Writing a Report

[Demetrius]

Though its about speaches rather than reports, I always found this very helpful:

http://www.wendelberger.com/index_files/kurt_tucholskys_advice.php

[Stanfordian]

Writing a Report

When I decided to leave the BBC and Music Administration, I opted to become a Management and Productivity Consultant.

There are many areas in which such consultancy is involved, including the setting up of bonus schemes, material handling, recruitment counselling, office services and routines, job evaluation, method study, time study and ergonomics.

The consultant is called in by a manufacturer or government department to do a complete survey, make appropriate recommendations and submit a report; which will be given to management but is available to all the employees or staff whom it affects.

Such a report must be phrased in such a way as to be clearly understandable by all who are involved. It must be written in language which will not offend the sensibilities of the Managing Director but will be clearly understood by the lowest employee on the shop floor.
The report should be brief but, at the same time should not omit any comment or information which is relevent to the matter under revue.

So a critic writing a report on a concert, should follow the same principles where they apply:

1) Write using language that is in common use.
2) Always comment on what is good as well as what was bad
3) Keep the report as brief as possible
4) Keep to the subject or performance under discussion.
5) Don’t show off!

If we all try to follow those simple principles, it would make life a lot easier for our hosts and release a lot of space on these message boards.


HS

Hello Hornspieler, I find when posters give others the benefit of their experience like you have for recommendations for submitting a report about music. They are really saying this is how I like things to be done.

[BBMmk2]

Personally I think that this thread has no place on a forum like this. We are not for report writing on this forum.

[Hornspieler]

Personally I think that this thread has no place on a forum like this. We are not for report writing on this forum.

Every time a newspaper's music critic writes up a concert, it is a report.

Any of our members who state their views on, or reaction to, a performance are giving a form of report.

I think that this thread has a lot more relevence to these message boards than Ashes, Football, Stormy Weather, Political Argument or Refreshment Rooms - none of which have any connection at all with the output of Radio 3.

Nobody is forced to contribute to a thread or even to look at its contents.

HS

BTW I forgot to add another essential to my original post - correct spelling and grammar.

[vinteuil]

The report should be brief but, at the same time should not omit any comment or information which is relevent to the matter under revue.

BTW I forgot to add another essential to my original post - correct spelling and grammar.

[Hornspieler]

[QUOTE=vinteuil;329045]:

Originally Posted by Hornspieler
The report should be brief but, at the same time should not omit any comment or information which is relevent to the matter under revue.

Originally Posted by Hornspieler

BTW I forgot to add another essential to my original post - correct spelling and grammar.

Ooops! Correction now made.

HS

[vinteuil]

Ooops! Correction now made.

HS

... but I think the matter is "under review". A revue wd be something altogether different...

[verismissimo]

... A revue wd be something altogether different...

Sounds like more fun...

[BBMmk2]

BTW I forgot to add another essential to my original post - correct spelling and grammar.[/QUOTE]

Yes, well..........

[Hornspieler]

Originally Posted by vinteuil
... A revue wd be something altogether different...

Sounds like more fun

Yes, that too. But it could be a report from a West End theatre production.

HS

[Demetrius]

BTW I forgot to add another essential to my original post - correct spelling and grammar.

Yep, it is "speeches". When I wrote that post, it was 10 o'clock, I had a nice 12 hours working in my local library on old German texts regarding the Smalcald articles. By the way, their spelling is atrocious. English is also my second language.

The other post was just something flaky for the fun of it, but as serious contribution to your thread: I think your missing the nature of a message board like this one. For the most part, it does not work within the concept of written reports or indeed speeches. It works like spoken dialog and is mostly spontaneous. No need to tell people to be short, 99 % of the posts will be anyway. Language will be for the most part the one in common usage among the members of the board - it's a natural development. Spontaneous dialog always meanders of topic, and may spawn new threads, as long as members don't annoy each other too much, that is no problem at all.

It's communication, and as long as I get what the other wants to communicate, I really don't see why I should care about some(!) spelling mistakes.

The thing is, if you rigorously restrict how people should write about things, you will get less posts, as many won't bother to write a dry as a brick report on their last concert.
Less posts by fewer people means fewer viewpoints means a less interesting message board.

[Hornspieler]

It's communication, and as long as I get what the other wants to communicate, I really don't see why I should care about some(!) spelling mistakes.

The thing is, if you rigorously restrict how people should write about things, you will get less posts, as many won't bother to write a dry as a brick report on their last concert.
Less posts by fewer people means fewer viewpoints means a less interesting message board.

The reason for starting this thread was that certain members might take note, perhaps shorten their text, stop using arcane words and avoid wandering away from the subject of the thread.


If the cap fits ...

HS

[Stanfordian]

Yep, it is "speeches". When I wrote that post, it was 10 o'clock, I had a nice 12 hours working in my local library on old German texts regarding the Smalcald articles. By the way, their spelling is atrocious. English is also my second language.

The other post was just something flaky for the fun of it, but as serious contribution to your thread: I think your missing the nature of a message board like this one. For the most part, it does not work within the concept of written reports or indeed speeches. It works like spoken dialog and is mostly spontaneous. No need to tell people to be short, 99 % of the posts will be anyway. Language will be for the most part the one in common usage among the members of the board - it's a natural development. Spontaneous dialog always meanders of topic, and may spawn new threads, as long as members don't annoy each other too much, that is no problem at all.

It's communication, and as long as I get what the other wants to communicate, I really don't see why I should care about some(!) spelling mistakes.

The thing is, if you rigorously restrict how people should write about things, you will get less posts, as many won't bother to write a dry as a brick report on their last concert.
Less posts by fewer people means fewer viewpoints means a less interesting message board.

Hiya Demetrius, Great post, I am in full accord.

[vinteuil]

stop using arcane words

... some of us love the arcane and wish to celebrate it, to exult in it. Where wd we be without fuliginous, chthonic, succedaneum, imbricated? ... I offer no eirenicon here....

[Nick Armstrong]

I like long words, I've learnt a lot of new ones here ... but like an inept criminal, it's the long sentences I object to.