UNIT-6 [ Lesson-1: Writing for Readers ]
After reading this lesson you will be able to:
- define the term report
- adjust your messages to your readers’ needs and level of technicality
- distinguish between your primary and secondary readers.
Writing for Readers
Introduction
Suppose you work for The Nabisco Company Limited and have to spend about 70% of your time in writing and speaking to people both in and outside your company.
Sometimes you are explaining something to someone, sometimes you are describing some items to some one, or writing a note to your colleague, or writing an instruction for the new employee, or recording minutes of a meeting or sometimes you are summarising information for someone. In all these situations what are you doing in fact? You are reporting responsibilities to various people on various occasions for various purposes.
What is a report?
A report serves as a concrete measure of a person’s job performance and also as a foundation for all future actions on any particular project.
The term ‘report’ can be defined as, “a document in which a given problem is examined for the purpose of conveying information, reporting findings, responsibilities, putting forward ideas and sometimes making recommendations on the basis of which the decision makers make decisions and take actions.”
Today we often rely on weather reports, credit reports, consumer reports, sales reports, proposal and analytical reports of all types before we make any decision. A written report is often the only record which is made of results that have come out of years of thought and effort.
A report is an account of any kind of investigation.
Reports are an integral part of business communication because report does a job of carrying information facts and ideas to someone who needs it. Reports can either be oral or written. In this book, we will deal only with written reports. Written reports, because it is a permanent record has many advantages, some of them are as follow.
• It compels the reporter to be complete and accurate.
• The facts recorded are not likely to be distorted because all readers get some report to read.
• It can be referred to anyone in its original form again and again.
ACTIVITY-1
Which of the three situations below is indicating an action of a report?
- You are buying some groceries from a shop where you are a regular customer. You even do not have to ask for the prices, so you just picked up the items you needed.
- Recently you thought of a particular problem of your locality and described the problem to the Mayor who will use your information as a basis for action.
- You are enjoying a cup of hot coffee while reading your newspaper on a Friday morning.
Why do you write reports? How do you adjust your message to your reader’s needs?
All managers, supervisors, administrators have to write and deal with someone else’s writing as part of their normal duties at work. The higher their position the more they write. As an effective communicator the higher your goals, the more efficiently you need to write all types of reports.
Before writing any report or document, identify your purpose, and evaluate all you can about your readers’ background and situation. When you write for a particular reader, or a group of readers you can focus sharply on your readers by asking specific questions:
- Who want’s the report? Who else will read it?
- Why do they want the report? How will they use it? What purpose do I want to achieve?
- What is the technical background of the primary readers? Of the secondary readers?
- How much do the readers already know about the subject? How much more do I have to supply?
- What exactly do the readers need to know and in what format?
- When is the report due?
Answers to all of the above questions will help you formulate your purpose and assess reader’s needs. Remember, purpose and reader’s need these are the two elements that govern the whole process of communication. If your readers are well known to you ask them directly:
- Do they merely want a record of your activities or progress?
- Are you expected to supply only raw data or conclusions and recommendations as well?
- Will your readers take immediate action based on your report?
- Do they need step by step instructions?
- Are they merely collecting information for later use?
- Will the documents be read and discarded, filed, or published?
- What is most important from your readers’ point of view?
- Have they requested a letter, memo, short report or a formal report with supplements (little page, table of contents, appendices, glossary and so on)?
Also you should assess your organisation’s climate (receptive, repressive, co-operative) and decide before writing any document how outspoken you can afford to be without offending anyone and risking your own job. Again whichever combination of needs and attitude your readers have,
you must do your best to satisfy each reader’s major interest. If you are writing for general readers without knowing your primary and secondary readers, then aim for the non-technical, simple, direct, and conversational language.
- Reports are written for readers who will use the information as a basis for taking actions and reports help all business institution, organisations run smoothly by recording information systematically.
- Good reports connects with its readers by recognising their differences in background, their specific needs, and their preferences.
ACTIVITY-2
Assume that a new employee is taking over your job (part time or full time) because you have been promoted. Identify a specific problem in your old job that could cause difficulty for the new employee.
Write for the employee instructions for avoiding or dealing with the problem. Before writing perform a reader analysis by answering (on paper) the questions on page 3 and 4.
Who are your Primary and Secondary readers?
Whenever you write the same basic message for different level of readers classify your readers as primary and secondary. Your Primary readers are usually those who have requested for the report or document and who will probably use it as a basis for actions.
The Secondary readers are those who will read your report (or perhaps only part of it) for information that will help them to get the job done or who will help the primary readers in arriving at a conclusion or decision.
Sometimes these two readers will differ in technical background i.e., primary readers may need highly technical messages, and secondary readers may need semi-technical messages or vice versa. When you have to write for readers at different levels (highly technical, semi- technical or non-technical), follow these guidelines:
If your report is a short one such as a memo, a letter or anything less than two pages, rewrite it at various levels for various readers.
If your document or the report is longer than two pages, maintain a level of technicality that connects with your primary readers. Then supplement the report with appendices addressed to the secondary readers (technical appendices if secondary readers are technical persons or vice versa).
The letter of transmittal, information abstract (or summary), and glossaries are other supplements that help the non-technical persons understand a highly technical report.
Although you write to satisfy the primary readers first, you should not ignore the secondary readers at all. Your choice of what you write, how you write it (format, organisation, style) are determined by your writing situation. So follow all the information given in this lesson one to identify your purpose, audience and, situation before you write anything.
Central message
Primary readers are persons who have requested for the report and who will use it as a basis for taking actions. Secondary readers are usually those persons who help and advise the primary readers on making any decisions. But all reports are written choosing the level of technicality of the primary readers. The writers supplement their long reports with appendixes, glossary, etc., addressed to the secondary readers.
ACTIVITY-3
Assume that your Dean of the School of Business has requested you to write a short report discussing the kind of writing and speaking assignments you expect in your careers. On the basis of your report he (Dean) will certify you for the “advanced course in communication skills.”
All the other subject lecturers will read and evaluate your report to help the Dean take final decision. So who are your primary and Secondary readers? Who do you write the report for and how do you adjust your report’s level of technicality?
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