Business Communication: In Person, In Print, Online
INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE
Chapter 10
Writing the Report
Overview
Business reports typically are written in direct style, with clear and
parallel headings and subheadings. Reports may be formatted as
primarily text or as text and graphics in presentation software. Sections
of reports usually include an introduction, findings, and
summary/conclusion/recommendations and, for longer documents,
supplementary sections.
Learning Objectives
• Determine an appropriate report format and organization.
• Draft the report body and supplementary pages.
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PPT Slides | Solutions to Exercises | Handouts | Video Suggestions | Company Examples | BizCom in the News
Quick Links for Chapter 10
Teaching Suggestions
Resources
INTRODUCE the stages of report planning: selecting the format and
organizing and outlining the report.
the report format was the best choice for the situation using criteria they
identify.
SHOW different ways to format a business report. Instruct students to work
in teams.
14-week non-business: Ask each team to do the following:
• Analyze the report formats shown in the PPT and find similarities and
differences among the three formats.
CHOOSE a large, public company, such as Walmart, and find its corporate
responsibility reports. (For example, in 2013, Walmart’s “Global
Encourage students to use their earlier team analysis as a starting point for
this comparison.
REVIEW guidelines for formatting a report in presentation software. Show
the slide, refer to the book Appendix, and distribute the handout
“Additional Guidelines for Reports in Presentation Software” (two pages).
INSTRUCT students to convert a slide they created for an oral presentation
Resources
to a page that would be appropriate for a standalone report page. You may
do this exercise in a computer lab or using students’ laptops in class.
Students may provide feedback on each other’s pages, or you may show
one or two examples for the class to evaluate.
14-week business: INSTRUCT students to use examples from their own work
experience. Encourage students to analyze the ways they organized these
reports and decide if the organization matched the purpose of each report.
SHOW the sample report outline in PPT.
INSTRUCT students to refer to a sample report that you provide or that they
bring to class and complete the following:
and which would prefer generic headings?
INTRODUCE the two types of report headings. Discuss the purpose of each.
INSTRUCT students to refer to any of their previously prepared text reports.
Ask students to rewrite the report headings to turn them into talking
headings.
Resources
LO2: Draft the report body and supplementary pages.
INTRODUCE the process of drafting various sections of the report.
INSTRUCT students to complete the following:
• Read the report issued by the EPA. What parts of the report do you
find most and least convincing?
• Find the report introduction, findings, and
summary/conclusions/recommendations. How well do they work in
the report? Is there anything you would draft differently and why?
INSTRUCT students to evaluate how figures are handled throughout the
report. What makes them easy to find and understand? What, if anything,
could be improved in the report to help the reader grasp the meaning of
the figures—and for the figures to appropriate illustrate main points?
Resources
LO3: Use an effective writing style.
INTRODUCE elements of effective writing style to improve business
reports: tone, appropriate pronouns and verb tense, emphasis and
subordination, and coherence.
INSTRUCT students to work in teams. Discuss ways to create emphasis and
coherence in business reports, including the use of section overviews.
Ask each team of students to bring a sample report to class. Instruct each
team to analyze how emphasis and coherence were achieved in the
reports. Encourage students to suggest improvements if they see them
necessary. Ask them to share their analysis and suggestions with the class.
Resources
LO4: Document sources accurately.
INTRODUCE the importance of documenting sources in business
reports and discuss the ways to document sources properly.
REFER TO the PPT example of the two ways to document sources in
business reports. Instruct students to look through sample reports
online or that you provide. Ask students to analyze how sources have
been documented in various reports. Ask students to share their
analysis with the class.
academic article. Instruct students to reformat these into footnotes, as
if the report were written to a business audience. Refer to footnote
formatting guidelines in Appendix B of the text book.
Resources
LO5: Revise, format, and proofread the report.
INTRODUCE techniques for revising, formatting, and proofreading
business reports.
Resources
LO5: Revise, format, and proofread the report.
DISTRIBUTE the handout “Checklist for Reviewing Your Report Draft,”
and instruct students to do the following:
• Refer to a report you wrote for class or work; review your report
using the checklist and paying attention to formatting and
proofreading.
