商务与管理沟通（英文 第12版）案例 Locker12e-Face-to-FaceSyllabus-8wk-Proposals-Reports

Face-to-FaceSyllabus3-

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ScheduleforFace-to-FaceEightWeekCourse

ProposalsandReports

TableofContents

Schedule

2

ConnectAssignments

4

PotentialAssignmentsforSubmission

4

WeekOne:SucceedinginBusinessCommunication

4

DayOne:IntroducingCourseandBenefitsofCommunication

4

DayTwo:BasicCriteriaforEffectiveMessages

4

DayThree:AudienceAnalysis

5

WeekTwo:WritingProposals

5

DayOne:IntroducingProposals

5

DayTwo:DiscussingProposalsforClassResearchProjects

6

DayThree:DiscussingFundingProposals

6

WeekThree:WritingReports

7

DayOne:DefiningReportProblems

7

DayTwo:DiscussingResearchStrategies

7

DayThree:FindingPublishedInformationandDocumentingSources

8

WeekFour:CollectingandAnalyzingData

8

DayOne:DiscussingSurveyandInterviewTechniques

8

DayTwo:ObservingCustomersandUsers

9

DayThree:AnalyzingDataforReports

9

WeekFive:ProgressReports

9

DayOne:IntroducingProgressReports

9

DayTwo:DiscussingProgressReports

10

DayThree:OrganizationandStyleinReports

10

WeekSix:FormalReports

11

DayOne:IntroducingFormalReports

11

DayTwo:WritingtheIntroductionandBackgroundSections

12

DayThree:DiscussingStrategiesforWritingtheBodyoftheReport

12

WeekSeven:FrontMatter,Letter/MemoofTransmittal,andConclusion

12

DayOne:WritingtheTitlePage,theTableofContents,theListofIllustrations,andtheExecutiveSummary

12

DayTwo:WritingtheConclusionsandRecommendations

13

DayThree:TheLetterorMemoofTransmittal

14

WeekEight:DocumentDesign

14

DayOne:LevelsandGuidelinesforDocumentDesign

14

DayTwo:DesigningInclusivelyandTestingDocuments

15

DayThree:ReviewforExam

15

CoursePolicyAwarenessForm

16

Schedule

Week

TopicsandReadings

DeliverablesDue

1

Reviewthecoursesyllabus(objectives,schedule,andschedule).

Concepts:

Benefitsofgoodcommunicationskills;costsofineffectivecommunication;basiccriteriaforeffectivemessages;roleofconventionsincommunication;ethics;corporateculture;understandingandanalyzingbusinesscommunicationsituations;howtosolvecommunicationproblems;Identifyingandanalyzinglevelsofaudience;creatingpositiveemphasisandyouattitude;tone,power,andpoliteness;buildingtrust;reducingbias

Readandstudythefollowingchapters:

Chapter1:SucceedinginBusinessCommunication

Chapter2:AdaptingYourMessagetoYourAudience

Connecthomework:

DeterminingCostsofPoorCommunication

ChoosingtheCorrectChannels

TargetingaNewAudience

2

Concepts:

Definingproposals;brainstormingproposals;developingandorganizingproposals;preparingthebudgetandcostsections;writingproposalvarieties

Readandstudythefollowingchapter:

Chapter14:WritingProposals

Proposalassigned

Connecthomework:

ProposalVarieties

BrainstormingforProposals

SelectingTopics

3

Concepts:

Varietiesofreports;reportproblems;researchstrategiesforreports;choosinginformationforreports;sourcecitationanddocumentation

Readings:

Chapter15:WritingReports

Connecthomework:

ReportVarieties

4

Concepts:

Analyzinganddesigningsurveys;observingcustomersandusers,analyzingnumbersandpatterns,checkinglogic,conductingresearchinterviews

Readings:

Chapter15:WritingReports

Proposaldue

ProgressReportandFormalReportassigned

Connecthomework:

SurveyingSoleraCustomers

5

Concepts:

