Question

What items are necessary to include in an informative report? How about an analytical report?

How do you plan to best present your report in a PowerPoint format?

Explain the purpose of the preliminary documents of a report. Describe each informative and analytical report.

Answer 1

Business reporting is broadly classified into informational reports and analytical reports. Facts, data, feedback, guidelines, procedures, initiatives, financial information, project updates, status updates and various other business information without analysis forms the key ingredients of an informational report. In addition to the above information presented in the informational reports, analysis and recommendation are included in an analytical report

A report could be best presented in PowerPoint format by presenting the report as a story following the rule of three with a proper beginning, interval and conclusion accomplishing the report goals of conveying the information to the audience. The rule of three makes the presentation structured and conveys the information to the audience in the most precise and understandable manner. Cognitive loading process should be adopted in eliminating the extraneous details or information from the report to present it in the best manner. The use of visuals to convey the information and clarify the topics is effective in PowerPoint slides. The speaker should use the PowerPoint slides as ephemeral to augment the speech and add value to the topic of discussion or information presented in the report. Handouts of the PowerPoint slides could be distributed if the audience size is small to remember the presentation for a long time and use it as a reference in the future. Soft copies of the PowerPoint slides could be distributed upon genuine request. These are some effective steps to best present the report in a PowerPoint slide format

The main purpose of the preliminary document of a report is to show the ownership, conditions and interest of others in a project. The preliminary document also includes the various exclusions and exceptions in the project as exhibits. Informational reports are used for decision making, compliance with regulators, project status reports and policy reports. Informational reports are used by management at all levels to convey the information. Analytical reports are primarily market research reports including recommendations and suggestions that come in addition to an information report. The main focus of analytical reports is to investigate the various business opportunities that exist in the market place to determine consumer interests and preferences. Problem-solving reports are a type of analytical reports helping to solve corporate issues providing a specific solution to the problem