Informative Reports vs. Analytical Reports

Informative reports consist of delivering data and presenting it in a professional manner. Analytical reports analyze and summarize data. The difference between these reports are their function the Analytical report is less a reproduction of data rather it is a formed analysis about the data. The informative report only functions to report the data in text form and present it clearly and concisely with the need for actual long sheets of data tables. The analytical report is, therefore, more work than an informative report because not only must you review the long sheets of data, but you must extract an analytical point and conclusion from the series of numbers. Sometimes even require that your formulate projections based on the data.

Good News, Bad News

Answering directly to all news is not the best thing to do. Why? Because using the same tactic for each scenario can back fire and also send the wrong message of carelessness. When composing a letter, email, or memo one must take the time to analysis who will read the message and how they will react to the message at hand. Taking the time to consider the audience and their sensibilities can make the reader more receptive and forthcoming. Not taking the time to address either good or bad news properly can bring upon the writer a never-ending flow of criticism. Be considerate, be knowledgeable about your audience, and never write any letter in a condescending tone.

Is Letter Writing Dead?

Could it be that modern technological times could be fading away letters? I think not. Many important once-in-a-lifetime moments require letters; such as, approval for enlisting into the army, congratulations for being accepted to a prestigious university, final notices... Although modern times are pushing to go faster letters are meant to be pauses in the rush. Letters carry with them an imposing importance not only because they are 2-Dimensional, but because they have structured formats and sometimes carry a signature. To send a letter requires time and effort both of these requirements give a letter the importance. Letters ask the reader to pay attention to their content. Don't you think you would pay more attention to this blog entry if it were a letter signed by me?

Why are lawyers and technology experts warning companies to store, organize and manage computer data?

The answer, of course, is the legal liability a company can be hold accountable for if any suspicious unlawful behavior occurs. Companies are required legally to store all of its companies data including email and instant messaging. By educating employees about how to use email and instant messaging services responsibly can make the difference between negligent use and improved productivity. Controlling personal use and business use can benefit the employer while restricting the employee to work at work. While storing data is essential, more essential is the management of the data collected and having the basic system requirements to handle the data load.

Once a memo or any other document leaves your hands, you have essentially published it.

The reality now is once your send a email, post a comment, and tweet a picture every detail is recorded and never deleted. Companies are bound by law to save all emails and exchanges within their company. Your credibility can be questioned if past emails are sourced and demonstrate negligence. Increasingly memos and documents are relayed to employees through electronic sources like email, so don't be surprised if your paper document comes back to haunt you in digital format. Documents can be scanned and photographed, so it is always important to make sure that you are putting your best out there. Out there is somewhere even after you press delete.

Instant messaging could be the dial tone of the future?

The title statement is in fact true. As human technologies advance we innovate new and bury old. Such is the case with phones, phones are becoming less relevant and cell phones mostly function now for texting, IMing, tweeting, facebooking.... Instant messaging is the dial tone of the future because sooner than later we will make the transition from audible communication to visual communication. In a faster paced world that is the only path forward; people will continue to find new communication horizons. Fashions come and go and so does technology a perfect example of this is the Blackberry. The Blackberry had its prime time, but is now becoming less relevant to world increasingly dominated by iPhones and Androids.

What's Perfect?

Can good writers sit down and write perfect document? Probably not, but would the document be more cohesive than some other document composed by a okay writer, probably yes. A good writer would still benefit from proofreading regardless of how many years that individual has been writing. When composing a document and even while I am writing this blog entry, the mind wanders in and out of ideas it isn't cohesive by nature. Writing requires energy, energy that reigns in ideas and de-tangles them.This fact makes it impossible to sit down and make a perfect document.Writing skills can improve over time and incorporating techniques and tricks can make writing easier, but almost never turns fluid thought into a perfect sentence.

Its DUE, but do you turn it in?

Would you turn in a document that has not been proofread and sacrifice your credibility? Or would you keep the document past the due date and proofread the document and risk looking like a procrastinator? Decisions, decisions,... Personally, I would hold the document until the document was properly proofread instead of sending a rough draft. Tardiness is preferred over sending an incomplete document out to be ridiculed. In the Business world, incomplete documents would mean a job not well done. Avoid placing yourself in this situation and take the time to insure that the document is without faults and that is cohesive and concise.

Short Sentences.

Short and sweet would seem basic principle when communicating a message, however, the same applies to writing. Taking too much time to write convoluted messages not only cause the writer a strain, but also may causes a reader a headache. Never underestimate the power of short sentences and paragraphs. This is an elemental part of writing effective business memos, emails, letters, etc... Elongating a message can distract the reader making the message ineffective. Powerful business entities rely on quick transactions, however, quick simple messages are also crucial for increased productivity. Business communication requires direct messages that can be easily understood and contain no double meanings. Remember to rely on simple direct messages rather than lengthy messages.

Genocide in Darfur

In the beginning of the Darfur, Sudan conflict no one directly called it genocide. Darfur was treated as a conflicted region with conflicted people who were essentially killing each other, however, this part of the story was down played by the media and political officials. Darfur received little to no attention until some human rights activists caught on to the indirect language coming out of that region. Then Darfur became a celebrity cause with George Clooney holding the torch.

The Darfur Genocide became all of a sudden media-relevant and politicians were speaking out. A question still remains unanswered, why did the media and politicians downplay this international massacre? The Darfur Genocide is a prime example of an unethical use of the indirect method. Sometimes negative events need direct attention and need immediate action. The initial indirect response to the Darfur Genocide showed that media and politics are both profit businesses. The media circumvented the story while politicians danced around the topic meanwhile thousands were being slaughtered.

