WRIT2000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Kurt Vonnegut, Pathos
WRIT2000 UQ Week 4 – Internal reports
Useful and actionable internal reports (written for people within org)
Reports
• Are waymarkers of progress
• Tell a story
• Back-ward looking (events already occurred)
• Require structure and signposts
• 'Use the time of a total stranger in a way that he/she will not feel that their time has been
wasted' - Kurt Vonnegut
• Write with economy and purpose
• Either inform, seek action, or both
Purpose
The purpose is not to write a report – the report is a tool to achieve the purpose.
Proposal
Document advocating change or action
Persuasive skills, backed up with data, to make people higher up agree with or endorse your
intentions
Aristotle and rhetoric
• Logos (the brain)
• Ethos (guiding character of a community)
• Pathos (the heart)
Internal report/proposal
• Should use logos
• Your words put story around the data (vital storytelling component)
Narrative of an internal report
Simple structure might be
• We've always done this …
• But then something happened …
• This has caused …
• So now we should do this …
• To achieve this outcome.
Specific to internal report
• Some assumed level of knowledge
• Can often cut to the chase
• Less formal 'tone' or voice
• Memo vs more formal document
• Don't compromise integrity by compromising on ethos
• Style still dependent on audience
o Different style for manager vs board presentation
Alternative structures
Traditional
• Introduction
• Implications
Document Summary
Useful and actionable internal reports (written for people within org) Reports: are waymarkers of progress, tell a story, back-ward looking (events already occurred, require structure and signposts. "use the time of a total stranger in a way that he/she will not feel that their time has been wasted" - kurt vonnegut: write with economy and purpose, either inform, seek action, or both. The purpose is not to write a report the report is a tool to achieve the purpose. Persuasive skills, backed up with data, to make people higher up agree with or endorse your intentions. Logos (the brain: ethos (guiding character of a community, pathos (the heart) Internal report/proposal: your words put story around the data (vital storytelling component) Simple structure might be: we"ve always done this , but then something happened , this has caused , to achieve this outcome. Specific to internal report: can often cut to the chase.
