Harty- Reports and Other Long Documents part 2, p. 207-275

Harty- Reports and Other Long Documents, p 207-275

Olieu, Brusaw, and Alred- “Creating Visuals”

Plan your visuals while you plan your writing, not later

Make sure figures are easily readable, appropriately labeled

Tables are useful for displaying large numbers of specific, related data in a brief space

Typical table elements: table number, table title, boxhead, stub, body, rules, source line, footnotes, continuing tables

Quote the source of any tables you reprint underneath it

Graphs (charts) present numerical data in visual form, showing trends, movements, distributions, and cycles- though they are less accurate than tables

Line graphs show relationship between two or more sets of figures, often an amount over time

Bar graphs can compare same information at different periods of time, different periods of information at the same time, and parts that make up a whole

Pie graphs represent part-to-whole relationships, but the pieces may need to be individually labeled or else another table that shows specific data will be needed

Picture graphs (pictograms) use picture symbols to make a bar graph but are only approximations and somewhat informal

Dimensional column graphs can be difficult to interpret, simpler is better

Drawings are the best option for illustrating simple objects or tasks that don’t require photography. They should be clearly organized and appropriately labeled to avoid confusion

Flowcharts are overview diagrams that show stages of a process from beginning to end. They typically flow left-to-right and top-to-bottom with arrows showing direction of flow between the blocks, and the blocks should not be crowded together

Maps show specific geographic features or information according to geographic distribution. They should have clearly outlined borders, a distance scale, and directions should be indicated

Photographs show the surface of an object or an event over a period of time. When printing, color can be more expensive than black and white, so know which would be more appropriate

David Ewing- “Strategies of Persuasion”

Good writers vary their approaches in response to their readings of different situations

Helpful tips for designing a persuasive argument:

1. Consider whether your views will make problems for readers
Deliver bad news carefully with empathy and tact

2. Don’t offer new ideas, directives, or recommendations for change until your readers are prepared for them
The more suprising or upsetting your results are, the longer you should take preparing your readers for the news

3. Your credibility with readers affects your strategy
Given credibility- stems from job title or reputation
Acquired credibility- is earned by thoughts and facts in the written message

Citing sources that support your views, identifying your goals as being in line with the audience’s goals will lend credibility

4. If your audience disagrees with your ideas or is uncertain about them, present both sides of the argument
Two-sided arguments show objectivity, will not offend the audience

5. Win respect by making your opinion or recommendation clear
Be clear in your writing that your side is the right one

6. Put your strongest points last if the audience is very interested in the argument, first if it is not so interested
Primacy-recency argument

7. Don’t count on changing attitudes by offering information alone

8. “Testimonials” are most likely to be persuasive if drawn from people with whom readers associate

9. Be wary of using extreme or “sensational” claims and facts
Observable, believable, realistic statements carry the most weight, don’t arouse distrust or suspicion

10. Tailor your presentation to the reasons for readers’ attitudes, if you know them
Appeal to the audiences main feelings, prejudices, reasons for their beliefs

11. Never mention other people without considering their possible effect on the reader

Philip Kolin- “Proposals”

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A SUCCESSFUL PROPOSAL

1. Approach writing a proposal as a problem-solving activity
Your goal is to solve a problem that affects the reader

2. Regard your audience as skeptical readers
Try to examine your proposal from the reader’s point of view

3. Research your proposal carefully
Hard evidence will support your argument best

4. Prove that your plan is workable
Test it in advance when possible

5. Be sure that your proposal is financially realistic
Is it worth the money?

6. Package your proposal attractively
Make sure it is easy to read, inviting

INTERNAL PROPOSALS

Primary purpose is to offer a realistic, constructive plan to help your company run more effectively

You are usually offering to save your audience time, money, or further trouble

Keep the needs and likes of your audience in mind

Consider the implications of your plan for those around you

Internal proposals usually have 4 parts:

The Introduction- defines the problem, emphasizes your plan will solve it
Background of the problem- prove it exists, show that it affects the reader, avoid vague generalizations
The Solution/Plan- describe your plan, give factual evidence, explain how it can happen
The Conclusion- short, remind reader the problem is serious, reinforce benefits of your plan
SALES PROPOSALS

Exeternal, purpose is to sell your company’s products or services

Readers will judge your report based on how well it meets their needs and how well it compares to your competitors’ proposals

Demonstrate how your product or service is tailored to the customer’s needs

Parts of a sales proposal:

Introduction- prepare readers for what follows in the proposal, statement of purpose and background

Description of the proposed product or service- heart of the proposal, describe service in great detail and stress advantages

Timetable- specific dates of when work will begin, how long it will take

Costs- complete, accurate, convincing budget

Qualifications of your company- emphasize your accomplishments and expertise

Conclusion- stress benefits, a call to action

Richard Johnson-Sheehan- “Writing Proposals with Style”

Style involves using good words and setting the appropriate tone to appeal to the reader’s emotions and values. It illustrates clear-headedness, quality, and willingness to communicate with readers

Guideline 1: The subject should be what the sentence is about

Guideline 2: Make the “doer” the subject.

Guideline 3: State the action in the verb

Guideline 4: Put the subject early in the sentence

Guideline 5: Eliminate nominalizations – using a word as an awkward part of speech

Guideline 6: Avoid excessive prepositional phrases

Guideline7: Eliminate redundancy

Guideline 8: Make sentences “breathing length”
Write out what you mean, then revise using these rules to make your point easily understood

Elements of a paragraph:

Transition sentences make smooth transitions to new paragraphs- most paragraphs don’t need one

Topic sentences state the claim that the rest of the paragraph is going to support. They are the most important sentence and are placed up front

Support sentences use reasoning and evidence in the form of facts and data to support the topic

Point sentences restate the topic sentence at the end

Line up the subjects so each sentence in a paragraph stresses the same things

The given/new method involves placing given information early in the sentence and building new information on this anchor

Sometimes passive voice is useful because it forms the sentence around the intended subject and avoids irrelevant “doers” that may obscure the focus of the writing