1. Progress Reports and the Public
ENG 3302
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by
Bedford/St. Martin's

2. Table of Contents
Topic Slides
Progress Reports 3-16
Public Connections 17-29
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by
Bedford/St. Martin's

3. Progress Reports
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by
Bedford/St. Martin's

4. Informational reports can take many forms:
• e-mails
• memos
• forms
• reports
• Web pages
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 4

5. The writing process for informational
reports includes six steps:
• Analyze your audience.
• Analyze your purpose.
• Research the subject and compile your
information.
• Choose an appropriate format.
• Draft the report.
• Revise, edit, and proofread the report.
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 5

6. Consider three questions when
writing reports for multicultural readers:
• How might your readers react to your
informational report?
• Will your readers be comfortable with your
choice of application?
• Do you need to adjust your writing style?
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 6

7. You likely will have to write
five types of informational reports:
• directives
• field reports
• progress and status reports
• incident reports
• meeting minutes
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 7

8. Use this strategy when writing directives:
• Explain why the new policy is desirable or at
least necessary.
• Present clear, compelling evidence.
• Consider opposing arguments effectively.
• Present yourself as cooperative, moderate,
fair-minded, and modest.
• If appropriate, include arguments that appeal
to readers’ broader goals of security, recogni-
tion, professional growth, and connectedness.
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 8

9. Use this strategy when writing field reports:
• Describe inspections, maintenance, and site
studies.
• Explain the problem, methods, results, and
conclusions.
• Deemphasize methods.
• Include recommendations if needed.
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 9

10. Answer these six questions in a field report:
• What is the purpose of the report?
• What are the main points covered in the report?
• What were the problems leading to the decision
to perform the procedure?
• What methods were used?
• What were the results?
• What do the results mean?
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 10

11. Understand the difference between
a progress report and a status report:
• A progress report describes an ongoing project.
• A status report, or activity report, describes the
entire range of operations of a department or
division.
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 11

12. Report your progress honestly when
responding to three common problems:
• The deliverable won’t be what you thought it
would be.
• You won’t meet your schedule.
• You won’t meet the budget.
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 12

13. Two organizational patterns are
typical in progress and status reports:
Time Pattern Task Pattern
Discussion Discussion
A. Past Work A. Task 1
B. Future Work 1. Past Work
2. Future Work
B. Task 2
1. Past Work
2. Future Work
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 13

14. Project an appropriate tone
in a progress or status report:
• If the news is good, convey your optimism but
avoid overstatement.
• Don’t panic if the preliminary results are not as
promising as you had planned or if the project
is behind schedule.
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 14

15. Use this strategy
when writing incident reports:
• Explain what happened.
• Explain why it happened.
• Explain what the organization did or will do to
follow up on the incident.
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 15

16. Use this strategy
when writing meeting minutes:
• Be clear, comprehensive, objective, and
diplomatic.
• Report the events of the meeting accurately.
• Do not record emotional exchanges between
participants; the minutes should reflect
positively on participants and the organization.
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 16

17. Communicating with the Public
Chapter 17. Writing Informational Reports © 2012 by
Bedford/St. Martin's

18. Tools and policies for
communication have changed:
• The old philosophy was top down. For
example, a company wanting to publicize a
new product would issue press releases, write
articles for trade magazines, and place ads in
magazines and on TV.
• The new philosophy is bottom up. Now, a
company uses social media to connect with
its various stakeholders.
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 18

19. Here are four one-way applications for
presenting information to the public:
• newsletters
• brochures
• white papers
• podcasts
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 19

20. A typical newsletter includes
most of these 10 elements:
• banner
• table of contents
• headlines
• bylines
• jump lines and end signs
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 20

21. A typical newsletter includes
most of these 10 elements (cont.):
• continuation headings
• photographs
• pull quotes
• publisher
• postal information
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 21

22. Follow these four suggestions
when creating a brochure:
• Decide where and how your brochure will be
reproduced.
• Design your information to fit appropriately on
the panels.
• Use the front panel to attract attention.
• Avoid design clichés.
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 22

23. Follow these seven suggestions
for writing an effective white paper:
• Communicate useful information.
• Use a subtle approach.
• Cite your sources.
• Make the white paper easy to skim and
navigate.
• Help readers who don’t know all the jargon.
• Make sure the white paper prints well in black
and white.
• End with a call to action.
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 23

24. Practice these six ethical values
when marketing your organization:
• honesty
• responsibility
• fairness
• respect
• openness
• citizenship
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 24

25. Follow these four steps
when creating a podcast:
• Prepare for your podcast.
• Record the podcast.
• Edit the podcast.
• Publish the podcast.
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 25

26. Three social-media applications
for connecting with the public:
• discussion boards
• blogs
• wikis
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 26

27. Follow these six guidelines
when posting to discussion boards:
• Share your knowledge.
• Do your homework before posting a question.
• Support your claims with evidence.
• Stay on topic.
• Avoid personal attacks.
• Disclose potential conflicts of interest.
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 27

28. Follow these six guidelines
when writing a blog:
• Know and follow your company’s blogging
policies.
• Provide good content without saying too
much.
• Use an authentic voice.
• Avoid conflicts of interest.
• Manage your time carefully.
• Follow up on negative comments.
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 28

29. Follow these six suggestions
when using a wiki:
• Know your audience.
• Keep your wiki up-to-date.
• Integrate the wiki with other documentation.
• Integrate the wiki within your community.
• Make organization a high priority.
• Help reluctant users get involved.
Chapter 22. Connecting with the Public © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 29