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In the ImageSkill scenario, Nicole Stefani addresses the
needs of her audience by writing text that is clear, concise,
and accurate.
ImageSkill is a marketing firm that deals primarily with gov-
ernmental and not‐for‐profit agencies. Its mission is to mold
clients’ public relations and to promote an effective overall
image. The company accomplishes this through an array of
services including
r Web design
r Social media development strategies
r Desktop publishing
r Editing
r Multimedia production
r Events management
r Image control
r Communications training
ImageSkill recently hired Nicole Stefani to be a member
of its public relations team. Nicole graduated with honors
from the University of Indiana with a degree in journalism and
a specialization in public relations. After graduation, she in-
terned in Chicago at a renowned PR company, working with
such clients as Nike, Crate & Barrel, and Banana Republic. She
brings to ImageSkill expertise as a communications and social
media specialist.
Objectives in Technical
Communication
COMMUNICATIONAT WORK
In Chicago, she worked as an advocate for businesses and
nonprofit organizations. She says, “I understand the attitudes
and concerns of a community and public interest groups.
I work to establish and maintain relationships with my clients,
other businesses, and the media.” Nicole will be called upon
to draft press releases, make promotional films, plan conven-
tions, interact with members of print and broadcast journalism,
communicate via social media, and prepare annual reports
and proposals.
Nicole says, “As a new hire at ImageSkill, I need to write
a proposal in response to an RFP (request for proposal) from
Greenfield City Management and make a PowerPoint pres-
entation to the city council.” Nicole has spent the last three
weeks gathering data for her proposal to the city council.
Nicole initially made contact with the client. She visited
with them on the telephone and used e‐mail correspondence
to gather information that the client considered important.
Nicole then reviewed their needs with her boss, Marc Shabbot,
who suggested some additional questions she could ask in
face‐to‐face meetings. Through two meetings with upper‐
level decision makers, she collected information about the
end‐user’s needs. She asked questions, such as “How can we
meet your needs?” and “How will you measure success?”
After Nicole gathered data from the client, she had to
write the proposal complete with schedules, project plans,
the project’s scope, and a description of the deliverables.
This proposal also would be reviewed by Marc, so Nicole
wanted to do a good job.
Nicole said, “I know the importance of this proposal for
ImageSkill, the city council, and for me. This is my first big
job writing a proposal for ImageSkill, and I want the pro-
posal to be well organized, well designed, well written,
clear, concise, accurate, and persuasive. I’m fortunate that
Marc is willing to edit my proposal. He has worked for Image-
Skill for over ten years and knows how to write a winning
proposal. He’s a great team leader, and I look forward to his
comments about the proposal. I had a technical writing
class in college where I learned the communication process
of prewriting, writing, and rewriting documents for the busi-
ness world. With Marc’s help and the communication pro-
cess, I know that I’m going to be a successful communicator
in the workplace.”
Learning Objectives
When you complete this chapter, you will be able to
t Understand that if your technical communication is unclear, your reader may do a job wrong, damage equipment, injure themselves, or contact you for further explanations t Use details, specify, and quantify to ensure reader understanding t Answer who, what, when, where, why, and how (the reporter’s questions) to help determine which details to include
t Avoid words that are not commonly used including legalese and outdated terms t Avoid passive voice constructions, which tend to lengthen sentences and confuse readers t Use short, simple words (always considering your reader’s level of technical knowledge) t Limit the length of sentences by deleting expletives, “be” verbs, “shun” words, camouflaged words, and more
t Use Microsoft Word to determine your text’s readability t Use different organizational patterns—spatial, chronological, importance, comparison/contrast, and problem/solution—to help you explain material t Evaluate your technical communication for clarity, conciseness, accuracy, and organization using a checklist
Your goal as a technical communicator is to express yourself clearly. To do so, state your
exact meaning through specific, quantified word usage (measurements, dates, monetary
amounts, and so forth).
Answer the Reporter’s Questions
A second way to write clearly is to answer the reporter’s questions—who, what, when,
where, why, and how. The best way we can emphasize the importance of answering these
reporter’s questions is by sharing with you the following e‐mail message, written by a
highly placed executive, to a newly hired employee.
BEFORE
Date: November 16, 2014 To: Staff From: Earl Eddings, Manager Subject: Research Please be prepared to plan a presentation on research. Make sure the information is very detailed. Thanks.
