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Module 9

Communication for Work Purposes: Writing Business and

Technical Report
Learning Outcomes

1. Communicate ideas effectively using the different forms of communication in the

work field.
2. Explain the classification, parts, and types of report
3. Write a sample report applying the principles of report writing style.

Overview

A report is a comprehensive document that covers all aspects of the subject matter of
study. It presents results of an experiment, investigation, research, or an inquiry to a specific
audience.

Business and Technical Reports

Concept Grounding

Characteristics of a Report

1. It presents information not an argument.

2. It is meant to be scanned quickly by the reader.
3. It uses numbered headings and sub headings.
4. It is composed of shot and concise paragraphs.
5. It uses graphic illustrations such as tables, graphs, pie charts, etc.
6. It may have an abstract or an executive summary.
7. It may or may not have references or bibliography.
8. It often contains recommendations and/or appendices.

Report Categories

I. The Informal Reports

 It functions to inform, analyse, and recommend.
 It may be in the form of a memo, financial report, monthly activities
report, development report, research report, etc.
 It is written according to an institutions style and rules. Introductory
and prefatory parts are not required.
 It is used for conveying routine messages.

Types of Informal Report

a) Progress report – written to provide information about the way a

project is developing
b) Sales activity report – helps a firm to understand about the
progress the sales people and also identify the shortcomings

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c) Personal evaluation – used by an organization to assess an

employee’s performance
d) Financial report – a presents formal record of the financial
activities of a business, person, or other entries
e) Feasibility study – assesses the viability of a new project; details
whether or not a project should be undertaken and the reasons for
that decision; persuades or helps the decision makers to choose
between available options
f) Literature review – conveys to the readers the work already done
and the knowledge and ideas that have been already established
on a particular topic of research
g) Credit report – details report of an individual’s credit history
prepared by a credit bureau (Credit bureau collect information and
create credit reports based on that information, and lenders use
the reports along with other details to determine loan applications’
credit worthiness.)

II. The Formal Report

a) It is an official report that contains a collection of detailed
information, research, and data necessary to make decisions.
b) It is formal, complex and used at an official level.
c) It is often a written account of a major project.
d) It may be in the form of launching a new technology or a new
project line, results of a study or an experiment, a review of
developments in the field, etc.

TYPES OF FORMAL REPORTS

Type Characteristics Examples

 Provides data, facts, feedback,  Results of a research
and other types of information on the rise of HIV
without analysis or patients
recommendations.
Informal report  Presents an update of an
operation, an information or
status of a current research so
readers can understand a
particular problem or situation.
Analytical report  It goes beyond just presenting  Explanation of what
results. causes a
 Analytical reports present phenomenon
results, analyse those results,  Presentation of the
and draw conclusions based on results of a traffic
those results. It attempts to study showing
describe why or how something accidents at an
happened and explains what it intersection
means. – the report explains
what it means.
 Explanation of the
potential results of a
particular course of
action
 Suggestion which

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option, action, or
procedure is best.
 Report writing on
monthly budgets,
staff absentees and
so on…
 This type advocates a particular  Using treatment X is
course of action. This usually more efficient than
presents the results and treatments Y and Z.
conclusions that support the However, that does
recommendations. not mean that you
Recommendatio
 What should one do about a will use treatment X
n reports
problem? as cost and other
 Can a team do something? considerations might
 Should one change techniques, recommend
methods, technology, or do treatment Y.
something else?
 Most widely used report usually  Writing a report on
in university levels. some product
RESEARCH developing.
REPORTS  Report writing for
your competitor’s
activities.
CASE STUDY  Includes real life examples  Widely used in
ANALYSIS university level
REPORTS competitions.

PARTS OF A REPORT

Parts of the Brief Language

Contents
report Description Characteristics
 Name of the report in al caps (e.g.
FINAL REPORT)
 Receiver’s name, title, and
organization
Name of the  Team name and team members
Title Page factual
report  Date submitted (monthly/date/year)
 The author/s and their
association/organization.
 No page number on title page
(page 1 is executive summary)
 Show the beginning page number
where each report heading
appears in the report (do not put
page number range, just the first
page number).
What you
Table of  Connect headings to page
find in the factual
contents numbers with dots.
report
 Heading should be grammatically
parallel
 Include major section headings and
sub-headings
 No page number on TOC page

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 Should be no longer than one

page. Factual, use of
Executive A summary  It provides the key third person,
Summary of the report recommendations and conclusions, use of passive
rather than a summary of the verbs
document.
 Briefly describe the content.
 Identify the general subject matter.
Background
 Describe the issue or problem to
, problem, Factual, use of
be reported on.
approach, third person,
Introduction  State the specific questions the
definition of use of passive
special reports answers. verbs
words used  Outline the scope structure.
 Comment on the limitations of the
report and any assumptions made.
 For all types of research provide:
 Goal for each piece of research
(what is your
questions/hypothesis?)
Methods or Factual, use of
 Data source for surveys give the
procedures third person,
Methods number of surveys distributed, how
which led to use of passive
was it distributed, how the
the findings verbs
population was chosen.
 For observations give how, when,
and where the observations
occurred.
 The goal is to supply proofs for
conclusions.
 Discuss, analyse, and interpret
(don’t just give results; also say
what they mean – particularly with
benchmarking).
 Remembering to report on all your
research, including interviews with
client and personal observations
(discuss in methodology too.)
Results,
 Support your finding with new Factual, use of
investigation
evidence. third person,
Findings , research,
 Provide summary paragraph of key use of passive
and
findings and their significance at verbs
calculation
end of section.
 Explain all graphs in writing.
 Arrange the finding is logical
segments that follow your outline.
Findings should be presented in
the same order as discussed in
methodology.
 Use clear, descriptive headings.
 Present “just the facts”, or no
opinions, and no feelings.
Conclusion Conclusion  Interpret and summarize the Transition
drawn from findings. signals such as
the findings  Say what they mean. it seems that,
 Relate the conclusions to the report the results
issue/problem. indicate that, it
 Limit the conclusions and present is probable

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them in parallel form.

 Be objective: avoid exaggerating or that, etc.
manipulating the data
 Make specific suggestions for
actions to solve the report problem.
 Avoid conditional words such as
maybe and perhaps
 Present each suggestion
Things that separately and begin with a verb
Recommenda should ne  Number the recommendations
-tions done as a  Describe how the
result recommendations may be
implemented (if you were
requested to do this)
 Arrange the recommendations in
an announce order, such as most
important to least important.
Books,
magazines,
journals,
Bibliography reports,
and other
references
used

DO & CHECK

Check (Questions for Discussion)

1. What are the two main categories of reports? Explain the difference.
2. What are the characteristics of a report?

Do – Activity (To Do)

1. Bring old report/s from government offices, companies, school, hospitals and
other organizations.
2. Based on the report/s that you have gathered write a sample report of your
own, apply the principles in report in writing style.

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