Founders of http://notonourwatchproject.org
Don Cheadle
George Clooney
Matt Damon
Brad Pitt
David Pressman
Jerry Weintraub

Looking out into the Audience

A writer should always "look out into the audience" figuratively speaking. Eliminating this crucial step could make the difference between an angry or confused audience. Using writing pattern techniques like direct and indirect patterns can make a message more clear, and make the audience more receptive. Employing an direct pattern in a message throws main point out first and elaborates later. The opposite is true for an indirect patten, which elaborates first and throws out the main point last. Direct and indirect patterns can be used appropriately and inappropriately. The proper use of these patterns can be audience-aware while improper use can be audience-negligent.

A prime example of the improper use of the direct pattern is the former US President George W. Bush and friends verbal and textual language about Hurricane Katrina.

"We've got a lot of rebuilding to do ... The good news is — and it's hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house — he's lost his entire house — there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." (Laughter) —President Bush, touring hurricane damage, Mobile, AL., Sept. 2, 2005 (Source)

"Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans, virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going relatively  well." –FEMA Director Michael Brown,Sept. 1, 2005 (Source) 

In aftermath of Katrina, many victims look up to the current  governmental leaders for guidance and direction. They needed thoughtful discourses that acknowledged their pain and suffering. What they got were a steady stream of gruesome direct pattern quotes that were received as a slap in the face. Had these governmental officials used indirect patterns to create their sentences history would have treated them differently. Their sentences came out as rude and unconscious doublespeak; sentences and quotes that will forever put them down in history as the incompetent leaders.

When used correctly direct patterns can cause happiness and excitement. For example, Mac earnings since the ipod was rolled out. Stockholders would welcome news like "We have tripled our earnings, and look forward to furthering innovation boundaries."

Real life quote from Mac's 2011 Quarter 1 Earnings:

“We established a new quarterly record with sales of 4.13 million Macs, representing 23 percent growth over the year ago quarter. That is almost eight times IDC’s most recently published estimate of 3 percent growth for the PC market….The growth was fueled primarily by strong demand for the new MacBook Air.”

 Wouldn't this quote sound like music if you were a Mac stockholder?!?

Remember to always look into the audience....

2b? Nt2b, WHAT!!!

Making an effort to write clearly and concisely is more difficult than it may seem. In the Business community it is important to limit the descriptive narrative high school and college papers once asked for, and trade it in for clear cut English. Business culture asks for "get to the point" attitude. There is no room for eloquent Shakespearean iambic pentameter verses which dwell in deep thoughts and that require hours to interpret. Efficiency and effectiveness is the name of the game in Business. All business is about results and how to increase productivity and profitability. It would be impossible to have any size business function well with sentences like:

"To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep,
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to: 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep;........"

 People would never go home trying to decipher poetic prose or ever sleep, trying to write and read such complex language. Within the business atmosphere a simple "I feel terribly sad" would have saved Hamlet time and his employer money.

While oversimplifying Shakespeare's romantic prose would seem a vulgar attack on the classics it represents how high school and college students are taught to think about their prose- as if it were art. Shakespeare would not be the greatest business impresario of our time because of his language style.  Perhaps relevant during his era, floral emotive language has no place in the Business world and would hinder communication or maybe even bankrupt the company. We live in a world were people communicate and function in a fast-paced environment. This fast-paced world has transformed the English language into a plethora of acronyms. LOL, WTG, and JK would revolt Shakespeare, the same can be said for a business setting. Being too descriptive maybe cumbersome, but oversimplifying words into letters reaches the opposite extreme of inadequate business language.

High School and College Students live a "Tale of Two Cities." They are taught Shakespeare and Homer in classroom, and walk out of classroom into the modern viral world of texting. As soon as a teenager receives there own personal cell phone they are corrupted by the ease of butchering words into acronyms. OMG-ing and LOL-ing seep into students everyday routine, and become difficult to avoid when entering the business workforce environment. Students should practice filtering their language always trying to maintain a fine line between too descriptive and too alphabetical. 

"Romeo, Romeo _ wher4 Rt thou Romeo?"

Shakespearean Text Quote Article

Decoding Body Language

Body language is a conjunction of voluntary and involuntary body movements interpreted by a viewer as non-verbal communication. Humans evolved through communication, initially relying on body gestures and facial expressions, and later developing complex spoken and written languages (i.e. sumerian language). Despite the creation of spoken and written languages humans still rely on primitive non-verbal forms of communication like body language, pictorial drawings, and facial emotions. Our early european ancestors (homo sapiens) used those three non-verbal forms of communicating, the most lasting form are the illustrations that can be still found in obscure caves in Europe.

We are still products of the past programmed with body language sensibilities. Our species is able to discriminate between sincerity and insincerity just by innately noting muscular tendencies or gestures. A prime example of this is the Duchenne smile, side graphic depicting this study. Look at Side A vs. Side B, which of the two do you think is a sincere smile? Think to yourself why this is so? Our brain is wired to pick up on subtle details like what muscular areas are being used and how many muscles are being employed to form the facial expression or body expression. The study concluded that Side A was viewed as an insincere smile because only one muscular region (mouth area) was employed in the facial expression. Side B was viewed as sincere because two muscular regions (eyes and mouth areas) were employed in the facial expression. It is truly mind blowing that amount of detail we are receptive to, but more mind boggling the amount of daily discriminating our brains do for us.

Behavioral Scientists work to deconstruct the labyrinth physical and emotional components of body language. Behavioral Scientists rely on experiments, for example, displaying different scenarios to lab subjects and recording their reactions. By identifying and quantifying behavioral tendencies scientists are able to establish principles. As technologies improve behavioral scientists will have more equipment to accurately measure brain activity, the nervous system, and much more. Behavioral science is a fluid and changing science supported by years of research and experimentation.

Be your own experiment, click below:
http://www.youramazingbrain.org/testyourself/default.htm