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REPORT WRITING
AND
PRESENTATION SKILLS
HU155
Course Information
• Instructor:
Dr. Wael Said
• Email: [email protected]
[email protected]
• Prerequisites:
• Text books:
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• But I will use material from other books and research papers, so the
ultimate source should be my lectures.
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Course Outline
• Introduction and Motivation
• Communication
• Report Writing
• Part 1 The practical side of report writing
• Part 2 The Creative Side of Report Writing
• Part 3 Some Common Types of Report
• Presentation Skills
• Part 1 Assessing your skills
• Part 2 Planning your presentation
• Part 3 Slides and other Visual aids
• Part 4 New technology for Presentations
• Part 5 Preparing your Presentations
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Grading Information
• Grading
• Midterm Exam
• Quiz and Homework
• Exercise Attendance
• Experimental exam
• Final Exam
• Policies
• Attendance is required
• All submitted work must be yours
• Cheating will not be tolerated
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10
80
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Course Objectives
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Prepare the students for writing their assignments work in
report form.
• To know the possible organization of reports.
• To be able to organize and write correctly the contents of
a report sections.
• To improve the writing style of a report.
• To practices preparing and analysis the contents of a
report.
• Understand a rang of tools and techniques for Report
Writing
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Additional related objectives
• To get the concepts of improving the writing skills is a part
of the communication skills.
• To implement the logical thinking through the writing
process.
• To know some advanced methods for search digital
resources online.
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Motivation
• I Read and I Forget.
I Write and I Remember (Summaries & Mind-Maps)
I Do and I Understand (Problem Solving ..)
• “Writing and cookery are just two different means of
communication”
Maya Angelou
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CHAPTER 0
Communication
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Learning Objectives
• To understand the concept of communication and grasp
different stages of the communication process
• To discuss various features, flow, forms and importance
of communication
• To understand the difference between general and
business communication
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Definition
Communication is a word of Latin origin Communico or
communicare, which means to share.
• Transmission and interchange of facts, ideas , feelings or
course of action.
• Most common medium of communication is language
not only language we use codes and symbols in order
to communicate.
• “The three most important words for a successful
relationship are: communication, communication, and
communication.”
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Most common ways we communicate
Written Word
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Communication Process
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Elements of communication Process
• Sender- sender is the person who originates the message and is
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therefore the information source ( or encoder )
Encoding – Is the sender’s process of putting the message into
a form that the receiver will understand.
The receiver is the person to whom the message is
communicated and who interprets or decodes the message.
Decoding – The receiver’s process of translating the message
into a meaningful form.
Message is the content or what is communicated.
Channel is the carrier through which or by which the message
is transmitted to the receiver. The choice of the channel and the
type of symbols is determined by the situation
Feedback the observation of the receivers response by the
sender is called feedback.
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Characteristics of effective
communications
Effective communication requires the sender to:
• Know the subject well
• Be interested in the subject
• Know the audience members and establish a rapport with
them
• Speak at the level of the receiver
• Choose an appropriate communication channel
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Characteristics of effective
communications
Effective communication requires the message to be:
• Clear and concise
• Accurate
• Relevant to the needs of the receiver
• Timely
• Meaningful
• Applicable to the situation
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Characteristics of effective
communications
Effective communication requires the channel to be:
• Appropriate
• Affordable
• Appealing
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Characteristics of effective
communications
Effective communication requires the receiver to be:
• Be aware, interested, and willing to accept the message
• Listen attentively
• Understand the value of the message
• Provide feedback
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Types Communication
• Verbal
• Oral
• Written
• Non verbal
• Signs
• Symbols
• Body Language
• facial expressions
• touch
• even style of clothing
• Variation in Voice Characteristics
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Types Communication
Oral
Written
Non-Verbal
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ORAL Communication
• Face – to – face
• Telephonic
• Group Meeting
• Seminar
• Conference
• Panel Discussion
• Symposium
• Interview
• Presentation
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ORAL Communication
Advantages
• Adjustable
• Clarification
• Time
• Persuasion & control
• Formality
• Cost
• Convenient/reliable for
Groups
Limitations
• Future ref not
possible
• Not-effective if
poor speaker
• Not suitable for
lengthy details
• Distortion
• Poor retention
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Written Communication
• e-mail
• Fax
• Memorandum
• Notice
• Circular
• Press release
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• Letter
• Proposal
• Research paper
• Report
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Written Communication
Advantages
• Most wanted
• Permanent
• Legal evidence
• Accurate
• Suitable for lengthy &
complicated
Limitations
• Limited only Literates
• Costly, time consuming
• Formal
• Delayed feedback
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Why Do We Care?