That’s the entire e‐mail. The questions are, “What doesn’t the newly hired employee
know?” “What additional information would that employee need to do the job?” “What
needs clarifying?”
To achieve successful communication, the writer needs to answer reporter’s ques-
tions. What is the subject of the presentation and the research? What exactly is the reader
supposed to do? Will the reader of this e‐mail make a presentation, plan a presentation,
or prepare to plan a presentation? Who is the audience? The word “staff” is too encom-
passing. Will all of the staff be involved in this project? Why is this presentation being
made? That is, what is the rationale or motivation for this presentation? When will the
presentation be made? How much detail is “very detailed”? Where will the presentation
take place?
In contrast, the “After” e‐mail message below achieves clarity by answering reporter’s
questions.
AFTER
Date: November 16, 2014 To: Melissa Hider From: Earl Eddings Subject: Research for Homeland Security Presentation
Please make a presentation on homeland security for the Weston City Council. This meeting is planned for November 20, 2014, in Conference Room C, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
We have a budget of $6,000,000. Thus, to use these funds effectively, our city must be up to date on the following concerns: r Bomb‐detection options r Citizen preparedness r Defense personnel training r Crisis management Use PowerPoint software to make your presentation. With your help, I know Weston and the KC metro area will benefit.
What
When Where
Why
How
Who
Use Easily Understandable Words
Another key to clarity is using words that your readers can understand easily. Avoid ob- scure words.
Avoid Obscure Words. Write to express, not to impress; write to communicate, not to confuse. If your reader must use a dictionary, you are not writing clearly. Read the following unclear example.
The following rules are to be used when determining whether or not to duplicate messages:
r Do not duplicate nonduplicatable messages. r A message is considered nonduplicatable if it has already been duplicated.
Your job duties will be to ensure that distributed application modifications will execute without abnormal termination through the creation of production JCL system testing.
EXAMPLE ▶
Words like “nonduplicatable” and phrases like “execute without abnormal termination” are hard to understand. For clarity, write “do not duplicate secure messages” and “JCL system testing will ensure that applications continue to work.” Following is a list of difficult, out‐of‐date terms and the modern alternatives.
Before After aforementioned initial in lieu of accede as per your request issuance this is to advise you subsequent inasmuch as ascertain pursuant to forward cognizant endeavor remittance disclose attached herewith pertain to supersede obtain
discussed above first instead of agree as you requested send I’d like you to know later because find out after mail know try pay show attached about replace get
Simplifying Words, Sentences, and Paragraphs
for Conciseness
A second major goal in technical communication is conciseness, providing detail in fewer words. Conciseness is important for at least three reasons.
Conciseness Saves Time
Other people’s time is valuable. Your audience cannot nor should they spend too much time reading your e‐mail or listening to you speak. They have their own jobs to perform. Long documents and lengthy oral presentations often waste people’s time. Keep it short—for the sake of your audience as well as for your sake as the communicator.
TABLE Approximate Size Characteristics of Communication Channels
Communication
Channel
Overall Size
of the Screen
Lines per Page
or Screen
Characters
per Line
Hard‐copy paper 8½ × 11 inches 55 70–
PC or laptop e‐mail screen
About 4 × 6 inches 20–22 60–
Smartphone screen (depending on horizontal versus vertical orientation)
About 2 × 4 inches 20 (vertical) 10 (horizontal)
45 (vertical) 80 (horizontal)
Resumes. A one‐page resume is standard. One hard‐copy page measures 8½ × 11 inches. That is a box. In fact, this box (one page of text) allows for only about 55 lines of text, and each line of text allows for only about 70–80 characters (a “character” is every letter, punctuation mark, or space).
E‐mail Messages. In contrast, much of today’s written communication in the workplace is accomplished through e‐mail messages. Because e‐mail screens displayed on computer monitors are often smaller than a hard‐copy page, e‐mails should be concise. Yes, you can scroll an e‐mail message endlessly, but no one wants to do that. In fact, the reason that readers like a one‐page resume is that one page allows for what is known as the “W‐Y‐S‐I‐W‐Y‐G” factor (“What You See Is What You Get”). Readers like to see what they will be getting in the correspondence. In contrast, if you make your readers scroll endlessly in e‐mail, they do not see what they get. This causes problems. Therefore, a good e‐mail message should fit in the box, letting the reader see the entire content at one glance. It should be limited to about 20 to 40 lines of text.
