1. tying report to a broader problem or assignment

2. introduces subject and indicates why important

3. previews main ideas and the order they'll be covered

4. establish tone of document

Body

- present, analyze and intepret information gathered through investigation

Conclusion

1. Emphasizes main points of message

2. Summarizes benefit if there is a proposed action

3. brings all action items together and who should do what, when, where and how

- readers may only read summary

Creating Report Effectiveness:

Accurate Double check facts

Complete include everything to understand situation, illustrations, explnations, facts.

Balanced present all sides fairly and equitable

Clear and Logical clear sentence structure, well chosen words, logical

Documented Properly Give credit to sources

Introduction: elements included depend on nature and length of report. Should contain all of the following, choose most relevant.

Authorization - Who assigned it and the date (long reports - letter of transmittal)

Problem/Opportunity/Purpose - why was it written and practical outcomes

Scope - what is and isn't included in report

Background - historical conditions that led up to this report

Sources and Methods - how samples were selected, how questionairres were constructed

Definitions - a list of terms that might be unfamiliar

Limitations - reasons why you don't have complete information - time limits, limited information

Report Organization - what topics are covered in which order, and why.

Report Body

Explanation of problem or opportunity

facts, stats, trends

results of studies

discussion and analysis of potential courses of action

pros, cons, costs and benefits of options

procedures or teps in process

methods and approaches

criteria for evaluating alternatives and options

conclusions and recommendations

supporting reasons for above.

Report Close

- content and length depend on whether it's direct or indirect

Purpose of close is to invoke action, or present options

conclusion can be sentences or paragraphs

Drafting Proposal Content

Demonstrate your knowledge and credibility - show that you have knowledge and experience to solve problem

provide concrete information and examples - avoid vague unsupported generalizations. provide quantifable details - how much money, how and why

research the competition - become familiar with the products, services and prices of those companies.

prove your proposal is workable - must be appropriate and feasible

adapt a "you" attitude - relate information to the readers exact needs

package your proposal appropriately - errors, omissions or inconsistencies will work against you

Proposal Introduction

- if a RFP refer to the RFP in introduction

- if proposal is unsolicited, explain why you are submitting proposal

1. Background or statement of the problem - establish need for action.

2. Solution - brief description of the chance you propose.

3. Scope - what you will and will not do

4. Organization - orientas the reader to the struction

Proposal Body

- complete details

- persuasive message

1.proposed solution - what you have to offer: concept, product

2. work plan - who you'll accomplish what must be done. when work will be done, when will finish, what followup

3. statement of qualifications - experience, personanel, and facilities

4. costs - pricing, expenses, discounts

Proposal Close

-Summarizes key points, emphasizes benefits

- brief, assertive, and confident.

- persuade readers to accept your proposal

Establish a time perspective

- will you write in past or presense tense?

- observe chronological sequence of events

Report Navigation

1. Headings and links - readers should be able to follow structure with headings and subheadings

2. transitions - words or phrases to transition. in a large proposal transition can be paragraphs.

3. previews and reviews - introduce important topics and help readers get ready for new information. especially when new or complex. Can be bulleted or sentence format.

Using Technology to craft reports and proposals

Templates - indentify specific sections (marketing plan, financial analysis etc.)

Linked and Embedded documents - spreadsheets, databases, etc.

Electronic Forms - boilerplate text for material that doesn't change

Electronic Documents - PDF, safer than word docs, but can be used to transmit viruses

multimedia documents - video clips, animation etc

Proposal Writing Sofware

Writing for Websites & Wikis

Drafting Website Content

Take special care to build trust with audience

adopt content for global audience

create compellling content

present info in concise, skimmable format

write effective links for both site navigation and content skinning

Collaborating on Wikis -

- let go of traditional expectations of authorship

- encourage all team members to improve anothers work

-use page templates

-use separate editing and discussion capabilities appropriately

-take advantage of the sandbox

Illustrating Reports with Effective Visuals

- carefully crafted visuals enhance power of words

- visuals often carry connotive meaning

6 principles of graphic design

Visual literacy is the ability to create and interpret visual messages

Consistensy -assuming design elements will be consistent one page to another. Consistent use of color, shape, size, texture, position, scale, typeface

Contrast - make color differences more subtle. 2 similar items in shades, and disiimilar in another one

Balance - formal - arranged symmetrically, informal - not evenly but stronger and weaker elements arranged in a way that achieves overal affect of balance

emphasis - audiences assume dominant element in design is most important

convention - page flows left to right or right to left

Simplicity - simpler is usually better avoid chart junk

Ethics of Visual Communication

Consider all possible interpretations and misinterpretations - will audience bias lead them to difficult conclusion than you intend?

Provide enough background info to help audience intepret

don't hide or minimize visual information

don't oversimplify complex situations by hiding complications

don't imply cause and effect relationships without providing proof

avoid emotional manipulation

be careful with the way you aggregate or group, data.

Identifying Points to Illustrate

- consider flow from audience's point of view

- which parts are complex, open to misinterpretation, or even a little dull. Does audience need proof?

5 C's to deside which points to present visually

1. Clear - something simple,

2. Complete - visuals, like tables serve to provide the supporting details

3. Consise - image shouldn't require explanation

4. Connected- key purpose of many business messages - show cause and effect

5. compelling - illustrations should make message more persuasive

Type of Visual

Preseting Data

1. Tables - presend individual, exact values

2. line chart, bar chart - show trends in one or more variables

3. bar chart, line chart - compare two or more sets of data

4. Pie Chart - show frequency or distribution of parts

5. Data Visualization - show massive data sets, complex quantities or dynamic data.

Presenting Information, Concepts & Ideas

1. Map - show geographic relationships or comparisons

2. Flowchart, diagram - illustrate processes or procedures

3. Drawing - show conceptual or spatial relationships

4. photograph - show spatial relationships (realistic)

5. animation, video - show processes, transformations & other activities

- Tables can display extensive amoutns of data

- line charts commonly used to show trends over time

- most readers expect pie charts to show distribution of parts within a whole

- data visualization tools let you display vast data sets, dynamic data, and textual information graphically

- use maps to represent statistics by geographic area

- inforgraphics are diagrams that contain enough textual information to function as stand-alone documents

- use photographs for visual appeal and to show exact appearances

-maintain a balance between text and visuals and pace your visuals in a way that emphasizes your key poitns

- tie visuals to text by introducing them in the text and places them near the points they illustrate

- Title is similar to subheading - short description that identifies content and purpose of visual

- caption offers additional discussion of the visual's content

- legend helps readers decode the visual

- descriptive title identifies the topic oVf illustration

- informative title tells even more by calling attention to the consclusion

Verifying Quality and integrity of your visuals

Is the visual accurate? check for mistakes in typing, inconsistent colour treatment, misalignments

is the visual properly documented?

Is the visual honest?