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Chapter 25
Communicating Research Results:
Report Generation, Oral Presentation, and Follow-Up
AT-A-GLANCE
I. Insights from the Communications Model
II. The Report in Context
III. Report Format
A. Tailoring the format to the project
B. The parts of the report
Title page
Letter of transmittal
Letter of authorization
Table of contents
Summary
Body
Appendix
C. Basic business research report
IV. Effective Use of Graphic Aids
A. Tables
B. Charts
Pie charts
Line graphs
Bar charts
V. The Oral Presentation
VI. Reports on the Internet
VII. The Research Follow-up
LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Discuss the research report from the perspective of the communication process
2. Define the parts of a research report following a standard format
3. Explain how to use tables for presenting numerical information
4. Summarize how to select and use the types of research charts
5. Describe how to give an effective oral presentation
6. Discuss the importance of Internet reporting and research follow-up
CHAPTER VIGNETTE: A Business Report Title (and Nothing Else)—
Tips to Get Started
Regardless of the research topic or audience, business researchers are faced with communicating their
efforts to appropriate stakeholders. Following are some tips to help frame this important aspect of
research:
Understand who the readers are, and focus your writing on them.
Ask yourself why the readers want your results.
Understand what your stakeholders expect and how much they already understand about the
project or program you are writing about.
Translating business research results into a useful and clearly written research report is not always easy.
SURVEY THIS!
Imagine that your supervisor assigns you the task of developing a report that comments on the work
environment and experiences of students who may be potential employees of a firm.
1. Design an appropriate research question to answer this request.
2. Using Survey This! Items, develop and conduct an analysis that addresses your research
question.
3. Build appropriate tables and visual aids to support your findings and conclusions.
4. Draft a business research report that is a least five pages long.
5. Develop and present a PowerPoint presentation of your results.
RESEARCH SNAPSHOTS
Research ROI
In practice, measuring the return on investment (ROI) for research is still a relatively new idea.
One survey found that only 10-15 percent of the companies in the sample measured research
effectiveness at all. Some simply looked at whether the project’s client was satisfied or whether
the quality of the work was high. Others determined the expected value of each idea uncovered
by the research project. Lesh International proposes measures that put a dollar value on the
research: ROI Lite is the dollar value of the decision multiplied by the client’s estimate of the
increased confidence that the right alternative will be selected, divided by the cost of the research,
and ROI Complete incorporates the likelihood that the research client will act on the information.
How Do We Stack Up? The Value of Sba.gov
When writing a research report, it often helps to provide some kind of context, whether it is
comparative data from other firms, or general information that the report reader can use to get the
big picture. One place to look for data is the small business association (http://www.sba.gov), the
clearinghouse website that captures governmental and economic statistics from agencies across
the United States.
The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint
The 10 refers to the number of optimal slides to have for a presentation. The 20 is related to the
time to actually present the results. In a typical hour-long meeting, any presentation over 20
minutes will start to lose your audience, and the opportunity to discuss or ask questions regarding
your research is more valuable than the presentation. At a minimum, use 30-point font size—
readability is more important than an overkill of information that is unreadable. A more flexible
corollary to the “30” rule—take the age of the oldest person in the audience, and divide by two!
OUTLINE
I. INSIGHTS FROM THE COMMUNICATIONS MODEL
The theory of communications helps clarify the importance of the research report.
Several elements of the communication process influence successful communication:
Communicator – the source or sender of the message (the writer of the report).
Message – the set of meanings being sent to or received by the audience (the findings of
the research project).
Medium – the way in which the message is delivered to the audience (the oral or written
report itself).
Audience – the receiver or destination of the message (the manager who will make a
decision based on the report findings).
Feedback – a communication, also involving a message and channel, that flows in the
reverse direction (from the audience to the original communicator) and that may be used
to modify subsequent communications (the manager’s response to the report.
While this appears simple, one key difficulty is that the communicator and the audience each
have individual fields of experience.
The message is successfully communicated only if the parties share enough common
experience for it to be encoded, transmitted, and decoded with roughly the same meaning.
Simply delivering a report to its audience is not sufficient.
The report needs to be written so as to draw on the common experience of the researcher and
the reader.
II. THE REPORT IN CONTEXT
A research report is an oral presentation and/or a written statement whose purpose is to
communicate research results, strategic recommendations, and/or other conclusions to
management and/or other specific audiences.
This chapter deals primarily with the final written report that is needed in an extensive
project, but some projects may only require a short oral or written report on the results, while
others may require extensive conferences and many interim reports.
III. REPORT FORMAT
Although every research report is custom-made for the project it represents, some
conventions of report format are universal.
They represent a consensus about the parts necessary for a good research report and how they
should be ordered.
