Introduction
A business report is a formal document designed to guide managers and policy-makers in organizations toward making informed decisions. As a result, business reports rely heavily on factual data and research resources to analyze concepts and provide practical recommendations to improve organizational processes. On that account, it is critical to observe the tenets of writing business reports as they are critical to achieving its ultimate purpose. Apart from observing a sincere, confident, and courteous tone, business reports must be clear, precise, and objective. In addition, they should use appropriate and non-discriminatory language without leaving out the ‘you’ perspective. The following passages describe the essentials of a business report pre-writing process and recommendations to deliver the message effectively.
The First Step of the 3X3 writing process
The 3X3 writing process is a technique that splits a writing task into three phases, including the pre-writing phase, writing, and revising. The pre-writing phase, also known as the planning or research stage is the first step of the process, involving laying down and detailing all ideas and initiatives toward the task’s completion. Ashman (2018) suggests that “at this stage, an author comprehensively plans the main points of the argument and defines the writing purpose and goals” (p 56). Describing the report’s aim is critical early in its development process since it guides research and allows an author to structure their text appropriately. Moreover, the pre-writing stage allows for preparation by gaining a deeper understanding of the featured subject.
The Purpose of the Report
Our organization’s CEO seeks to determine whether Hackman’s statement suggesting that using teams to complete complex tasks may not be an effective approach is factual, reliable, and appropriate. Therefore, the report intends to support or refute this claim using evidence from scholarly resources. In an organization where individuals are organized as teams, failing to acknowledge such a statement may result in adversities as there may be several reasons why teams are not best suited to work on complex tasks. Hence, the information obtained from the report will guide the CEO in making the right decision about whether to complete organizational projects using teams or qualified individuals.
The Best Channel to Send the Report
The appropriate channel to deliver the message is through the corporate email as a memo to the assigned recipients. The report requires information to determine whether adopting a particular approach to tasks and duties in the organization will yield positive or negative results. Therefore, it is not intended for all individuals in the organization. As a result, using a secure and confidential channel like emailing will ensure that the message is delivered to its recipients without any interference (Overton, 2022). In addition, email messages are easy to follow through and receive feedback since they quickly engage the recipient. Thus, using the corporate email will ensure that the message is discreet and reaches its intended audience quickly.
The Report’s Audience
An audience refers to all individuals who resonate with the report’s content and may find the information presented beneficial. Therefore, since the information is meant for critical decision-making in the organization, its audience will constitute individuals in authority and those assigned to decision-making roles. However, the primary recipient is the organization’s boss since they requested the assignment. Nevertheless, the report is also relevant to other high-level individuals in the organization, including its shareholders, board of governors, project managers, junior managers, and senior managers. Thus, if deemed necessary, these individuals will have access to its content to aid decision-making and justify the organization’s decisions.
The Report’s Tone and Techniques to Achieve Better Understanding
The report and its contents should follow a sincere, confident, formal, and courteous tone to convince readers of its reliability. A confident and formal tone serves to inform the reader that the information provided is based on factual data and can be repeated to yield similar results. On the other hand, a sincere and courteous tone informs the audience of the need to adhere to the propositions and stresses their essence to the success of initiatives (Williams, 2020). Hence, the recommended approach to make a report sound formal and confident is to cite numerical facts, evidence from research and figures to forecast potential outcomes. In addition, using the appropriate language and business terms familiar to the message’s recipients will reflect confidence and courteousness. Moreover, Overton (2022) proposes “sticking to the topic, avoiding fluffy words, and only addressing the associated issues to improve its formality” (p 68). Thus, carefully selecting the words to use and the technique to deliver a powerful presentation will support the proposition’s adoption.
Ensuring that the Report has a You View
A ‘you-based’ communication approach refers to an audience-centered technique of delivering a message, which is crucial in encouraging acknowledgment and action. Thus, it is important to use relevant vocabulary and a tone that targets the audiences’ intentions, desires, and perspectives. Hence, “achieving a ‘you view’ in communication requires outlining potential benefits and reasons why adopting a particular approach may not work in particular settings” (Williams, 2020). Moreover, the language needs to engage the reader and make them part of the message. In addition, a ‘you-view’ places initiative on the reader to act according to recommendations for the best results. Thus, including second-person pronouns in the text can help people resonate with the message beings sent and adhere to the instructions.
Making the Report Conversational, Professional, Courteous, Bias-Free, Precise, and Vigorous
Writing a business report requires adopting several strategies to ensure a formal delivery and positive appeal. For instance, a conversational tone refers to a writing attitude that is free-flowing to allow the reader to easily read through the text. In addition, professionalism, referring to the formal nature of the document, reflects on the message being sent and the choice of words in the document (Overton, 2022). Similarly, a courteous style of writing is respectable, considerate, and polite. On the other hand, a bias-free report does not discriminate or single out particular individuals due to their appearances or visible attributes. Thus, avoiding any forms of negativity and destructive attitudes ensures that the information is courteous and not offensive to any party. Finally, the report should be precise and vigorous. Hence, it will leverage factual and up-to-date evidence and strongly support the thesis statement to encourage its implementation.
Conclusion
Business organizations are comprised of dynamic components and are at risk of several issues if the appropriate solutions to initiatives are not observed. Therefore, effective communication in these institutions is critical to their success since they guide decision-making and prioritize processes and responsibilities. Nevertheless, when delivering a particular message to an audience in an organization, it is crucial to observe business writing techniques, including high levels of professionalism, an appropriate tone, the right vocabulary, and the use of evidence to support arguments and reasoning. Hence, the 3X3 writing process can assist individuals assigned the role of research and communication in organizations to deliver messages to the intended audience appropriately and receive the desired feedback.
References
Ashman, M. (2018). 3.1 Pre-writing. Introduction to Professional Communications.
Overton, R. (2022). Business communication. Martin Books Pty LtD.
Williams, V. (2020). The Writing Process. Fundamentals of Business Communication.