The little red writing book - Brandon Royal 2007
Break things down
Structure
Principle #2: Break your subject into two to four major parts and use a lead sentence.
Assuming that you know what you want to write about, you must decide what basic building blocks will comprise your work. You can break your subject into two to four major parts. Three parts are typically recommended, but for the sake of simplicity, no more than four categories should be introduced. The classic “five-paragraph” approach to writing can be used to outline, in one paragraph, any writing piece. In the upcoming example, all you have to do is supply the colors!
LEAD SENTENCES VS. TOPIC SENTENCES
Once you have broken down your topic into two to four major categories, next you will want to elaborate on these ideas. Consider using a lead sentence, which is similar to a topic sentence. Whereas a topic sentence summarizes the contents of a single paragraph within an essay or report, a lead sentence summarizes the contents of an entire essay or report. Placed at the beginning of a piece, it foreshadows what is to come, highlighting what items will be discussed and, typically, the order in which they will be discussed. Each item in the lead should be developed into at least one separate paragraph within the body of the essay or report. For example, in a personal essay, this sentence could serve as an introduction or lead:
I would like to show who I am through a discussion of three special turning points in my personal and career development: when I went to university on a lacrosse scholarship, when I spent a year with the Peace Corps, and when I joined a commodity trading firm in London.
In a business report, the following could serve as a lead sentence, placed at the beginning of a report:
Based on information taken from a recent survey, this report summarizes the three biggest problems that our company faces: namely, employee turnover, store thefts, and poor customer service.
The number three is a magic number in writing. Think of building your writing around three key ideas or concepts.
FINDING TWO TO FOUR MAJOR IDEAS
OUTLINES FOR BUSINESS REPORT WRITING
The following page contains sample outlines for the four classic types of business reports. Although it is useful to think of all expository writing as having an introduction, body, and conclusion, in the case of business reports, the word “findings” is typically substituted for the word “body.” Note though that the “findings” section, as shown on the next page, is broken down into three to four categories. Business reports include executive summaries (usually one page) and recommendations (usually two pages). An executive summary is “a summary of the writer’s findings, conclusions, and recommendations.” It comes first in the report but is written last. A recommendation is “a statement of what the writer thinks should be done as a result of his or her conclusions.”
Business reports can serve one of four purposes: (1) feasibility study, (2) comparative study, (3) evaluation study, and (4) cost study. One way to summarize the differences among these reports is to take a hypothetical example from the world of business. Let’s choose the Wonderland Hotel chain, which is considering expanding its operations to Jakarta, Indonesia. First, a feasibility study report is required. Executives at the head office must ask, “Is the hotel market in Jakarta sufficiently large enough to ensure that our hotel can prosper?” Next, assuming the hotel is built and operational, executives at regional headquarters may ask: “How do operations, including revenues, expenses, and profits, compare between the Singapore Wonderland Hotel and the Jakarta Wonderland Hotel?” This question forms the basis of a comparative study report. Next, the manager of the Jakarta Wonderland Hotel, who wants to increase hotel service to its customers, issues a questionnaire for guests to fill out. The questionnaire, titled “Are You Satisfied?,” forms the basis of an evaluation study report. Finally, the manager of the Jakarta Wonderland Hotel, based on results from its survey, seeks authorization to build a water slide, games room, and reading room — all things that guests say they want. How much will it cost to build a water slide, games room and reading room? This question forms the basis of a cost study report.
