CHAPTER 4:

INFORMAL
REPORTS

MBC502 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

INFORMAL REPORT

An informational report provides background and

information without reaching an evaluation.
These include simple reports like meeting
minutes, expense reports, and progress, or status
updates.

An analytical report provides much the same

information as the informational report along with
evaluation or recommendation. These reports
may include feasibility studies, justification
reports, and proposals.
 Expense reports Proposals or
Meeting Trip or conference
feasibility
are informal reports that nearly reports
minutes always have a prescribed format. reports
are used to
are a type of informal These reports consist primarily of for smaller or
report that summarizes amount of expenditures by type of summarize and
simpler projects
the discussion and expense. There is little to no free transmit learning from
writing. can also be
results from a meeting. a trip or conference.
These reports are considered
They are
informational. They are informational, and informal reports.
summaries, not a direct Status updates
they increase the These are
collection of all may be internal to a company in analytical, as they
value of the trip or
statements from all addressing a business situation, or they
may be external in providing the status conference as they provide analysis
attendees.
of a project to another organization. share what was and propose a
These reports are short and tightly
learned with others. direction to take.
focused to the purpose. They are
informational reports.

Types of Informal Reports

The following are typical types of informal reports. Keep in mind that there may be some overlap with formal reports (i.e.,
some report types can be informal or formal).
SHARING INFORMAL REPORTS
Informal reports may be delivered in a variety of formats
including letters, memos, emails, and digital postings (such as a
blog). While your delivery method may impact the format of
your report, the writing and purpose will stay the same.

An informal report may be something as simple as a completed

standardized form designed by the company; it can also be
something more complex, such as an informal proposal.
Informal reports may be informational or analytical.
Informal reports may have internal
or external audiences.
The format of the report should align to the recipient:

Memos are used for internal communication.

Letters are used for for external communication.
Web postings are typically used for external communication, but
institutions that have private networks may use these posting for
internal communication.
Email may be used for internal or external reports depending upon
company policy.

Regardless of the mode of transmission, the structure and content of

your report will be based on the type of the report.
 Informal informational reports typically include the following
three sections:

Introduction or background
Support or reasons
Summary
SECTIONS OF INFORMAL
REPORTS Informal analytical reports typically include the following four
sections:
Introduction or background
Support or reasons
Recommendations
Conclusion or summary
Introduction or
Background
A short section introducing the
reader to the “why” of the report.
In more complex reports, the
introduction may include a
background, a problem
statement, specific objectives, or
all of the above.
SUPPORT OR REASONS
This is where you’ll include your facts, findings, and
data. Writers new to reports may make the mistake of
providing lists of data and other information found as a
result of research. However, most business managers
can find the information on their own with time. The
purpose of this section of a report is to present a
summary of main ideas from the research—it’s not
simply a collection of raw data.

If more detailed data is needed, an appendix is the most

likely place for key selections of raw data.

This section may include the methodology of the

research.


RECOMMENDATIONS
This section is only found in analytical reports;
it shows how data supports the
recommendation given in the report.
Essentially, the author connects the logical data
items in a way that points to the
recommendation.

Remember, the readers are expecting a

recommendation with supporting data; they’re
not expecting to work through all the data on
their own.
Conclusion or Summary

This short section wraps up

the report and gives a
quick summary of the
information provided
therein.
Organizing
based on
Audience
Analysis


ORGANIZING BASED ON AUDIENCE

ANALYSIS
The logic of report organization is the same as the logic discussed in
Chapter 2 for shorter messages. Reports analyze the audience the
same way. The difference lies in the depth of information needed.
Thinking about your audience, or the stakeholders, is one of the most
crucial considerations when creating a report. It’s important to keep in
mind that your audience may be broader than you expect; your
potential readers have an interest in the report’s content for many
reasons based on their unique job functions.
ORGANIZING YOUR REPORT
If your audience is expected to react neutrally or positively to
your message, then your conclusion or recommendation
should be offered near the beginning of the report. Thus,
your report would be laid out like this.

First you would write the introduction, background, or

problem section. Next come your conclusions or
recommendations. These are backed up by the support or
reasons section, which details facts, data, or findings.

The final section is typically some sort of further discussion,

analysis, or summary. Remember that introducing these
sections with a descriptive heading can help your readers,
especially if the sections consist of multiple paragraphs.
If the audience is expected to react negatively to your
message, then the conclusion or recommendation is
offered towards the end of the report. This alternate
organization allows the reader to reach a similar
conclusion to yours based upon the research and logic
offered.

Thus, your report would be laid out like this: First you
would write your introduction, background, or problem.
The next section will be the support or reasons section,
which details facts, data, or findings that led you to your
conclusion.

Next you would include discussion, analysis, or summary.

This sections is where the logical or emotional arguments
that may influence the reader’s understanding are made.
Your report then concludes with your conclusions or
recommendations. Remember that introducing these
sections with a descriptive heading can help your readers,
especially if the sections consist of multiple paragraphs.
FIGURE 1. INFORMATIONAL REPORT ORGANIZATION
FIGURE 2. ANALYTICAL REPORT
ORGANIZATION
 FORMATTING THE REPORT

While informal reports may not use extensive or standardized labeling of

sections, nor do they have required length of individual sections, each
section has a unique purpose. However, these “sections” may be a couple
of paragraphs rather than a fully separated section with their own
headings. As the report starts to exceed a page or two, headings will
provide a tremendous benefit to the reader, and to you, as the reader
better understands and retains your main ideas.
 Headings can be a useful tool for helping your readers navigate directly to the
information they want. Notice that the headings catch your reader’s eye much more
easily than phrases such as “in my research . . . ”
How to Write an Informal
Report

Writing informal reports follows

the same steps of any other
writing task. First is the plan.
Second is the writing. Third is the
revising.
PLANNING YOUR
INFORMAL REPORT
When asked to create an informal
report, first check to see if your
organization has a form or template that
should be used. Then verify your
understanding of the report’s purpose.
For example, say you are a shift manager at a grocery
store, and there has been an increase in customer
complaints about fruit that seems to spoil more quickly
than it used to.
Your store manager has asked you to create a report on
this issue. You need to determine whether your manager
wants to know causes of fruit spoilage (including items
such as time each type of fruit stays fresh from date
picked, types of shipping containers, or temperature of
storage units), or if your manager wants to know what is
happening in the store after the fruit is received (how the
fruit is handled, how much fruit can sit on top of other
fruit, or temperature in the various storage units).
The purpose of a report will impact the amount and type
of research to be done.
Next you’ll complete any data gathering needed;
by the end of the project, you should have more
data and knowledge than you started with (and
possibly more than you need for the report itself).
You’ll use that data to create the report’s outline.
Writers must take care to provide only what is
needed for the purpose of the report: avoid
wandering to interesting side issues or presenting
everything you learned whether or not it’s
relevant.
In the process of writing a report, or almost any
business writing, the planning step should take at
minimum 25–30 percent of the time or effort of
the full report.
 THE END

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week!