Technical Communication:

Strategies for College and the Workplace

by Dan Jones & Karen Lane

Chapter 17

Informal Reports

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
Common Types of
Informal Reports
 Progress Reports . . .

Provide updates on
work completed and
work remaining for a
particular assignment,
task, product, or
process

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Periodic Activity Reports . . .

• Are provided at
regular intervals
• Give information
on the activities
or status of an
organization

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Trip Reports . . .

Detail the activities

and expenses of a
employee while
traveling on
company business

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Lab Reports . . .

Describe the testing

and research performed
in a laboratory

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Meeting Minutes . . .

Summarize the
best major issues
discussed and
decisions made
during a meeting

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Report Formats

• Memos
• Letters
• E-mail
 Memo Reports

• Are for internal use

• Are usually more
informal in format
and style than letter
reports

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Letter Reports

Are directed at
audiences outside of
the company or
organization

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
Sending Reports via E-mail
 Sending Reports via E-mail:
Remember . . .

• Both memos and letters can be

attached to e-mail messages
• E-mail isn’t private
• Special formatting applied to your
message may not be viewable by others

(—Continued––)
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Sending Reports via E-mail:
Remember . . .

Informal reports on sensitive or delicate

issues are often best written in hard-
copy memo or letter format

(—Continued––)

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Sending Reports via E-mail:
Remember . . .

• Consider the conventions of your

employer
• Ethical considerations may also help
determine which format is best

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
Strategies for Preparing
Informal Reports
 Focusing

• Analyze your
audience
• Determine what
your audience
needs to know

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Gathering Information

Gather
information to
provide detailed
content

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Interpreting Information

Spend time
interpreting
information to
understand what
it means

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Organizing

• Carefully consider
how to organize
your key points
• Remember your
audience

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Designing and Illustrating
Enhance readability through effective use of
– White Space
– Typography
– Bulleted and numbered lists
– Line spacing
– Other design elements
Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.
 Writing and Revising

Write several drafts

to create a polished
report.

Copyright © 2002 by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers. All rights reserved.