本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛The Attributes of a Successful Report
Hopefully the following message gets across before you readers get bored. It is really dry.
In my field of work, a report is generated when further investigation on a certain matter is needed or a particular piece of information needs to be disseminated within a specific group of readers. Having read and prepared numerous reports, I find that all successful reports have some attributes in common. I have summarized them as follows for your reference.
1: Being Factual
Your report might be the only source of information that your readers rely on and therefore it is paramount that whatever you state in the report are FACTS.
For example, you interviewed a client, who advised you that he would certainly lodge a complaint against the government. However, you were not sure if that would actually happen. To be on the safe side, you stated in your report that “the client will probably lodge a complaint against the government”.
Is this statement factual? The answer is no because what you stated is not a fact but your own opinion. At the time of your report, no one knew whether that person would make it happen or not. The readers of your report are more interested in what facts you have than what you think about the facts. So the factual way of putting it is simply adding “the client advised” in front of the sentence: The client advised that he would certainly lodge a complaint against the government.
Let’s look into another example. Read the following statement of a single vehicle collision:
The vehicle was speeding and was all over the road. Then it lost control and swerved into the oncoming traffic. The vehicle narrowly missed the oncoming vehicle, ploughed into the sidewalk and smashed into the store. The driver was able to exit the vehicle. He was not hurt but apparently drunk. A passerby phoned 911.
The above paragraph does paint the picture. The reader can get an idea of what happened. However, is it factual? The answer is no because:
1) There is a strict definition for speeding in the traffic law. Without a proper speed measuring device, one cannot determine the speed of a moving vehicle with his/her naked eyes. Stating “the car was speeding” is judgmental, not factual.
2) The expression “all over the road” is vague. It is certainly acceptable in daily conversations but not for an official report.
3) The expression “lost control” is not a fact but an opinion. At the time when the statement was made, the cause of the collision was still unknown. Losing control could be one of the reasons but it may not be the only reason.
4) “He was not hurt but apparently drunk” is typically judgmental. When the driver exited the vehicle, it was impossible for a by-stander to determine his well-being by simply looking at him.
5) “Passerby” is an opinion, not a fact. You did not know who that person was to the driver.
6) “911” is just your assumption. It may not be true.
Let’s rewrite the same story considering the above mentioned points and see if it paints a better picture:
The vehicle appeared to be travelling at high rate of speed weaving between the two lanes. Then it suddenly swerved into the oncoming traffic narrowly missing one vehicle, ploughed into the sidewalk and smashed into the store. The vehicle finally came to a rest after hitting the concrete wall inside the store. The driver, who appeared to be a male party, was able to exit the vehicle. No visible injury was observed. Once outside, the driver appeared to be unstable on his feet. He staggered through the debris and made his way outside. A person out front of the store made a phone call. The emergency crew arrived in several minutes.
Which paragraph is better? As far as factuality is concerned, the second one will keep you out of hassle down the road.
To be continued.........更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
Hopefully the following message gets across before you readers get bored. It is really dry.
In my field of work, a report is generated when further investigation on a certain matter is needed or a particular piece of information needs to be disseminated within a specific group of readers. Having read and prepared numerous reports, I find that all successful reports have some attributes in common. I have summarized them as follows for your reference.
1: Being Factual
Your report might be the only source of information that your readers rely on and therefore it is paramount that whatever you state in the report are FACTS.
For example, you interviewed a client, who advised you that he would certainly lodge a complaint against the government. However, you were not sure if that would actually happen. To be on the safe side, you stated in your report that “the client will probably lodge a complaint against the government”.
Is this statement factual? The answer is no because what you stated is not a fact but your own opinion. At the time of your report, no one knew whether that person would make it happen or not. The readers of your report are more interested in what facts you have than what you think about the facts. So the factual way of putting it is simply adding “the client advised” in front of the sentence: The client advised that he would certainly lodge a complaint against the government.
Let’s look into another example. Read the following statement of a single vehicle collision:
The vehicle was speeding and was all over the road. Then it lost control and swerved into the oncoming traffic. The vehicle narrowly missed the oncoming vehicle, ploughed into the sidewalk and smashed into the store. The driver was able to exit the vehicle. He was not hurt but apparently drunk. A passerby phoned 911.
The above paragraph does paint the picture. The reader can get an idea of what happened. However, is it factual? The answer is no because:
1) There is a strict definition for speeding in the traffic law. Without a proper speed measuring device, one cannot determine the speed of a moving vehicle with his/her naked eyes. Stating “the car was speeding” is judgmental, not factual.
2) The expression “all over the road” is vague. It is certainly acceptable in daily conversations but not for an official report.
3) The expression “lost control” is not a fact but an opinion. At the time when the statement was made, the cause of the collision was still unknown. Losing control could be one of the reasons but it may not be the only reason.
4) “He was not hurt but apparently drunk” is typically judgmental. When the driver exited the vehicle, it was impossible for a by-stander to determine his well-being by simply looking at him.
5) “Passerby” is an opinion, not a fact. You did not know who that person was to the driver.
6) “911” is just your assumption. It may not be true.
Let’s rewrite the same story considering the above mentioned points and see if it paints a better picture:
The vehicle appeared to be travelling at high rate of speed weaving between the two lanes. Then it suddenly swerved into the oncoming traffic narrowly missing one vehicle, ploughed into the sidewalk and smashed into the store. The vehicle finally came to a rest after hitting the concrete wall inside the store. The driver, who appeared to be a male party, was able to exit the vehicle. No visible injury was observed. Once outside, the driver appeared to be unstable on his feet. He staggered through the debris and made his way outside. A person out front of the store made a phone call. The emergency crew arrived in several minutes.
Which paragraph is better? As far as factuality is concerned, the second one will keep you out of hassle down the road.
To be continued.........更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net