The format described here serves as a starting point from which the writer can shape his or
her own appropriate format, and it includes seven major elements:
1. Title page (sometimes preceded by a title fly page)
2. Letter of transmittal
3. Letter of authorization
4. Table of contents (and lists of figures and tables)
5. Executive Summary
a. Objectives
b. Results
c. Conclusions
d. Recommendations
6. Body
a. Introduction
Background
Objectives
b. Methodology
c. Results
d. Limitations
e. Conclusions and recommendations
7. Appendix
a. Data collection forms
b. Detailed calculations
c. General tables
d. Bibliography
e. Other support material
Tailoring the Format to the Project
The format may need adjustment for two reasons:
1. to obtain the proper level of formality and
2. to decrease the complexity of the report.
The format given here is for the most formal type of report, which is usually bound in a
permanent cover and may be hundreds of pages long.
Exhibit 25.4 illustrates how the format is adapted to shorter, less formal reports.
How does the researcher decide on the appropriate level of formality?
The general rule is to include all the parts needed for effective communication in the
particular circumstances—and no more.
This depends on how far up in management the report is expected to go and how
routine the matter is.
The Parts of the Report
Title Page
The title page should state the title of the report, for whom the report was prepared,
by whom it was prepared, and the date of release or presentation.
The title should give a brief but complete indication of the purpose of the research
project.
Addresses and titles of the preparer and recipient may also be included.
On confidential reports, list the people to whom the report should be circulated.
For the most formal reports, the title page is preceded by a title fly page, which
contains only the report’s title.
Letter of Transmittal
This element is included in relatively formal to very formal reports.
Purpose is to release or deliver the report to the recipient.
Also serves to establish some rapport between the reader and the writer.
The only part of the formal report in which a personal or even slightly informal tone
would be used.
Letter of Authorization
A letter to the researcher that approves the project, details who has responsibility for
it, and describes the resources available to support it.
The researcher would not write this personally.
In many situations, simply referring to the authorization in the letter of transmittal is
sufficient and need not be included in the report.
In cases where the reader may be unfamiliar with the authorization, the report should
include an exact copy of the original letter.
Table of Contents
The table of contents is essential to any report more than a few pages long.
It should list the divisions and subdivisions (only the first-level subdivisions) of the
report with page references.
If the report includes many figures or tables, a list of these should immediately follow
the table of contents.
Summary
The summary briefly explains why the research project was conducted, what aspects
of the problem were considered, what the outcome was, and what should be done.
A vital part of the report.
Studies have indicated that nearly all managers read a report’s summary, while only a
minority read the rest of the report.
Should be written only after the rest of the report has been completed.
Should be one page long (or, at most, two pages), so the writer must carefully sort out
what is important enough to include in it.
Should be written to be self-sufficient – it is often detached from the report and
circulated by itself.
The summary contains four elements:
1. It states the objectives of the report, including the most important background
information and the specific purposes of the project.
2. It presents the methodology and the major results.
3. The conclusions, which are the opinions based on the results and constitute an
interpretation of the results.
4. Recommendations, or suggestions for action, based on the conclusions. In many
cases, managers prefer not to have recommendations included in the report or
summary.
Body
Constitutes the bulk of the report.
It begins with an introduction section setting out the background factors that made
the project necessary as well as the objectives of the report.
Explains why the project was done and what it aimed to discover.
Should include the basic authorization and submittal data.
Enough background should be included to explain why the project was worth
doing.
The last part explains exactly what the project tried to discover, discussing
the statement of the problem and research questions as they were stated in the
research proposal.
The second part of the body is the research methodology section and should address
four topics:
1. Research design
2. Sample design
3. Data collection and fieldwork
4. Analysis
The results section should make up the bulk of the report and should present those
findings of the project that bear on the objectives.
Should be designed to be convincing but not to oversell the project.
Summary tables and charts should be used (but comprehensive or detailed
ones should be saved for the appendix).
The last part of the body is the conclusions and recommendations section.
Conclusions are opinions based on the results, and recommendations are suggestions
for action.
Appendix
Presents the “too …” material.
Any material that is too technical or too detailed to go in the body should appear in the
appendix.
Examples include data collection forms, detailed calculations, discussions of highly
technical questions, detailed or comprehensive tables of results, and a bibliography (if
appropriate).
Much appendix material is posted on internal Web pages.
Basic Business Research Report
The outline above applies especially to applied research projects.
Basic research reports (e.g., published in an academic business journal) have a slightly
different outline since some components become irrelevant.
Common outline:
1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Background
a. Literature Review
b. Hypotheses
4. Research Methods
5. Results
6. Discussion
a. Implications
b. Limitations
c. Future Research
7. Conclusions
8. References
9. Appendices
The material in the sections does not change very much between different business research
problems.
The basic research report will place a greater emphasis on how the current research is
integrated into the previous literature dealing with the research topic.
The research methodology and results section may contain more statistical detail and jargon
since the reader is expected to be knowledgeable in basic research methodology.
