Effective Report Writing Skills

RPMM - MHR
L/O/G/O
Effective Report Writing Skills
U Aye Kyaw
B.A (Econ), PGD (CIM, UK), F.A.B.E (UK)
Senior Professional (SHRM, USA)
Managing Director cum Principal, MHR
18 20 September, 2013
Hotel Mandalay
Copyright MHR, Room (905), Thanzay Condo, Lanmadaw St, Yangon, Myanmar, Tel: 707822, 216168

May we welcome you to this training programme
Welcome !!!
Thanks for your presence, and

we are very pleased to have you with us.
Contents
I.
Using a Dictionary
XII.Active and Passive Voice
II. A Guide to Basic Punctuation
XIII.The Stages of Report Writing
III. Traditional Parts of Speech
XIV.The First Stage
IV. Sentence Structure
Investigation
XV. The Second Stage Planning

V. Mastering Subject Verb Agreement
VI. Becoming a Good Writer
XVI.The Third Stage Writing
VII.The Rules of Writing
XVII.The Fourth Stage Revising
VIII.The Readability Index
XVIII.Formal Reports
IX. Paragraphs
XIX.How to Use Handling
X. Emphasis
XX.Charts and Graphs
XI. Unity and Coherence
XXI.The Finishing Touches

XXII.Practical Application

I. USING A DICTIONARY

II. A GUIDE TO BASIC PUNCTUATION
A. TERMINAL PUNCTUATION
1. Period
used to indicate the end of a sentence
2. Question Mark
used to identify a query (an interrogative
sentence).
3. Exclamation Point
used to note an emphatic remark

II. A GUIDE TO BASIC PUNCTUATION (continued)
B. SENTENCE PUNCTUATION
1. Comma
Commas are used when:
1. Two sentences are joined together by a coordination conjunction.
2. An introductory clause, phrase, or word precedes
the sentence.
3. Three or more words, phrases, or clauses are
written in a series.
4. A sentence is interrupted by a clause, phrase, or
word that is not part of the sentence structure.
5. A series of coordinated adjectives describes the
same noun.
6. With places, addresses, dates, and titles.
7. A sentence introduces a quotation.

C. SEMICOLON
1. Use a semicolon to separate main clauses not
joined by coordinating conjunctions such as and,
but, for, nor, or, so, and yet.
2. Use a semicolon before an adverb such as
nevertheless, however.
3. Use semicolons to separate the elements in a
series that already contains commas
D. COLON
4. used after a complete statement
5. cannot follow They are because it is not a
complete statement
6. also used between the hour and minutes

E. APOSTROPHE
1. Use the apostrophe to show omission of letters in a
contraction.
2. Use the apostrophe with s to show possession.
3. Do not use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns
(whose, ours, yours, hers, theirs, its
4. Avoid using the possessive apostrophe with
inanimate things.

III. TRADITIONAL PARTS OF SPEECH
1. Noun
Names a person, place, thing, or
abstraction
(runner, town, pen, love).
2. Pronoun
Refers to a noun already used or implied.
Replaces noun (who, that, she, himself).
3. Verb
Asserts an action or a state of being (to
jump,
to be).
4. Adjective
Describes or limits a noun or pronoun
(happy, lucky, Indian).
5. Adverb
Describes or limits a verb, adverb, or
adjective
(quickly, really, very).
6. Conjunction
Connects words, phrases, and clauses
(but,
and, because, when).
7. Preposition
Relates a noun or pronoun to another
noun

III. TRADITIONAL PARTS OF SPEECH (continued)
1. Articles are the two words a and the, which function as
adjectives by specifying whether nouns are specific or
general.
2. Verbals are forms of the verb that function as other
parts of speech. Verbals consist of infinitives and
participles. Using them adds variety to your writing of
simple sentences.
a) Infinitive : the to form of the verb may be used as a
noun,
adjective, or adverb.

IV. SENTNECE STRUCTURE
A sentence is an organized group of words that

expresses a complete thought and can stand on its
own as an independent statement
A. SENTENCE FRAGMENTS
A sentence fragment is an incomplete unit of
thought punctuated to look like a complete
sentence.
A fragment cannot stand on its own because it
lacks a subject, a verb, or both.
B. RUN ON SENTENCES
A run on sentence contains two or more complete
thoughts that are joined together only by a comma
or that are written as one long sentence without
any
whatsoever.
Copyright
MHR,punctuation
Room (905), Thanzay Condo,
Lanmadaw St, Yangon, Myanmar, Tel: 707822, 216168

V. MASTERING SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT
A. WORDS TO TRICK YOU
1. What happens if you have two subjects in one
sentence? If the subjects are joined by and then
the sentence requires a plural verb.
2. Subjects that look multiple but that are really
singular.
3. When words ending in-one, -body, or thing are
used as a subject they are always singular.