Uses,types,andorganizingprogressreports;choosingandorganizinginformationforreports,reportstyleandheadings

Readings:

Chapter15:WritingReports

ProgressReportdue

Connecthomework:

ReportingonTeamProgress

OrganizingInformationinReports

6

Concepts:

Formalreports,writingtheintroduction,backgroundandhistory;organizingandwritingthebody

Readings:

Chapter15:WritingReports

ProgressReportdue

7

Concepts:

Creatingthetitlepage,tableofcontents,listofillustrations,executivesummary;letterormemooftransmittal;conclusionsandrecommendations

Readandstudythefollowingchapter:

Chapter15:WritingReports

Connecthomework:

UnderstandingElementsofFormalReports

8

Concepts:

Importanceofdocumentdesign;designconventionsandguidelines;fourlevelsofdesign;designinclusively;testingdocuments

Reviewofconceptsfromthecourse

Readandstudythefollowingchapter:

Chapter5:DesigningDocuments

Reviewallchapterstodate

FormalReportdue

Connecthomework:

LevelofDesign

Panum’sQuarterlyNewsletter

FinalExam

ConnectAssignments

WerecommendthattheConnectassignmentsbeworthnomorethan10%ofthegrade.Ifyourcourse’slearningmanagementsystem(LMS)weightsassignmentgroupings,thenyoucanassignasmanyorasfewConnectassignmentsasyouprefer.Ifyouneedtocarefullycountpoints,thenchoosetheConnectassignmentsstrategically.

PotentialAssignmentsforSubmission

TheassignmentsintheDeliverablesDuecolumnabovearejustsuggestions.

Proposal.Aproposalofanidealeadingtoaformalreport.

Progressreport.Writtenchronologicalortaskprogressreport.

Formalreport.

Finalexam.Createyourownmultiple-choiceexamusingtheoptionalquestionsintheaccompanyingTestBank.

WeekOne:SucceedinginBusinessCommunication

DayOne:IntroducingCourseandBenefitsofCommunication

Consideropeningthecoursewithanactivity,likea“CocktailParty”orIntroductionInterview,thatstudentscanusetogettoknoweachother(seeLessonPlanIdeassectioninChapter1InstructorManualforspecifics).

Introducethecourse,policiesandschedule,howtonavigatethecourseinthelearningmanagementsystem,andusingMcGrawHill’sConnect.

Introducethedifferentformsofbusinesscommunicationandthebenefitsofeffectivecommunication(PPTslides1.4–1.9).Askstudentstosharetheirownexperienceswithpoorcommunicators,connectingtheirexperiencesbacktothetextbook’smaterial.Havestudentscompleteanactivity:

1.6IdentifyingPoorCommunicators

AssignConnectassignment,CostsofPoorCommunication,forhomework.

AssignaCoursePolicyAwarenessForm(examplefollowsattheendofthisdocument)orcreateaquizthatcoverssimilarmaterial.Adapttheformasneededtofityourcourse,department,andinstitution.

DayTwo:BasicCriteriaforEffectiveMessages

Introducethebasiccriteriaforeffectivemessages,communicationconventions,andquestionstoanalyzeandunderstandbusinesscommunicationsituations(PPTslides1.12–1.14).Havestudentscompleteanactivity:

1.3MessagesforDiscussionI

1.4MessagesforDiscussionII

Introduceethics,corporateculture,andstrategiesforsolvingbusinesscommunicationproblems(PPTslides1.15–1.29).Askstudentstodiscussethicsandstrategies—considerthetextbookexercises:

1.9ProtectingPrivacyOnline,

1.10MakingEthicalChoices

1.11AnalyzingBusinessEthics

AssignConnectassignment,StaleCookies,forhomework.

DayThree:AudienceAnalysis

Someinstructorsliketointroduceaudienceanalysisbygivinganintroductorylecturethattouchesonallthemainpointsofaudienceanalysis.YoucandothiseffectivelybyusingthefirsthalfofPowerPointpresentationforChapter2.