The basic principals of good technical writing apply to both basic and applied research
reports.
IV. THE EFFECTIVE USE OF GRAPHIC AIDS
Used properly, graphic aids can clarify complex points or emphasize a message.
Used improperly or sloppily, they can be distracting or misleading.
Work best when they are an integral part of the text.
Should always be interpreted in the text.
Several types of graphic aids may be useful in research reports:
Tables
Tables are most useful for presenting numerical information, especially when several
pieces of information have been gathered about each item discussed.
Each table should include the following elements:
Table number – allows for simple reference from the text.
Title – should indicate the contents of the table and be complete enough to be
intelligible without referring to the text.
Stubheads and bannerheads – the stubheads contain the captions for the rows of the
table, and bannerheads (or boxhead) contain those for the columns.
Footnotes – includes any explanations or qualifications for particular table entries.
Source notes – if based on material from one or more secondary sources, the sources
should be acknowledged, usually below the table.
Charts
Charts translate numerical information into visual form so that relationships may be
easily grasped.
The accuracy of the numbers is reduced to gain this advantage.
Each chart should include:
Figure number – numbered in a separate series from tables.
Title – should describe the contents of the chart and be independent of the text
explanation.
Explanatory legends – should include labels for axes, scale numbers, and a key to the
various quantities being graphed.
Source and footnotes – secondary sources for the data should be acknowledged and
footnotes may be used to explain items.
Charts are subject to distortion, whether unintentional or deliberate.
A particularly severe kind of distortion comes from treating unequal intervals as if
they were equal.
Another common distortion is to begin the vertical scale at some value larger than
zero; graphs should always start at zero on the vertical axis.
Pie Charts
One of the most useful types of charts.
Shows the composition of some total quantity at a particular time.
Each angle, or “slice,” is proportional to its percentage of the whole and should be
labeled with its description and percentage.
The writer should not try to include too many slices—about six slices is a typical
maximum.
Line Graphs
Useful to show the relationship of one variable to another.
The dependent variable is generally shown on the vertical axis and the independent
variable on the horizontal axis, and time is the most common independent variables.
A simple line graph shows the relationship of one dependent variable to the independent
variable, whereas a multiple-line graph shows the relationship of more than one
dependent variable to the independent variable.
The lines for each dependent variable should be in a different color or pattern and should
be clearly labeled.
A second variation is the stratum chart, which shows how the composition of a total
quantity changes as the independent variable changes.
Bar Charts
Show changes in the value of a dependent variable (plotted on the vertical axis) at
discrete intervals of the independent variable (on the horizontal axis).
Has variations:
Subdivided-bar chart – much like a stratum chart, showing the composition of the
whole quantity.
Multiple-bar chart – shows how multiple variables are related to the primary
variables.
In each of these cases, each bar or segment of the bar needs to be clearly identified
with a different color or pattern.
V. THE ORAL PRESENTATION
The conclusions and recommendations of most research reports are presented orally as well
as in writing.
The purpose of an oral presentation is to highlight the most important findings of a research
project and provide clients or line managers with an opportunity to ask questions.
The key to effective presentation is preparation.
Communication specialists often suggest that a person preparing an oral presentation begin at
the end, meaning what a researcher wants the client to know when it has been completed.
Select the three or four most important findings for emphasis and rely on the written report
for full summary.
Must be ready to defend the results.
Another key to effective oral presentation is adapting to the audience.
Don’t lecture or read to the audience.
Avoid research jargon and use short, familiar words.
Maintain eye contact with the audience and repeat the main points.
Organize around a standard format: “Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them,
and tell them what you just told them.”
Graphic and other visual aids can be as useful in an oral presentation as in a written one.
Choose from a variety of media (i.e., slides, overhead-projector acetates, on-screen
computer-generated graphics, posters, flip charts, etc.).
Each visual aid should convey a simple, attention-getting message that supports a point on
which the audience should focus its thinking.
Presenters should interpret graphics for the audience.
Large typeface, multiple colors, bullets that highlight, and other artistic devices can enhance
the readability of charts.
Tips on how to gesture:
Open up your arms to embrace your audience.
Drop your arms to your sides when not using them.
Avoid quick and jerky gestures which make you appear nervous.
Vary gestures.
Don’t overuse gestures.
VI. REPORTS ON THE INTERNET OR INTRANET
Many clients want many employees to have access to research findings.
One easy way to share data is to have executive summaries and reports available on a
company intranet.
A company can use information technology on the Internet to:
design questionnaires
administer surveys
analyze data
share the results in a presentation-ready format
Real-time data capture allows for beginning-to-end reporting.
A number of companies offer fully web-based research management systems.
VII. THE RESEARCH FOLLOW-UP
The research follow-up is a recontacting of decision makers and/or clients after they have
had a chance to read over the report.
Purpose is to determine whether the researchers need to provide additional information or
clarify issues of concern to management.