Solutions to Exercises
The 3Ps in Practice: Writing an Executive Summary for a PowerPoint Report
Process
1. List several main points from the sporty cars/roadsters table that you will include in your
executive summary.
• Nine cars in this category get more than 27 mpg overall.
2. How will you organize these points?
• First I’ll talk about the overall fuel efficiency.
3. Write a talking heading for each of your main points.
• Nine cars make the cut with 27 mpg overall.
4. What bulleted text will you include under each main point?
I will add detail that would help a consumer make a decision.
Product
Students should create the PowerPoint Executive Summary according to suggestions in the
chapter. The report should have high visual appeal and skim value. The text should be a
proper size to print out and read, not to project on a screen or monitor.
1. Determine which report format is best.
1. Since I am working for a conservative university, the dean of students is likely
accustomed to working with traditional reports, so I will create a text–based
2. As part of a software company, the client is probably a more progressive audience
3. In an independent clothing store, I am probably well acquainted with both the
4. I want to maintain a level of formality for this major investment, so I will create a
separate report. The CTO and head of the consumer banking division may
2. Explain the different report formats.
Students’ emails should include the following points:
• A report for a prospective client is a formal report and could be either a PowerPoint report
or a stand-alone text-based report.
3. Convert an executive summary from a text-based report to a
PowerPoint report.
Students should convert the three-page McKinsey report provided in the Appendix to a
PowerPoint executive summary. Check that students use logical headings and subheadings and
high skim-value for their final product. They should follow guidelines provided in the handout,
“Additional Guidelines for Reports in Presentation Software.”
4. Create a report outline for a financial client.
Students should create a report outline similar to the example in Figure 5 of the book. Students
do not have to complete the research in this exercise, but they should brainstorm what research
would need to be completed. Each major topic should have at least two minor topics beneath.
5. Write a report outline for a restaurant group owner.
6. Convert generic headings to message titles.
Student responses will vary. Below are possible talking headings:
• Obesity in the United States is a central problem in today’s society.
7. Write an introduction for a report.
Students may have a number of ideas for conducting more research. For example, they may
suggest contacting each company directly to ask about services and request the names of
current or previous clients; they may also recommend searching the Internet or business
publications for articles about each company.
8. Research secondary data and write a PowerPoint report.
Students should keep in mind the purpose of the report: to determine if a publicly traded
9. Write a short report within an email.
Figure 3 in the book is an example of a proposal in a memo format. The short report within an
email will look similar. After groups write their report emails, facilitate a class discussion about
the group emails. Have each group share their email and begin a discussion on what makes an
email effective.
10. Adjust the tone of a report section.
11. Adapt the tone of a report for different audiences.
12. Check the tone of a report.
As students read the reports of their peers, ensure that they give appropriate feedback
depending on the tone of the plan to reduce office waste.
13. Write a section overview.
Evaluate students’ section overviews on how well they rephrase the subheadings to form a
14. Determine whether information has to be documented.
• Barnes and Noble’s corporate headquarters is located at 122 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY.
This fact is easily verifiable and does not need to be documented.
• Most stores are between 10,000 and 60,000 square feet. This fact must have come from a
secondary source and must be documented.
15. Paraphrase sources for a report.
Here is one possible rewrite of each sentence:
16. Use footnotes to document sources.
The following are presented in proper formats:
• Morgan, Mary, “How Big Profits Compare,” Business Week, April 2, 2013, pp. 45-48.
Note for Exercises 17 – 22: The textbook asks the instructor to determine the
report length, format, degree of formality, and supplements. You’ll find
additional options for report topics in the handouts.
17. Use secondary sources to write a report about female leaders in
business.
18. Use secondary sources to write a report cover letter.
19. Use primary and secondary sources to write a report about your future
career.
Students’ responses will vary, but they should carefully follow instructions about length, format,
20. Use primary sources to write a report about student housing.
Students should follow the guidelines in Chapter 9 for developing a questionnaire. They should
include the specific criteria requested so that they can develop a ranked listing of the most
21. Proofread part of a report.
Our lawyers have reviewed the wording of the contracts you sent us. Their
advice is to accept provisions 1 through 8 and 11 through 15. The remaining