Yourlearnerswillunderstandtheprinciplesyoudiscussbetterifyouhavethemapplytheminsteadoflecturingtheentireclassperiod.Forexample,afteridentifyingthetypesofaudiencelayersandhowtoanalyzethem,giveyourlearnerspractice,suchasexercise2.3IdentifyingAudiences,andthendiscussactualdocuments.

Toillustratehowaudiencesdiffer,talkaboutpersuasivemessagesyourlearnersmayneedtowriteandidentifythedifferentaudiencesandtheirconcerns.Youcouldinvolvelearnersbyaskingthemtorememberasituationinwhichtheyhadtoconsidertheneedsofdifferentaudiences.Weretheysuccessful?Howdidtheydoit?Youmightenrichtheclassdiscussionbysharingyourownexperiencesincommunicatingwithmultipleaudiences.

AssignConnectassignment,TargetingaNewAudience,forhomework.

WeekTwo:WritingProposals

DayOne:IntroducingProposals

Provideabrieflectureonthedefinition,purpose,types,style,organization,andvarietiesofproposals(PPTslides14.3,14.8–14.15,14.18–14.27).Thenaskstudentstoworkingroupstoanalyzeaproposal(provideanexampleforthem).Usethequestionsinexercise14.2AnalyzeaRealProposaltohelplearnersfocusontheessentialelementsofproposals.Repeatwithanotherproposalifthereistime.

Oneofthedifficultiesinteachingproposalsisthatitcantakequiteawhileforstudentstoreachthepointwheretheyhaveaclearunderstandingofwhatthey’reworkingtowards,especiallyiftheydonothaveprofessionalexperience.Studentswilldobetteriftheyhaveaclearideaofwherethey’reheadedevenbeforetheyselectatopicorbeginresearch.Bringinexampleproposalsfrompreviouscoursesorsomethatyoufindonline.Youmayalsoaskstudentstolocateproposalsfordiscussionpurposes.

AssignConnectassignment,ProposalVarieties,forhomework.

DayTwo:DiscussingProposalsforClassResearchProjects

Beginbyreviewingthepartsofaproposalforaclassresearchproject.GothroughtheproposalinFigure14.2andhavestudentsshowhoweachsectiondoesordoesnotfulfillthecriteria.Anotherpossibilitywouldbetobringinsampleproposalsforstudentstoevaluateontheirown.Ifit’stooexpensiveforyoutomakecopiesforeveryone,considerputtingseveralsamplesonreserveinthelibraryoronyourcoursewebsite.

Ifstudentswillbedoingaformalreportbasedontheirproposals,ithelpstogivethemaclearideaofwherethey’reheaded.Letthemseeexamplesofformalreportsbeforetheirproposalsaredue,evenifyoudonotdiscussthem.Attheveryleast,pointouttheexampleofaformalreportinChapter15(Figure15.12),whichistheformalreportthatcorrespondstotheproposalinChapter14(Figure14.2).

Ifyouwillbeassigningaprogressreportaswell,pointouttheexampleofachronologicalprogressreportgiveninFigure15.10.Quicklypreviewingthereportsthatlieaheadalmostcertainlywillresultinbetterproposals.Forexample,studentsusuallyhaveamuchbettergraspofsuitabletopicsandhowmuchresearchthey’llneedoncetheyknowwhattheirfinalproductwillbelike.Youcancomebackanddiscussthesereportsindetaillaterintheterm.

AssignConnectassignment,BrainstormingforProposals,forhomework.

DayThree:DiscussingFundingProposals

Provideabrieflectureonbrainstorming,style,organization,andfunding(PPTslides14.5–14.17),makingsuretohighlightthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenthethreecommonvarietiesofproposals(14.18–14.27).Then,haveanexampleofeachtypeoffundingproposalandaskstudentstoworkingroupstoanalyzeaproposal(provideanexampleforthem.Usethequestionsinexercise14.2AnalyzeaRealProposaltohelplearnersfocusontheessentialelementsofproposals.Followwithanassignment:

14.6WritingaProposalforFundingforaNonprofitGroup

14.7WritingaSalesProposal

14.8PresentingaStockholderProposal

AssignConnectassignment,SelectingTopics,forhomework.