Mobile Messaging. The technological impact is even more dramatic when you consider the screen size for handheld, mobile messaging equipment such as smartphones. In “Serv- ing the Electronic Reader,” Linda E. Moore says, “More and more e‐readers are accessing documents using cell phones, PDAs, and other wireless devices” (17). Technical commu- nicators need “to figure out how to create content that works on a four‐line cell phone screen” (Perlin 4‐8).
Online Help Screens. Another example of technical communication that must fit in a box is online help screens. If you work in information technology or computer sciences, you might need to create or access online help screens. If you do so, then your text will be limited by the size of these screens.
Twitter and Instant Messages. A further size limitation created by technology is evident in tweets and instant messages. A tweet (the name for messages sent via Twitter) is limited to 140 characters. Instant messages are limited to 160 characters.
Conciseness Improves Readability
“Readability” is the reading level of your document. It defines whether you are writing at
a fifth‐grade, ninth‐grade, or twelfth‐grade level, for example. You can gauge your reada-
bility level by using many readability formulas, including the Linsear Write Index, the Lazy
Word Index, the Flesch Reading Ease Score, and the Flesch‐Kincaid Grade Level Score.
A popular tool for determining readability is Robert Gunning’s Fog Index. Gunning bases
his readability findings on the length of your sentences and the length of your word usage.
Several online sites will help you calculate a document’s readability. For example, in an
online site for testing readability, Online‐Utility (http://www.online‐utility.org/), just type or
download text into the site and receive instant feedback on the “number of characters,
words, sentences, and average number of characters per word, syllables per word, and words
per sentence.” Another Web site, Readability Formulas (http://www.readabilityformulas
.com/), provides “Free readability tools to check for Reading Levels, Reading Assessment,
and Reading Grade Levels.”
Readability is important for the following reasons. According to the National Center
for Education Statistics, close to 22 percent of the adult population “reads at the lowest
literacy level” (Labbe B9). That equals about 70 million people in the United States. You
might think that this fact won’t apply to you because you’ll always be writing to college
graduates. That’s a mistake. Only about 30 percent of Americans graduate from college.
Therefore, if you are writing at a college level, you might create readability challenges for
approximately 70 percent of your audience (U.S. Census Bureau). Regardless of your work
environment, you will need to communicate to the general public.
Reading habits are changing. Many of today’s readers “power browse”—they skim
rather than read text in depth (Self 11). Much of this, according to studies, is due to the
emergence of social media. Look at the following statistics which highlight the change in
reading habits of average college students (Self 11):
For more information about readability, check out William H. DuBay’s detailed white paper “The Principles of Readability” found at http://www.impact‐ information.com/impactinfo/ readability02.pdf
DOT.COM UPDATES
◀ EXAMPLE
Examples of text boxes provided in PowerPoint
Number of books read in a year 8 Number of Web pages read in a year 2, Number of Facebook profiles viewed in a year 1, Number of pages of college assignments written in a year 42 Number of e‐mail messages written in a year 500
Microsoft PowerPoint. You also must fit your technical communication within a box
(or boxes) when you use Microsoft PowerPoint software.
When you need longer words, use them. Also, try to avoid old‐fashioned, legalistic words,
like “pursuant,” “accordance,” and “aforementioned.” Too often, writers and speakers use
these words to impress their audience_._ In contrast, communicators should express their
content clearly and simply. Look at the following, lengthy “Before” sentence:
T E C H N O L O G Y T I P S (Continued)
Once you have enabled this readability feature, open a file and check the spelling. When Word has finished checking the spelling and grammar, you will see a display similar to the one below.
In this example, the text consisted of 2159 words, 78 paragraphs, and 144 sentences. This averaged 14 words per sentence, equaling about 10th grade level writing. Four percent of the sen- tences were written in passive voice.
BEFORE
I would like you to take into consideration the following points, which I know will assist you in better applying new HIPAA rules and regulations currently burdened by the need to execute all data manually and on paper rather than through standardized, electronic transmissions.
AFTER
Please consider the following points. This will help you apply new HIPAA rules by submitting data online instead of having to type text on separate forms.
The above sentence is 44‐words long and contains 10 words with more than 3 sylla-
bles. None of these words is challenging individually. Still, the mass of syllables makes the
sentence hard to understand. To solve the challenges presented by the length of the sentence
and the length of the words, simplify as in the “After” example.
