TECHNICAL

COMMUNICATION
 SECTION 3 - REPORTS
Report is very essential in any
establishment, private or government. It is a
written document describing the findings of
some individual or group. In format and
form, reports are different depending on the
agency, office, or institution requiring it. It
may have different names and purposes.
 EXAMPLES OF REPORT
1. Recommendation report 11. Service report
2. Progress report 12. Operation report
3. Feasibility study/ report 13. Student-laboratory report
4. Memorandum 14. Construction report
5. Incident report 15. Failure report
6. Case study 16. Industrial research report
7. Sales report 17. Evaluative report
8. Structural engineer’s report 18. Completion report
9. Electrical report 19. Inspection report
10. Demographic report 20. Special report
 THE MOST COMMON REPORTS
1. Recommendation Reports – almost all reports have recommendations
because after some findings, it is natural for the reporter to recommend
something if a problem is found.
SUGGESTIONS IN WRITING THE RECOMMENDATION REPORT:
a. Identify a client with a workplace problem, situation or opportunity.
b. Develop a plan for investigating the situation and the means for
resolving it.
c. Establish the criteria required for the client to make an effective
decision.
d. Develop and implement a project plan for completing the research.
e. Interpret and present the findings in a recommendation to the client.
 THE USUAL OUTLINE OF RECOMMENDATION REPORT
I. Introduction
1. A. Statement of the need
2. B. Statement of Recommendation
3. C. Statement of scope and plan of the report
II. Expanded statement, and explanation of the recommendation
III. Options to be considered
IV. Discussion of each option (comparison of advantage and
disadvantage)
V. Summary of conclusion
VI. Restatement of recommendation
2. Progress Reports are documents about work that technical
communicators have begun but not yet completed. These
documents provide an accounting of the work that
communicators have done and the future work they foresee to be
done.
As long as the project is not finished, all the reports about its
work is progress report. But once it is finished, it is not anymore
progress report but rather an accomplishment report.
Progress report differs from other reports because its
introduction relates the present report to a previous one as a
background information which is called transitional introduction.
Its conclusion gives the anticipated works to be done in the
future which is called prophetic conclusion.
 THE USUAL OUTLINE OF THE PROGRESS REPORT
I. Introduction – describes the purpose of the document and the
previous work which includes a brief summary of the document’s
contents
II. Facts and Discussion: Past Work; Future Work
A. Accounting of work completed – indicates whether the work
is going as planned
B. Accounting of problems encountered with work not
completed
C. Plans for handling problem areas
D. Evaluation of progress to date
III. Conclusions/ Recommendations – Plans for completing tasks
3. Feasibility Study also known as feasibility analysis, is a
preliminary study undertaken to determine and document a
project’s viability. It comes from the word feasible which means
“capable of being accomplished; practicable; or likely.”

The term feasibility study is also used to refer to the resulting

document.

In business, a feasibility study is an important part of creating a

business plan for a new enterprise. If a project is seen to be
feasible from the results of the study, the next logical step is to
proceed with it.
1. STEPS IN WRITING THE FEASIBILITY STUDY:
1. Stating the purpose and scope of the study
2. Gathering and checking information
3. Analyzing data
4. Reaching conclusions
5. Arriving at a decision or recommendation