WeekThree:WritingReports

DayOne:DefiningReportProblems

Beginbyintroducingtheaudience,purpose,andcontextofreports,aswellasthevarietyofreports(PPTslides15A.3–15.6),andthefourbasicsteps(PPTslide15A.7).

Definingtheproblemeffectivelyiscrucialinanytypeofreport.PPTslides15A.8–15.10discussthecriteriaforgoodresearchproblems.Youmightmentionproblemsthatlearnersoftenhaveindefiningproblemsfortheirownreports,suchasdefiningtheproblemtoobroadlyortakingonaproblemthatcannotrealisticallyberesearchedwiththetimeandresourcesavailable.Sincehowonedefinestheproblemshapesthesolutionsonefinds,it’simperativetodefinetheproblemwithcare.Agoodstatementofaresearchproblemdependsonthewriter’sanalysisoftheproblem,audience,anddata.Consideraskingstudentstocompleteexercise15.3DefiningandEvaluatingReportProblems.

Onceawriterdefinestheproblem,heorsheisreadytogoontowriteastatementofpurpose.Gooverexercise15.4IdentifyingtheWeaknessesinProblemStatementstogivelearnerspracticeinidentifyingtheweaknessesinproblemstatements;assignexercise15.5WritingaPreliminaryPurposeStatementtogivethemguidelinesforwritingtheirown.PPTslide15A.10mayalsobeused.

AssignConnectassignment,VarietiesofReports,forhomework.

DayTwo:DiscussingResearchStrategies

Beforelearnersarereadytobegintheirownresearch,theymustbeawareofthewiderangeofoptionsforgatheringinformationandwhattypesofresearchworkbestforparticulartopics(PPTslides15A.11–15.34).Learnerswillprobablyvaryintheamountofresearchexperiencetheyhavehad.Manywillhavehadlittleornoexperienceinconductinginterviewsandsurveys;eveniftheyhavedonelibraryresearchtheymaynotbeconversantwithreferenceworksandprofessionalpublicationsintheirfields.Anoverviewofbasicresearchmethodscanbeextremelyuseful,particularlyifyoufocusonmaterialsavailableonyourowncampus.PPTslides15A.13and15A.21–15.22coverthecriteriaforevaluatingwebsitesandcreatingsurveyquestions.

Youmightbeginbyusingexercise15.6ChoosingResearchStrategiestodiscussprimaryandsecondarystrategiesandtheadvantagesanddisadvantagesofeach.Iftimepermits,alsogooverexercises15.7ComparingSearchResultsand15.9ChoosingSamplesforSurveysandInterviews.Learnersmightbenefitfrompreparingtheseexercisesinsmallgroupsiftheyhavenothadmuchresearchexperience.Ifyoucannotsparetheclasstimebutbelievethatyourlearnersneedthepracticethattheseexercisesprovide,considerassigningoneormoreofthemforhomeworkandthendiscussingjustacoupleofexamplesinclass.

DayThree:FindingPublishedInformationandDocumentingSources

Oftenlibrariansarehappytocometoclasstodiscusstheresourcesofyourparticularlibrary.Youmightpreparesomeinterestingresearchquestionsforthelearnerstotrackdownafterthelibrarianexplainsthereferencesources.

Inadditiontoprintedsourcessuchasindexes,abstracts,directories,journals,books,andgovernmentdocuments,makesureyourlearnersareawareofonlinesourcesavailableatyourlibrary.Somelibrariansarealsowillingtodiscusstheimportanceandramificationsofwebresearch.