Early Career
You can spend 50-75% of your time for communicating
Performance evaluation and job advancement usually
depend more on communication skills than on technical
skills.
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Why Do We Care?
Later Career
You can spend 90-95% of your time for communicating
As you advance in your career, even more of your time is
spent communicating rather than calculating
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General v. Professional Communication
• Professional Communication: Use of effective
language for conveying a commercial/ industrial
message to achieve a predetermined purpose
• Professional Communication concerned with
business activities
• characterized by certain formal elements
• impartial & objective
• certain complex writing techniques
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General v. Professional Communication
General Communication
Technical Communication
Contains a general message
Contains a technical message
Informal in style and approach
Mostly formal
No set pattern of communication
Follows a set pattern
Mostly oral
Both oral and written
Not always for a specific audience
Always for a specific audience
Doesn't involve the use of technical
vocabulary or graphics, etc.
Frequently involves jargon, graphics,
etc.
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Skill to Communicate
• Definition of skill
• The learned ability to bring about a predetermined result with
maximum certainty and efficiency.
• An ability to perform an activity in a competent manner.
• The abilities that one possesses
• This ability to translate technical information to non-
specialist is a key skill to any technical communicator.
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What is a report?
• A report is a text that originated in the business world in
order to analyze and present information in a structured
way.
• A report is written for a clear purpose and to a particular
audience.
• Specific information and evidence are presented,
analysed and applied to a particular problem or issue.
• The information is presented in a clearly structured format
making use of sections and headings so that the
information is easy to locate and follow.
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What is a report?
A well written report will demonstrate your
ability to:
• understand the purpose of the report brief and adhere to
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its specifications;
gather, evaluate and analyse relevant information;
structure material in a logical and coherent order;
present your report in a consistent manner according to
the instructions of the report brief;
make appropriate conclusions that are supported by the
evidence and analysis of the report;
make thoughtful and practical recommendations where
required.
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Understanding Writing
Writing Triangle
Writer
Document
Reader
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Understanding Writing
• We use the triangle when we want to make sure of the
following:
• The Writer:
1. Sends the information on time
2. Writes clearly
3. Knows what the reader needs
4. Includes all the required information
5. Includes only correct information
• The Reader:
1. Receives it on time
2. Can understand everything in the document.
3. Does not need to ask for more information
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Writing is learned by writing
• Practice, practice, practice
• Choose good role models
• Study good examples
• But there are also techniques and rules to learn
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Characteristics of Good Writing
• Completeness: all information needed is provided
• Correctness: relevant and precise information
• Credibility ‫مصداقية‬: support your argument
• Clarity: reader decides what is vague, confusing,
ambiguous
• Conciseness ‫ايجاز‬: get to the point
• Consideration: anticipate the reader’s reaction
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The essential steps before start writing
1. Gathering the Basic information & Data
2. Analyzing and Sorting the Results
3. Outlining the Report
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The Writing Process
• Planning:
• Keep objectives in mind and research the topic
• Think about the audience
• Outlining helps organize thoughts
• Writing:
• Follow your outline, use your handbook
• Inspiration is acceptable but must be carefully reviewed
• Use the interview approach to supplement the outline who, what,
where, when, how)
• Quality control:
• Reread your work
• Be critical of your own work
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Five keys to effective writing
• Put the reader first
• Communication = understanding
• Write to Express not Impress
• Use words readers can picture
• Use simple words and short sentences
• Use jargon only when necessary
• Write with verbs and nouns
• Use the active voice
• Choose the right verb and the right noun
• Format document to improve readability
• Use lists, bullets, charts, tables, indents, italics, bolds, headings
and subheadings
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The Most Common Writing Errors
• Do not write the way you speak.
• Do not use slang.
• Do not expect your reader to know what you mean.
• Do not write in fragments.
• Use complete sentences.
• Always use Standard Written English/Language
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The Most Common Writing Errors
• your
• to
• there
• its
• quite
• than
• whose
you’re
too
their
it’s
quiet
then
who’s
two
they’re
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Understanding Presentation
Ideas, concepts or issues talked about or spoken
to a group or audience
• Aspects in the development of a good
presentation
• Subject Centered (Material)
• Audience Centered (Audience)
• Self Centered (Self)
“Presentation is the ‘Killer Skill’ we take into the real world. It’s
almost an unfair advantage