Like the other papers or documents, feasibility study

has no universal format for all. This depends on the writer,
company or agency producing it.
 1.PARTS OF A FEASIBILITY STUDY:
1. Letter of Transmittal 8. Discussion
2. Title page 9. Factual or summary
3. Abstract 10. Conclusions
4. Table of Contents 11. Recommendations
5. List of Illustrations 12. References
6. Glossary of Terms 13. Appendices
7. Introduction
4. PROPOSAL – comes under many different guises.
They range from casual one page memos to multiple –
volumes that are hundreds of pages long.
- It is usually a document written by a person from
a business or agency who wishes to perform a job or
solve a problem for another person or agency and
receive funding of money for the proposed task.
- It is commonly referred to as solicited (invited) or
unsolicited (uninvited).
- Writers of proposal must be very careful by
writing it completely and formally as the situation calls
for.
➢ 5. Oral Reports – sometimes need to be presented orally in
meeting or in conference. It’s not only that you must prepare
your report in writing, but even yourself to talk and discuss with
the people concerned about the topic or issue you would
deliver.
➢ FORMS OF DELIVERY OF ORAL REPORT:
➢ a. Scripted - the reporter delivers the whole presentation from a
written paper, reciting or reading every word.
➢ b. Outlined or Extemporaneous - the reporter speaks from a
prepared outline of the topic.
➢ c. Impromptu - the speaker speaks at the moment asked, without
preparation and usually without any prior notice.
➢ d. Memorized - the speaker may recite from memory, or prefer to
memorize the detail of the reports he would present.
 GUIDELINES FOR ORAL REPORTS
1. Try to anticipate the purpose of a conference
ahead of time.
2. Try to formulate your own purpose or objective
before you go to a conference.
3. Estimate the attitudes of the people in the
meeting.
4. Speculate on how things are likely to go.
A. BEGINNING THE REPORT
1. Greet and introduce yourself.
2. Provide an overview on what you will be talking about.
3. Build some interest or motivation.
B. WHILE REPORTING
1. Talk with your listeners.
2. Make eye contact.
3. Use the second person words “you” and “your” to
personalize your talk.
4. Use conversational style.
5. Make clear and direct points that support your purpose.
6. Emphasize the points you make.
7. Be very clear.
8. Tell listeners in advance which main points are coming.
9. Announce each main point as you come to it.
10. Use visual or graphic aids.
11. Prepare for interruptions and welcome them.
C. ENDING THE REPORT
1. End with a real conclusion.
▪ a. Summarize
▪ b. Conclude
▪ c. Provide some last thought
GRAPHIC AIDS
Graphic or visual aids communicate facts to the
readers, and it conveys a thousand words in just a glance.
These are consist of tables, graphs, charts, etc. which are
used to visually represent information in a vivid, easily
understood manner.
The usual graphic aids used by the researchers,
technical writers and reporters are:
1. Tables are used when the reader must identify exact
values. It arrange data in a manner that makes them easy
to read and understand.
2. Graph is a diagram showing the relation between variable
quantities, typically of two variables, each measured along
one of a pair of axes at right angles.has different types:
a. Bar Graph compares items overtime; identifies values,
or shows frequency.
4. b. Line Graph, also called point to point graph which is a
pictorial rendition of data in which specific values of a
function are plotted as dots on a coordinate plane.
c. Pie Graph represents 100% which shows how parts are
broken into different percentages.
d. Pictograph is a graph that shows numerical information
by using picture symbols or icons to represent data sets.
3. Chart
3. Chart is a sheet exhibiting information in tabular form.
a graphic representation, as by curves, of a dependent
variable, as temperature, price, etc.; an outline map
showing special conditions or facts. Types of these are:
a. Organizational Chart is a diagram that shows the
structure of an organization and the relationships and
relative ranks of its parts and positions/ jobs.
b. Gantt Chart is a horizontal bar chart developed as a
production control tool in 1917 by Henry Gantt. It
provides a graphical illustration of a schedule that helps
to plan , coordinate and track specific tasks in a project.
Dot Chart
 c. Dot Chart shows distributions or correlation.
4. Diagram is an illustration or drawing of the object or
system with its parts being pointed out and labeled for
easy identification with some explanations.
5. Drawing is very useful to enhance the understanding
and imagination of the reader, and can also show
dimensions and emphasize details.
6. Map gives a clear image to the mind of the reader the
exact location of the place being pointed out.
7. Picture or photograph helps to enhance the
imagination of the reader and gives more idea than words
could.
 SUGGESTIONS IN USING GRAPHIC AIDS:
1. Make them appropriate to the situation.
2. Label them completely. Capitalize the
words: Figure, Table, Chart, etc.
3. Place them in an appropriate location for
proper formatting.
4. Integrate them with the text.
5. Report accurately.
 REFERENCES

Allam, A.S. (2012)Effective Written Communication for Academic and Technical

Courses, Philippines: Rizmarc, SJDM City
Tendero, E.,Tanuecoz, N., Bongat, D. et. al.(2010) TECHNICAL WRITING for Research,
Reports, and Business Letters, Philippines: MUTYA Publishing House, Inc.