Organizationsmaypreferdifferentdocumentationformats;ifyouhaveapreference,telllearnerswhichoneyouwantthemtouse.Telllearnerswhetheryouwantthemtodocumentandcitethematerialstheyuse.Oftenacademicdocumentsusefarmorecitationanddocumentationthanareportinbusinesswoulduse.Ifpartofyourpurposeisforstudentstolearntousefootnotes,endnotes,andbibliographiescorrectly,thenmakeitcleartothemthattheyshouldciteanddocumenteverythingthatisn’tcommonknowledge.

WeekFour:CollectingandAnalyzingData

Gothroughthevarioustypesofdata,howtocollectit,andhowtoanalyzeit.

DayOne:DiscussingSurveyandInterviewTechniques

Onewaytoreallydrivehomehowimportantitistowordquestionsproperlyistostresstheimportanceofusingmeasurable,countableunitsratherthanwordsthatcanmeandifferentthingstodifferentpeople.Goodquestionsarephrasedneutrally,avoidmakingassumptionsabouttherespondent,andmeanthesamethingtodifferentpeople.Useexercise15.10EvaluatingSurveyQuestionstoletlearnerspracticeanalyzingquestionsandhowtheycanberephrasedtobemoreeffective.

Identifythedifferentkindsofclosedandopenquestionsandthedifferentkindsofscalesavailableforclosedquestions.Exercise15.11DesigningQuestionsforanIntervieworSurveyisgoodforin-classapplicationsoftheprinciplesofgoodquestions.Havelearnerspracticedevelopingbranchingquestions.Youcandothisinclassandthenhavesmallgroupstrytoimprovethequestions.Learnersmaydoabetterjobofwritingquestionsiftheyhaveabettergraspofhowtheymightbeusedinafinaldocument.

Ifyouhavetime,addresssampling.Notethatit’softenimpossibleforlearnerstotakeatruerandomsamplefortheirownsurveys.Besurethatyoutellthemwhatkindofsampleyouconsiderappropriateforthisassignmentandhowtodealwiththelimitationsoftheirsurveyintheirownreports(forexample,theycannotlegitimatelyclaimthatthemajorityoflearnersoncampusfeelacertainwayiftheyhaven’tsurveyedatruerandomsample).

AssignConnectassignment,SurveyingSoleraCustomers,forhomework.

DayTwo:ObservingCustomersandUsers

Acquaintlearnerswiththeroleobservationcanhaveindeterminingwhetherproducts,services,andproceduresarewelldesigned.Brieflyexplainthink-aloudprotocols,whichaskuserstovoicetheirthoughtsastheyuseadocumentorproduct;interruptioninterviews,whichinterruptuserstoaskthemwhat’shappeningwhilethey’reusingaproduct;anddiscourse-basedinterviews,whichaskquestionsbasedondocumentsthattheintervieweehaswritten.Considersendingstudentsouttoobserveandtakenotes,thendiscusstheexperienceandresultsatthebeginningofthenextclassperiod.

DayThree:AnalyzingDataforReports

Accumulatingdataisnotanendinitself.Towriteeffectivereports,learnersmusttakethetimetoanalyzetheinformationthey’vecollected.Sometimes,underthepressureofdeadlines,learnersmayneglectthisstepandcometoprematureorfalseconclusions.Youcanhelpyourlearnersavoidtheseproblemsbygivingthemsomeconcretestrategiestofollowinanalyzingalltheinformationthey’veaccumulated.

Learnersshould:

Lookforanswerstotheoriginalresearchquestions.

Lookforinterestinginformationthatmaynothavebeencoveredbytheoriginalquestionsbutclearlyemergesfromthedata.

Lookforevidencetoprovehunches.

Consciouslylookfordatathatmaydisprovethereport’sclaims.Ifyoufindany,modifyorlimittheclaims.

Toanalyzenumericaldata,sumit;calculatetheaverage;considerrunningstatisticaltests.Chartingdataisagreatwaytoseethesignificanceofthefiguresyouhave.

Stateaccuratelywhatthedatareallyshow.

Considerrivalhypotheses.

Brainstorm.Consciouslylookforatleastthreepossiblecausesforeachphenomenonobservedandatleastthreepossiblesolutionsforeachproblem.

