COMM 212 Study Guide - Final Guide: Wrong Impression, Jargon, Individualism
COMM 205 NOTES
Reporting in the Digital-Age Workplace:
Basic Report Functions and Types:
1. International Reports: Reports that represent data without analysis or
recommendations.
2. Analytic Reports: Reports that provide data, analyses, and conclusions.
Organizational Strategies:
1. Diret Strateg: The purpose for ritig is lose to the egiig of a report. Its he
readers are informed, eager to have results first and are supportive
2. Indirect Strategy: the conclusions and recommendations appear at the end of the
report. Its he readers eed to e eduated. Need to e persuaded ad a e
disappointed or hostile.
Typical Report Formats:
1. Letter Format
2. Use Memo and E-Mail Formats
3. Manuscript Format
4. Forms and Templates
5. Digital Format
Applying the 3-x-3 Writing Process to Contemporary Reports:
Step 1: Analyse the problem and purpose
Step 2: Anticipate the audience and issues
Step 3: Prepare a work plan
Step 4: Conduct research
Step 5: Organise, analyze, interpret, and illustrate the data
Step 6: Compose the first draft
Step 7: Edit, proofread, and evaluate
Identifying Secondary Sources and conducting Primary Research:
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Conducting Primary Research:
-Surveys:
1. Select the survey population carefully
2. Explain why the survey is necessary
3. Consider incentives
4. Limit the number of questions
5. Use questions that produce quantifiable answers
6. Avoid leading or ambiguous questions
7. Make t easy or ambiguous questions
8. Make it easy for respondents to return the survey
9. Conduct a pilot study
-Interviews:
1. Locate an expert
2. Prepare for the interview
3. Maintain a professional attitude
4. Make your questions objective and friendly
5. Watch the time
6. End graciously
- Observation and Experimentation
Documenting Information
The Purposes of Documentation:
- To strengthen your argument
- To protect yourself against charges of plagiarism
- To instruct the reader
- To save time
What to Document:
- Aother persos ideas, opiios, eaples, or theor
- Any facts, statistics, graphs, and drawings that are not common knowledge
- Quotatios of aother persos atual spoke or ritte ords
- Paraphrases of aother persos spoke or ritte ords
- Visuals, images, and any kind of electronic media
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Good Research Habits:
Paper Note Cards:
- Record all major ideas from various sources on separate note cards.
- Include all publication information (author, date, title and so forth) along with precise
quotations.
- Consider using one card colour for direct
Understanding the Nature of communication:
The Communication Process:
1. Sender has an idea
2. Sender encodes message
3. Sender selects channel, transmits message
4. Receiver decodes message
5. Feedback returns to sender
Barriers That Create Misunderstanding;
The communication process is successful only when the receiver understands the message as
intended by the sender.
In order to do that, we have to learn to recognize barriers such as Bypassing
Bypassing: when people miss each other with their meanings. It can lead to major
miscommunication because people assume that meanings are contained in words.
Differing Frames of Reference: everything you see and feel is translated through your
individual frame of reference.
Lack of language Skill: each individual needs an adequate vocabulary and skill in oral and
written presentation.
Distractions: emotional interference, physical distractions and digital interruptions.
Overcoming Communication Obstacles:
-Anticipate problems in encoding, transmitting and decoding a message.
-Fous o the reeiers eiroet ad frae of referee.
-Arrange ideas logically and use words precisely.
Use the 3-x-3 Writing Process as a Guide:
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Document Summary
Basic report functions and types: international reports: reports that represent data without analysis or recommendations, analytic reports: reports that provide data, analyses, and conclusions. Organizational strategies: dire(cid:272)t strateg(cid:455): the purpose for (cid:449)riti(cid:374)g is (cid:272)lose to the (cid:271)egi(cid:374)(cid:374)i(cid:374)g of a report. It(cid:859)s (cid:449)he(cid:374) readers are informed, eager to have results first and are supportive: indirect strategy: the conclusions and recommendations appear at the end of the report. Need to (cid:271)e persuaded a(cid:374)d (cid:373)a(cid:455) (cid:271)e disappointed or hostile. Typical report formats: letter format, use memo and e-mail formats, manuscript format, forms and templates, digital format. Applying the 3-x-3 writing process to contemporary reports: Step 5: organise, analyze, interpret, and illustrate the data. Interviews: locate an expert, prepare for the interview, maintain a professional attitude, make your questions objective and friendly, watch the time, end graciously. To protect yourself against charges of plagiarism. A(cid:374)other perso(cid:374)(cid:859)s ideas, opi(cid:374)io(cid:374)s, e(cid:454)a(cid:373)ples, or theor(cid:455) Any facts, statistics, graphs, and drawings that are not common knowledge.
