978-0073403267 Chapter 23 Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

Type

Quiz

Book Title

Business Communication: Building Critical Skills 6th Edition

ISBN 13

978-0073403267

April 6, 2019

Module 23 - Short Reports

Chapter 23 - Short Reports

Module 23

Short Reports

LO 23-1 Select patterns for short business report organization.

LO 23-2 Apply strategies for short business report organization.

LO 23-3 Apply principles for good business report style.

LO 23-4 Apply strategies for specific and polite question use.

Module Overview

Module 23 focuses on short reports, building on information offered in Module 21 (“Proposals

and Progress Reports”) and Module 22 (“Finding, Analyzing, and Documenting

Information”). If you focus on short reports in your course, have students read these three

modules sequentially.

Stress to students that short reports typically use a memo format, and whenever given the choice

between writing a short or long report on the same subject, writers should opt for the former.

Brevity without sacrificing accuracy or clarity is preferred in business; “padding” for the sake of

increasing length typically weakens a report.

 Teaching Tip: Locate good “real world” examples of reports to share with your

students. These can include reports you’ve completed on the job, short reports on

file in your academic department, or reports posted on the web. Block out any

confidential information. Use these examples with the report examples in the

textbook to show students a range of possible reports and report topics.

Help students understand that “short” should not be synonymous with “skimpy.” Though short

reports have fewer pages than long reports, they must still convey information completely and

accurately. To decide when to use a short report versus a long one, students should consider

PAIBOC. In particular, the purpose of the report and audience influence the type of report

format to use.

 Teaching Tip: Have students read or review the PAIBOC questions in Module 1 (pp.

12-13). These are also shown on PP 1-21 through PP 1-22.

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Module 23 - Short Reports

Chapter 23 - Short Reports

What’s in This Supplement

This supplement is organized around the major questions posed in Module 23. It covers

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises Page 377

Part 2: Answers to Textbook Assignments Page 389

Part 3: Appendixes of Handouts/Transparency Masters Page 391

PowerPoint presentations can be found at our Web page at www.mhhe.com/bcs6e.

Questions (with answers) suitable for quizzes are in the Instructor’s Test Bank. For student

practice quizzes with answers, see our Web page.

Part 1: Key Lecture Points, Teaching Tips, and In-Class Exercises

Do different kinds of reports use different patterns of organization?

LO 23-1

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. As illustrated on PP 23-3

and PP 23-4, informative and closure 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.

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Module 23 - Short Reports

Chapter 23 - Short Reports

 Teaching Tip: Use Figure 23.1 (pp. 379-380) to show students an example of an

informative report. Have students critique it as a group. What elements of the report

work best? Which could be improved? Does the pattern of organization suit the

information contained in the report?

Feasibility Reports (PP 23-6)

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.

PP 23-7 through PP 23-9 show the patterns for justification and short

problem-solving reports. The primary difference between the two types

of reports is how they open, though each also uses a different approach

for presenting possible solutions.

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.

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Module 23 - Short Reports

Chapter 23 - Short Reports

 Teaching Tip: Divide students into four groups and assign one of the types of reports

to them. Give them 10-15 minutes to confer. Then have them lead the class in a

“mini-lesson” on their report’s pattern of organization, using examples from the

textbook where appropriate.

What are the basic strategies for organizing information? LO 23-2

Try one of these seven patterns.

Information can be organized in a variety of ways. PP 23-10 lists seven

patterns common in organizing information in reports:

Comparison/contrast

 Teaching Tip: Students should have learned this pattern in

composition courses. Remind them that comparison means examining a subject for

similarities, while contrast means examining it for differences.

Problem-solution

 Teaching Tip: Have students review the information on defining problems in

Module 21 (p. 343). Tell students that writers should brainstorm more solutions to

problems than are necessary, then choose the best or most likely solutions to the

problems for discussion.

Elimination of alternatives

General to particular or particular to general

 Teaching Tip: Also known as deductive and inductive organization, this pattern is

also common in composition.

Geographic or spatial

Functional

Chronological

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Module 23 - Short Reports

Chapter 23 - Short Reports

 Teaching Tip: Assemble students in seven groups and assign one pattern to

each group. Give the students 10-15 minutes to confer, then have them give

a “mini-lesson” on each pattern to the rest of the class. Where possible, have

students use examples from the textbook.

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

23-3

Yes, with three exceptions.

Unless the audience expects otherwise, writers should follow the general

principles for writing described in Module 15 and Module 16. However,

three notable exceptions to the guidelines in those modules are described

on PP 23-11:

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.

 Teaching Tip: Writers can violate these principles—and basically any others in

writing—if the audience(s) allows it. However, writers must keep in mind the

multiple levels of audience for documents—just because the primary audience

approves of the violation does not mean secondary or gatekeeper audiences will. In

general, reports are more formal than other business documents; using a conservative

approach to the language in reports often is wise.

In particular, writers should pay attention to three key principles of any writing (PP 23-12):

Say what you mean.

 Teaching Tip: To better understand choosing the right word,

have students read or review the information in Module 15.

Tighten your writing.

In-Class Exercise: Give students 10-15 minutes to complete the exercises in the

Polishing Your Prose lesson on being concise (pp. 390-391). Have students share

their solutions with the rest of the class. Which solutions work best? Why?

Use blueprints, transitions, topic sentences, and headings.

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Module 23 - Short Reports

Chapter 23 - Short Reports

In-Class Exercise: Use Appendix 23-A to discuss appropriate transitions, topic

sentences, and headings. Then have students identify these features in Figure 23.1

(pp. 379-380). How well are transitions, topic sentences, and headings used? What

could students do to improve these features? Which are used well?

Last Word: Don’t let the size of short reports fool students—they’re critical in the

business world. Students can expect to write many of them over the course of their

business careers. Some may already be writing short reports on the job. Encourage

students to learn the principles, which may help them to write long reports, too.

Asking specific and polite questions LO 23-4

Choosing the right question—and asking at the right time—can be the difference between getting

a useful answer and one that just invites more questions.

Learning to ask the right question the right way is a critical skill in business. Good business

communicators use specificity and politeness, as suggested on PP 23-16 and PP 23-17:

Specific Questions

Give simple choices.

For working extra hours, do you prefer comp time

or overtime pay?

Ask the real question.

Which is the best day for you to meet?

Start with the 5Ws and H (who, what, where, when, why,

and how) if you want longer, more qualitative answers.

What reservations do you have about my proposal?

Why do you want to work for this firm?

and

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Module 23 - Short Reports

Chapter 23 - Short Reports

Polite Questions

Use timing.

Don’t assault people with questions when they’re busy or

leaving.

Keep questions to a minimum.

Review other information sources before you have to

question someone else.

Avoid embarrassing or provocative questions.

Avoid language that implies doubt, suspicion, or criticism.

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