Aspartofyourdiscussionofanalyzingdata,discussthenecessityofthinkingofandrespondingtopossibleobjectionstotheconclusionslearnershavereached.Asklearnerstobeginanalyzingthedatathey’vecollectedfortheirownreports,preferablyinpairsorsmallgroups.

WeekFive:ProgressReports

DayOne:IntroducingProgressReports

IntroduceprogressreportsusingPPTslides15B.22–15.27.DiscusschronologicalprogressreportsusingFigure15.10.Pointouthowthisdocumentisorganizedchronologicallyintermsofwhathasbeendoneandwhatworkremains.However,researchshowsthatindustryprogressreportsworkbestwhentheyrelatewhattheworkerhasdonetoorganizationalgoals.Ifyouwriteprogressreportsforyourownwork-in-progress,perhapsyoucouldshowthesetolearnersanddiscussyourpurposesineachdocument.

Ifyouareassigningaprogressreportasafollow-uptoaproposal,pointouthowthetwodocumentsrelate.Forexample,aprogressreportonalearner’sproposalforaresearchprojectshouldcorrelatecloselywiththeproposal’sworkschedule.Ifthelearnerhasstayedonschedule(orclose)andhasencounterednomajorproblems,theprogressreportwouldbeastraightforwardrecountingofexactlywhathasbeenaccomplishedandwhatislefttobedone.Ifthelearnerisbehindscheduleorhasradicallychangedthedesignoftheproject,theprogressreportwillhaveamuchstrongerpersuasiveelement.Ifpossible,showlearnersexamplesofprogressreportsthatformerlearnershavedonesotheycanseehowthetwocorrespond.(Oftenlearnersfindgreatreliefinseeingthatotherlearnershavebeenbehindattheprogressreportstagebuthavegoneontowritesuccessfulfinalreports!)

Assignexercise,15.13RevisingaProgressReport,forhomework.

DayTwo:DiscussingProgressReports

Askstudentstoexchangetheirrevisionsofaprogressreportwiththeirpeerstocritique—whatarethestrengthsandweakness?Gettogetheraslargegroupandaskstudentstoshare(projectrevisionsonboardifyoucan).

Askstudentstostartworkingontheirownprogressreportsbyusingoftheseexercises:

15.14WritingaProgressReport

15.15WritingaProgressReportforaTeamReport

Takeafewminutestodiscusstaskprogressreportsandrecommendationprogressreports,too.Inmanyorganizations,managersuseprogressreportstoseenotmerelywhetherprojectsareonschedule,butalsowhethertheyarepromisingenoughtocontinuetofund.Progressreportscansuggestthatworkersarecreativeproblem-solvers,andprogressreportscanbeusedtofloattrialballoons.

AssignConnectassignment,ReportingonTeamProgress,forhomework.

DayThree:OrganizationandStyleinReports

Beginbydiscussingthefollowingthreeguidelinesthatwillhelplearnerschoosethearrangementthatwillbemostusefulfortheirreaders:

Processyourinformationbeforeyoupresentittoyouraudience.

Whenyouhavelotsofinformation,groupitintothreetosevencategories.

Workwiththeaudience’sexpectations.

Explaincommonwaystoorganizeareport(PPTslides15B.4–15.17).Ifyouhavelearnerreportsfrompreviousclasses,youmightdistributetheminclassandhavethelearnersidentifythepattern(s)oforganizationineach.Asklearnerstothinkcriticallyaboutwhetherthatisthemostappropriatepatternorifanotherpatternmighthaveworkedequallywellorbetter.

Discussthefollowingfourpointsastheyapplytoreports:

Useclear,engagingwriting.

Keeprepetitiontoaminimum.

Introducesourcesandvisualsgracefully.

Useforecasting,transitions,topicsentences,andheadingstomaketheorganizationcleartotheaudience.

Theseprinciplesareeasytounderstandbutcanbehardtoapply;discussingtheminisolationusuallydoesn’timprovelearners’abilitytofollowthemintheirownwriting.

