Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
REPORT is a purpose oriented objective piece of writing. A report is written for various purposes; that is, to
inform, to suggest, to plan, to interact, to inter-communicate, to decide, to conclude, to persuade, and to instruct
(or to teach).
The following aspects are important in understanding the purpose of reports:
Making Decisions:
Besides all these functions, a report is basically the part of decision making process which helps in evaluation,
assessment, and judgment. There can be many sorts of decisions which an individual and an organization needs
to take before launching of a new project, before making amendments in the existing set-up, and to ensure the
smooth working of an already working operation. From launching of a new product to planning a new city,
report is the initial step, which clarifies the situation and brings up reality in to the planning.
Collection of data:
A successful report relies on Data in the form of facts and figures to be logical and for precision. Real life
decisions are made on the basis of realistic data collected through research methods. A report based upon
imaginary data and guess work eventually proves to be worthless, impractical and a complete failure at the end.
For example if a road construction plan is taken off on the basis of a false report giving fictitious statistics about
the need, durability, physical conditions, lands situation, width, breadth, sanitation, sewage etc. ,very soon will
be proved disastrous. These kinds of faulty projects are the result of incomplete research and wrong
information, finally, creating more problems and wastage of precious resources, energy, and time.
Planning your reports:
Before start writing think about your areas of discussion, set your limits and make points of your major aspects.
The major points can be turned into headings during the actual report writing process. Different techniques can
be used as a process of collecting ideas before starting the final first draft of report, like brain storming, freewriting, outlining and rough-sketching.
Title:
Decide a creative and expressive title to take an effective start. The selected topic must be a defining one to
guide the reader about the main contents of the report. It is better if the title explains the aim or purpose of the
report. It should not be one-word title, as it appears too short at definition. On the other hand it neither should
too long to be wordy, verbose or over expressive.
The Seven Cs of Effective Written Communication:
1. Completeness
i. Provide all necessary information
ii. Answer all possible questions in mind of a reader, as Who? What? When? Where? Why?
iii. Give something extra only when desired.
2. Conciseness
i. Eliminate wordy expressions, e.g. At this time- wordy Now-concise
ii. Include only relevant material
iii. Avoid unnecessary repetition.
3. Consideration
i. Focus on You instead of I or We
Authorization; give clear information about the writer, sender and receiver or the reader of the report.
Sources: mention the source, the method, the names of the institutions and the ways through which data
is collected
Scope: mention the implications of the report-on what areas the findings can be applied-political,
economic, religious etc.
Definitions: provide the basic definition of the problem, technical terms repeatedly occurring in the text
etc
Background: give the historical background of the problem if there is any, to facilitate the reader to
comprehend.
Limits: set clear limits of your topic to avoid irrelevance, repetition, to make it more precise, direct and
purpose oriented.
Brief mention of results: mentally prepare the reader about conclusion by giving a short synopsis of
perceived results.