VI. BECOMING A GOOD WRITER
You must read.
You must write.
You should want to write.
You need a feedback system to judge how you are
doing, to know if your writing works.
Good writing must be clear, concise, complete, and
correct.

VII. THE RULES OF WRITING
1. Use familiar words
2. Prefer short, simple words
3. Use concrete words
4. Prefer active to passive verbs
5. Avoid camouflaged verbs
6. Arrange sentences for emphasis and clarity
7. Keep sentences short
8. Ensure modifying words and phrases relate to nouns
and pronouns
9. Use words economically

VIII. THE READABILITY INDEX
1. Mark out samples of 100 words each.
2. Divide the number of words in all the samples by the
number of sentences. This will give you the average
sentence length.
3. Count the number of words of three or more syllables in
each 100 words. Dont count proper or words which are
combinations of short, easy words.
4. Add the average sentence length and the number of
hard words per hundred.
5. Multiply the sum by 0.4. The resulting number
corresponds
to the grade-level reading ability.

VIII. THE READABILITY INDEX (continued)
The Cognoman of Crane was not inapplicable to this

person.
He was tall but exceedingly lank with narrow

shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a
mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for
shovels, and his whole frame hung most loosely
together.
His head was small and flat at the top, with huge ears,
green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that it
looked like a weather-cock placed on his spindle neck,
to tell which way the wind blew.
To see him striding along the profile of a hill on a

windy day, with his clothes bagging and fluttering

IX. PARAGRAPHS
A paragraph is defined as a collection of sentences
developing one topic.
Paragraphs have a beginning (a statement of the
theme), a middle (clearly and logically develops the
theme), and an end (concludes the discussion and
sometimes provides a link to the next paragraph).
Limit each paragraph to one idea.
A good length for ordinary report writing is 100 to 150
words.

X. EMPHASIS
To emphasize an idea in your reports, you can use:
Underlining
Italics and boldface
Font changes
All caps
Dashes
Tabs
What are some other ways of making important
points stand out?
What are some ways of de-emphasizing bad news?

XI. UNITY AND COHERENCE
Unity means oneness.
A paragraph has unity if it sticks to one subject.
While planning a paragraph, ask yourself frequently, Is
this on the subject?
If it isnt, cross it out.
Coherence means sticking together.
When referring to paragraphs, it includes the proper
arrangement of ideas so they fit together.
The different sentences that compose a paragraph
should follow one another in natural and logical order.
If they do not, the reader can become distracted and
find it hard to keep the threads of the topic together.

XI. UNITY AND COHERENCE (continued)
And
Moreover
Further
Furthermore
Also
Likewise
Similarly
Too
In like manner
Again
But
Nevertheless
Otherwise
On the other hand
Conversely
On the contrary
however
Yet
Still
In the same way

Besides

XI. UNITY AND COHERENCE (continued)
To show time relation
To indicate order
To show space relations
To introduce illustrations
To indicate a consequence or conclusion
To indicate the repetition of an idea
To compare

XII. ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE
In sentences with active-voice verbs, the subject is the
doer of the action.
In passive voice verbs, the subject is acted upon.
Most writers prefer action verbs because such verbs tell
the reader clearly who or what is performing the action.
The new process is believed to be superior by the
investigators.
The office will be inspected by Mr. Hall.
An appointment was made for January 12.

XII. ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE (continued)
A complete reorganization was affected by the
president.
In response to your order, the documents are being sent
today.
This letter is being written to help you understand more
about our personal computers.
A check is being made about your order, and upon its
completion, a full analysis will be sent to you.
The letter was typed by Brian.
It was felt by most readers that the report was too long
and complex to be read by them.

XIII. THE STAGES OF REPORT WRITING

XIV. THE FIRST STAGE INVESTIGATION
The Rules of Evidence
1. Look at the evidence and follow where it leads.
2. Look for the simplest explanation that accounts for
all the evidence.
3. Look at all likely alternatives.
4. Beware of absolute statements.

XIV. THE FIRST STAGE INVESTIGATION (continued)
360 degree performance reviews
How much succession planning New England farmers
have done
Efficiency of different types of project management
software
Alternative energy sources that your company could use
Safety issues in your workplace
Trends in the shipping industry
Styles of documentation :
MLA (Modern Language Association)
The APA (American Psychological Association)
The CBE (Council of Biology Editors)

XV. THE SECOND STAGE PLANNING
Structure of a Report
Introduction
Body or Discussion
Conclusions
Recommendations

XV. THE SECOND STAGE PLANNING (continued)
Purpose
Audience
Format
Evidence
Organization

The first letter of PAFEO stands for purpose, but in
report writing it can also be a reminder of the need to
define the problem.
Purpose and problem need to be considered in two
ways:
Find out what purpose management had in mind in
ordering the report.
Define the problem as precisely as you can.
This series of questions can help you describe the
dimensions of a problem.
What is the problem?
Where is the problem?
When is the problem?