Forbestresults,showlearnersexamplesofgoodreportsthatfollowtheseguidelines(forexample,areportthathasgoodtransitionsbeforeandafterquotationsoronethateffectivelyintegratesvisualsintothetext).Thenhavelearnerspracticetheseprinciples.Dependingonyourtimeconstraints,youcouldeitherhavelearnersdoexercisesonthingssuchastighteningtheirwriting,havethemlookforthesethingsindraftsoftheirreports,orhavethemworktogetherinsmallgroupsontheirdrafts.Sincethisisalottocover,youwouldprobablyhavetomakethisaseparateeditingsessionifyouarealreadyhavinglearnersevaluateeachother’sdraftsfororganization,content,etc.

AssignConnectassignment,OrganizingInformationinReports,forhomework.

WeekSix:FormalReports

DayOne:IntroducingFormalReports

Pointoutthestandardpartsofformalreportsandremindyourlearnersthatnoteveryformalreportwillcontaineverypart.Thesubjectmatterofthereport,thewriter’spurposes,andthesituationdeterminewhatpartsareappropriate.Oftenorganizationshavetheirownconventionsforwritingformalreports.

Afterdiscussingthecomponentsofthereport(PPTslides15B.28–15.42),gothroughFigure15.12asanexampleofaformalreportthatisdividedintosegments.Involvelearnersinadiscussionofhowthevariouspartsofthereportfulfillthecriteriadiscussedinthebook.Askthemwhytheythinkthereportincludesthepartsitdoes,particularlyintheIntroduction,andwhypartsarenotincluded.Iftimepermits,youmighthavethemusetheformthatappearsearlierinthischaptertoevaluateit.

Ifyouhaveformalreportsfrompreviousclasses,youmightbringasamplingoftheminandletlearnerslookattheminclass.Anotheralternativeistoputseveralonreserve.Youmaywanttoannotatethesereportsaheadoftime,pointingoutboththestrengthsandweaknessesofeachreportandwhycertainsectionsareincluded,oryoumayprefertoasklearnerstoevaluatethem,usingtheformthatisincludedlaterinthischapter.

DayTwo:WritingtheIntroductionandBackgroundSections

Discussthecomponentsoftheintroductionofaformalreportandwhateachshouldcontain(PPTslides15B.35–15.38).Introductionsshouldalwayscontainapurposeandscopesection,andmaycontainlimitations,assumptions,methods,criteriaorstandards,anddefinitions.ForpracticedistinguishingbetweenAssumptionsandLimitations(twosectionsthatlearnersoftenfindconfusing),gooverexercise15.2IdentifyingAssumptionsandLimitationsinclass.

TheamountoftimeyouspenddiscussingtheIntroductioninclasscoulddependonthediversityofyourlearners’topics.Ifyoufindthattherewillbealotofvarietyinthesectionstheirintroductionsshouldcontain,youmighthavethemworkontheirintroductionsinsmallgroups.Otherwise,youcanprobablygooverthisinformationfairlyquickly.

Formalreportsusuallycontainasectionthatgivesthebackgroundofthesituationorthehistoryoftheproblem(PPTslide15B.39).Sometimesthishistoryisnecessarytounderstandtheproblemitself;sometimespartofthedifficultyinthefirstplaceisthatpeopleintheorganizationareunawareofhowtheproblemdeveloped.Butwhenthebackgroundisquitecleartothoseintheorganization,theformalreportshouldatleastsummarizeit.Reportsarefiledandconsultedyearslater,andtheselateraudienceswillprobablynotknowthebackground.Besurethatthereportisabletostandonitsown.

DayThree:DiscussingStrategiesforWritingtheBodyoftheReport

Thebodyofaformalreportpresentsandinterpretsdatainwordsandvisuals(PPTslides15B.40,15B.3–15.14,15B.18–15.21,and15B.28).Itanalyzesthecausesoftheproblemandevaluatespossiblesolutions.Thebodyusesinformativehe