In this revision, the 44 words have been reduced to 26 words. Also, the original long sentence has been cut into two smaller sentences. The remaining two sentences contain only four multisyllabic words. The conciseness saves you and your reader time and makes the information easier to understand.
Limit Sentence Length for Conciseness
For conciseness and improved readability, limit the length of your sentences. The GNOME Documentation Style Guide (a Unix and Linux desktop suite and development platform) provides the following information about readable sentence length:
#&'03& "'5&
Long Words Concise Version utilize anticipate cooperate indicate initially presently prohibit inconvenience pursuant endeavor sufficient subsequent
use await (or expect) help show first (or 1.) now stop problem before try enough next
READABILITY LENGTH OF SENTENCES
Very easy to read Average sentence length is 12 words or less. Plain English Average sentence length is 15 to 20 words. Extremely difficult to read Average sentence length exceeds 20 words.
To limit sentence length, use the following techniques for deleting dead words and phrases.
Delete “Be” Verbs. “Be” verbs include conjugations of the verb “be”: is, are, was, were, would, will, been, and am. Often, these verbs create unnecessarily wordy sentences. For example, look at the “Before” and “After” examples.
#&'03& "'5&
Wordiness Caused by “Be” Verbs Deleting for Conciseness
Bill is of the opinion that stock prices will decrease. Bill thinks stock prices will decrease. I am in receipt of your bill for $1000. I received your $1000 bill. If I can be of any assistance to you, please call. If I can help, please call. They are planning to fax new invoices tomorrow. They plan to fax new invoices tomorrow. Barb had been hoping to move into her new office complex today.
Barb hoped to move into her new office complex today.
Use Active Voice Versus Passive Voice. In active voice sentences, the subject performs an action. In passive voice sentences, the subject is acted upon. Sometimes, “Be” verbs cre- ate passive voice sentences, as in the “Before” example.
Following is a list of long words that can be simplified for conciseness and easier understanding:
Limit Prepositional Phrases. Prepositions can be important words in your communica- tion. They help you convey information about time and place. Occasionally, however, prepositional phrases create wordy sentences. A prepositional phrase includes a preposi- tion and a noun or pronoun that serves as the object of the preposition. For example, “at a later moment” is a prepositional phrase. It includes the preposition at and the noun mo- ment. This prepositional phrase is wordy and can be revised to read “later.”
#&'03& "'5&
Camouflaged Words Concise Versions make an adjust ment of adjust (or revise, alter, change, edit, fix) have a meet ing meet thank ing you in advance thank you for the purpose of discuss ing discuss arrive at an agree ment agree at a later moment later
#&'03& "'5&
Wordy Prepositional Phrases Concise Versions He spoke at a rapid rate. He spoke rapidly (or fast). She wrote with regard to the meeting. She wrote regarding (or about) the meeting. I will call in the near future. I will call soon. On two different occasions, we met. We met twice. The manager of personnel was hired. The personnel manager was hired.
Use the Meat Cleaver Method of Revision. One way to limit the number of words per sentence is to cut the sentence in half or into thirds. The following sentence, which contains 43 words, is too long.
Using the meat cleaver approach makes this sentence more concise. The “Before” sentence, now rewritten as three sentences, is easier to read.
BEFORE
To maintain proper stock balances of respirators and canister elements and to ensure the identification of physical limitations that may negate an individual’s previous fit‐test, a GBC‐16 Respirator Request and Issue Record will need to be submitted for each respirator requested for use.
AFTER
Please submit a GBC‐16 Respirator Request and Issue Record for each requested respirator. We then can maintain proper respirator and canister element stock balances. We also can identify physical limitations that may negate an individual’s previous fit‐test.
Limit Paragraph Length
The number of lines you write in a paragraph is arbitrary. Some paragraphs, due to the complexity of the subject matter, might require development. Other paragraphs requiring less development can be shorter. Nonetheless, an excessively long paragraph is ineffective. In a long paragraph, you force your reader to wade through many words and digest large
amounts of information. This hinders comprehension. In contrast, shorter paragraphs in-
vite reading and help your readers understand your content. A paragraph in effective
technical communication should consist of no more than four to six typed lines.
Break up wall‐to‐wall words, margin‐to‐margin text with smaller paragraphs. Use bullets to make each paragraph stand out more effectively. The boldfaced, indented dates emphasize key milestones.