Who will your audience or audiences be?
How much background do I need to give this reader?
What does the reader need to know and how can I best
provide this information?
How is my credibility with this reader?
Is the reader likely to agree or disagree with my
position? What tone would be most appropriate in view
of this agreement of disagreement?
Ways to highlight your material:
Bullets
Bold
Italics
Headings
Sub headings

The direct approach contains:
Synopsis
Recommendations
Body/Discussion
Summary
Conclusions
The indirect approach contains:
Executive Summary
Introduction
Body/Discussion
Conclusions
Recommendations

Which approach do you think might be best with the
following topics?
Restricting the age limit of ATVs
Recommending flu shots be administered to small
children
Discussion paper on immunization for all beef cattle
The best use of school buildings during silent hours
The Rules of Evidence
1. Look at the evidence and follow where it leads.
2. Look for the simplest explanation that accounts for
all the evidence.
3. Look at all likely alternatives.
4. Beware of absolute statements.

Using a Summary
A report in miniature
Gets quickly to the point
Sets up framework that helps the reader follow your
line of thinking in the entire report.
Use headings to divide and clarify each part
Organizing the Report
Introduction: Prepares the reader for the report to
follow
Body of the report: Contains your findings
Report ends with conclusions and recommendation

Organizing your Research
Experienced writers often use file cards/post-it notes
when they collect information.
These can be easily arranged and rearranged.
By arranging them in piles, you can create and
organize information into a plan.
Time
Place
Factor
Problem-analysis-solution
Order of importance

XVI. THE THIRD STAGE WRITING
First, review your problem/purpose statement.
Then, review your report outline.
After that, concentrate on getting your ideas down on
paper, not on the niceties of style.
Once you have completed your first draft, go over it
carefully, penciling in improvements.

XVII. THE FOURTH STAGE REVISING
Check the facts
Check the length
Check the organizational structure
Check the style
Check the spelling, grammar, and punctuation

XVIII. FORMAL REPORT
Cover
Letter of Transmittal
Title Page
Synopsis or Executive Summary
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Body/Discussion
Summary
Conclusions
Recommendations
Appendix

XIX. HOW TO USE HEADING
MAJOR HEADING
MAJOR SUB-HEADING
Minor Sub-Heading
Secondary Minor Sub-Heading.

XX. CHARTS AND GRAPHS
Area Graph

XX. CHARTS AND GRAPHS (continued)
Bar Graph

Column Graph

Curve Chart

Surface Chart

Use graphics in your report:
If your data is complex and using a table or chart will
help the reader understand your point.
If compiling the data in a table or chart will save the
reader time.
If a list, chart, or table will conveniently collect
information the reader may want to refer to later.
Keep tables and charts as brief a possible.
Signal the reader when a table or chart is coming up.
Label graphics clearly and specifically.
Number tables and charts consecutively.
Use a graphic only if it will help the reader
understand your point.
Dont interrupt the text with a graphic.
Point out the significance of the table/chart.
Keep the graphic as simple as possible.
Use white space and labeling

XXI. THE FINISHING TOUCHES
The Acid Test
Does the reader know me?
Does the reader like me?
Does the reader want to do business with me?

XXI. THE FINISHING TOUCHES (continued)
The Six Steps of Persuasion
1. You must get your message to the audience.
2. You must get someone to pay attention to it.
3. The message must be understandable.
4. Your arguments must be convincing.
5. The audience must be willing to give in or to yield.
6. They must remember their new attitude and be
willing to act.

XXI. THE FINISHING TOUCHES (continued)
Design your message to take advantage of any helpful
qualities your organization, your department, or you
have.
Credibility is an important quality.
Being liked helps make persuasion more successful.
Perceived power is another characteristic that leads to
effective persuasion.
Can you think of any additional helpful characteristics
to develop in your proposals?
Should you only give one side of the story in your
message?
Which side should you give first?
Should you make conclusions specific or let the
audience draw its own conclusions?
Do
fear
techniques
Copyright
MHR,
Room (905), Thanzaywork?
Condo, Lanmadaw St, Yangon, Myanmar, Tel: 707822, 216168
RPMM - MHR
L/O/G/O
Thank You!

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