Achieving Accuracy in Technical Communication
Clarity and conciseness are primary objectives of effective technical communication. How-
ever, if your writing is clear and concise but incorrect—grammatically or contextually—
then you have misled your audience and destroyed your credibility. To be effective, your
technical communication must be accurate. Accuracy in technical communication requires
that you proofread your text. The examples of inaccurate technical communication below
are caused by poor proofreading (we have underlined the errors to highlight them).
BEFORE
Our project management approach will provide your city clear deliverables and meet your RFP criteria. Orlin & Sons proposes the following sequence. We will assess the adequacy of your current facilities from a technology perspective, starting on January 13, to be completed by February 1. Then, beginning on February 5, O&S will meet with residents’ focus groups to identify community needs, including health, culture, history, and quality‐of‐life issues. This will allow us to identify necessary improvements to meet your current and ongoing requirements. We will complete this project milestone on February 25. The final step of the process involves setting team goals needed to work with city, county, and state regulatory agencies. We will begin this step on March 8 and conclude by March 15.
The “Before” paragraph is neither visually attractive nor easy to understand. To invite your readers into the document and help them grasp the details, improve the document’s design. Make your text open and inviting by using formatting techniques, as shown in the “After” example. Not only is the “After” example easy to access but also it is more concise than the “Before” example. The “Before” example consists of 125 words. The “After” example consists of only 75 words.
AFTER
Our project management approach will provide your city clear deliverables and meet your RFP criteria. Orlin & Sons proposes the following sequence.
r Assess the adequacy of your current facilities from a technology perspective. Begin/End Dates: 1/13–2/ r Meet with residents’ focus groups to identify community needs: health, culture, history, and quality‐ of‐life issues. Begin/End Dates: 2/5–2/ r Set team goals needed to work with city, county, and state regulatory agencies.
Begin/End Dates: 3/8–3/
First City Federal Savings and Loan 1223 Main Oak Park, Montana
October 12, 2014 Mr. and Mrs. David Harper 2447 N. Purdom Oak Park, Montana
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Purdom:
Organizing Technical Communication
If you are clear, concise, and accurate, but no one can follow your train of thought
because your text rambles, you still haven’t communicated effectively. Successful
technical communication also must be well organized. No one method of organization
always works. Following are patterns of organization that you can use to help clarify
content.
Analysis
Topics can be difficult for audiences to understand. For example, what does your em-
ployee benefits package include? What does your homeowner’s insurance cover? What
are the benefits of your cell phone calling plan? What courses do you need to take to
complete your degree program? Analyzing a topic helps you focus on the smaller pieces
that make up the whole. The following example uses analysis to provide information
about smartphone rates.
◀ EXAMPLE 4NBSU1IPOF3BUFT Look at what AaBbTelecom offers you as part of your smartphone services:
Plan Prices $29.99 $49.99 $59. Minutes 450 450 Unlimited Nights and Weekends 5,000 minutes Unlimited Unlimited Mobile to Mobile Unlimited Unlimited Unlimited Roaming and Long Distance
None None None
Optional Features Text messaging Text messaging Pre‐installed games Ringtones
Text messaging Pre‐installed games Ringtones Bluetooth wireless technology
Spatial Organization
To organize a topic spatially, you discuss how the topic looks if viewed from left to right,
right to left, inside to outside, or bottom to top. Spatial organization is useful when provid-
ing physical descriptions of products or perhaps reporting on work‐related accidents or
events. For example, an accident report might factor in geographical location—north, east,
south, and west. The home burglary claims report shown in Figure 2 uses compass direc-
tions for spatial organization.
Chronology
You might use chronological order to organize many types of communication. If you are
a recording secretary for a board, agency, sorority, fraternity, or city council, you could use
chronology to report meeting minutes. This would entail noting who said what first, who
responded next, and so forth. Reverse chronology is used for many resumes. In a reverse
chronological resume, you discuss your current job or educational status first. Then, you
list your prior employment and educational accomplishments. Chronology is mandatory
if you are discussing the steps in a procedure. Using chronological order also can help your
audience follow trends. The “Before” taken from a company’s Web site advertising their
clothing lines, is not organized effectively, while the “After” is reorganized chronologically.
Compass directions can be used in reports to help you organize content and help the reader visualize the event.
Claims Report Date: January 16, 2014 To: Larry Lerner, Regional Manager From: Susan McGarvey Subject: Claims Report on Burglary at 1600 Oaklawn
Introduction
Time/Date When Claim Was Filed: 8:45 p.m./January 15, 2014 Policy Number: 3209‐ Effective Date of Insurance Coverage: May 15, 2013 Policy Holder(s): Mr. John Stamper and Mrs. Carol Stamper Mailing Address: 1600 Oaklawn City/State/Zip: Caligon, MS 34267 Phone: 314‐555‐
Description of the Burglary
Narrative: The residents (Mr. John Stamper and Mrs. Carol Stamper), returning from an evening out, found their house broken into, vandalism, and missing items.
Exit/Entry: Entry appears to have been made by cutting an L‐shaped hole in the northwest bedroom (BR) window. The perpetrators then apparently left the BR and traveled due south to the southwest BR, where vandalism occurred. Then, the culprits walked east down the hall to the family room (FAM). When the Stampers returned home, they found their garage (GR) door open, suggesting that the perpetrators exited south from their home.
Missing Items/Estimated Costs:
r Sony 46′′ high definition television ($1,400) r $200 cash that had been laying on the family room desk r A Nintendo Wii Console ($259) r A Blu‐ray player ($159)
Vandalism/Costs:
r The southwest BR had random spray paint on the ceiling and walls ($200— materials and labor). Please see the attached photographs. r Window repair ($125—material and labor)
Status of the Claim
This claim has been given to claims adjuster Mary Rivera for disposition. I have informed Mary that turnaround time on claim clearance must be two weeks maximum to meet our company’s new mandates for customer satisfaction.
BR
BR BR
CL BA FAM
H GR
W E
N
S
KT
'*(63& Report Using Spatial Organization
'*(63& Letter Organizing Content by Importance
Arrowhead Utilities 1209 Arrowhead Dr. Lake Washington, IA 39921
September 12, 2014
Ms. Stacy Helgoe 1982 Evening Star Rd. Lawrence, KS 78721
Dear Ms. Helgoe:
We have experienced rough times lately in the utilities industry. Prices for oil, gas, water, and coal have gone up by over 50 percent, but statewide regulations have disallowed us from raising rates to meet these costs. This has led the Board to consider laying off workers, reducing our geographic area of coverage, limiting our customers’ options for service, merging with a utilities competitor, and providing fewer hours of service (“enforced brownouts”).
To ensure continued good relations, we should inform our stakeholders of these decisions. How should we proceed? Here are our options:
- Implement the Board suggestions without notifying the stakeholders directly. A follow‐up article in the local newspaper’s business section could then report the activity.
- Implement the Board suggestions and provide a personalized letter to each stockholder detailing the causes and our goals.
- Present information to the stakeholders at an abbreviated annual meeting, asking for questions and answers, and then taking a vote on which options to pursue.
- Hold four “small town” meetings prior to any vote or implementation. This will allow stakeholders ample opportunity for discussion.
My suggestion is #4, the best choice to ensure large scale stakeholder buy‐in and empowerment. Any other approach, I believe, will create distrust on the part of our primary audience. I want to hear from each of you regarding your thoughts. Please call me at 914‐555‐7676, ext. 234, or e‐mail me at [email protected] by September 21.
Sincerely,
Christy Pieburn
Christy Pieburn Board Chair
The itemized body in this letter uses analysis to provide the reader options. In the last paragraph, the body points are itemized from least important to most important. Notice that point #4 is considered “best choice,” thus the most important point.
If you are giving an oral presentation as part of a proposal, for example, you might want
to mention the customer’s problem and then highlight the many ways in which your com-
pany will make improvements. The following example is a proposal’s executive summary,
which uses problem/solution as a means of organization.
4PDJBM.FEJB4JUFT
Service Options Facebook Friendster Orkut Multilingual Profile Editor Customize Personalize URL Photos Blog Journal Safety Tips Instant Messaging Tags Mobile Music Source: “Social Networking Websites Review”
◀ EXAMPLE
Executive Summary^ ◀^ EXAMPLE
Problem Results from the employee satisfaction survey indicate that the Northwest Group needs to improve current leadership training. Our analysis reveals that managers want to hire staff from outside our Supervision Identification Program’s (SIP) pool of “SIP Certified” personnel. Managers do not currently believe that the SIP pool contains personnel with the skills needed to succeed on the job. They highlighted three areas specifically: Diversity Management, Communication Skills, and Knowledge of ISO Standardization.
Solution We propose solving this problem as follows:
r Researching supervisory software vendors for improved online and computer‐ aided individual instruction r Implementing improved ongoing and post‐assessment techniques
