2022 - 2023

Fall semester

Technical Report Writing

Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud

 Chapter 1
Technical report writing

Introduction to report
writing
(continued…)
Lesson 03: The Writing Process
The Process of Writing
• Researchers have established some general strategies for this process.
Familiarizing yourself with those findings will help you to be a more effective writer.

• The writing process consists of three stages: Planning, Drafting and Revising.
• Each of the stages can be broken down into various specific activities.
These stages are interrelated.

• The writer could make a common mistake by spending too much time on drafting and
too little time on the other two stages, planning and revising.

3
Lesson 03: The Writing Process

The Process of Writing

Planning

The Process
of
Writing

Revising Drafting

4
Lesson 03: The Writing Process
The Process of Writing
1. Planning
Preparing to write
You need an informed sense about your readers and their individual context- personal and
professional. Also you should think about your organization, context, personal and
professional and the impact on the communication goal.
After determining the purpose of the message, you need to consider the best way to
achieve your goal .
For example, you should consider different kinds of contents, it's format, the channel you
will use and style.
• Planning includes three general activities:
a- Gathering the Information
b- Analyzing this Information
c- Choosing a Form, Channel and Format to deliver this information.
We will explain the three activities in detail in the following pages.
5
Lesson 03: The Writing Process
The Process of Writing
1. Planning
• Planning Activities

a- Gathering Information:
Collecting information requires doing some research.
• In general, collecting any information can help in deciding what must
be done and what will be written.
• Collecting information by using the writer's memory, creativity and
imagination is very important. To visualize the readers and keep their
interests in mind is an excellent planning technique.
6
Lesson 03: The Writing Process
The Process of Writing
1. Planning
• Planning Activities
b- Analyzing Information:
Once the writer has a good number of ideas, he or she will start to
asses them.
• If the idea is numerical, he or she is going to do the calculations
that will help decipher the meaning and patterns in the numbers.
• Other kinds of data will be put together to see what course of
action they might indicate and the writer has to keep the reader in
mind and the kind of information that matters to them.
7
Lesson 03: The Writing Process
The Process of Writing
1. Planning
• Planning Activities
C - Choosing a Form, Channel and Format :
o During your job there is a wide range of established forms of communication to
choose from, including letter, email, website or a combination of these.
o For instance, if you want to promote your company's range of products, which
channel would you use? Do you think direct marketing through email campaigns is
good enough? Or using magazine advertisement?
o Preliminary decisions about a document format, or visual design, could be made at
any point in the writing process
o For example: Are you going to divide the contents with headings? How about
numbers or bullets? Are there visual elements, such as picture or diagrams?
8
Lesson 03: The Writing Process

The Process of Writing

2. Drafting
• Flexibility is the best advice about drafting. When writing a difficult task it is better to
concentrate on certain things at a time. Here are some suggestions:

1- When drafting, avoid perfectionism: If you try to make your first draft a perfect
draft, this will cause two problems.
First, you will spend too much energy in perfecting the early parts and that can make
you forget the important pieces and purposes of the later parts.
Second, perfectionism could slow the drafting, this results in keeping you from
wanting to revise the report when you finish.
9
Lesson 03: The Writing Process
The Process of Writing

2. Drafting
Flexibility is the best advice about drafting. When writing a difficult task it is better to concentrate on
certain things at a time. Here are some suggestions:

2- Keep Going:
Make each statement just good enough to let you move ahead. When you turn your plan into a draft,
do not be distracted from your main objective by minor problems such as wording or grammar.

3- Use strategies that keep you productive:

The idea is to keep going, thus do anything that makes you draft freely. For example start writing in the
most productive period during your day, start with the most interesting part for you, take breaks and
create convenient setting

10
Lesson 03: The Writing Process

The Process of Writing

3. Revising (improving what was written)

• When revising, you have to go back over your message carefully several times.
✓ Have you said what you meant?
✓ Could the reader misunderstand what you wrote?
✓ Does each word help you to achieve your goal? Could you enhance the
structure of the content?
✓ When you revise your work, you should turn into you own critic. You
challenge what you have written and look for possible better alternatives.

11
Lesson 03: The Writing Process

The Process of Writing

3. Revising
Levels of Editing and Proofreading:

Revision

Levels of
Editing and
Proofreading:

Proofreading Editing

12
Lesson 03: The Writing Process
The Process of Writing
3. Revising
There are three "levels of edit" revision, editing and proofreading:

1- Revision:

When provisioning, you look at top –level concerns:

 If all the necessary information is included,
 If it is organized in a logical and effective way,
 If the formatting is helpful and appropriate and if the overall meaning of the
message comes through.

13
Lesson 03: The Writing Process
The Process of Writing
3. Revising
Levels of Editing and Proofreading:
There are three "levels of edit" revision, editing and proofreading:
2. Editing
When editing, you move to focus on style. You should examine the sentences and see if
the reader will easily follow the information and if it includes the right things. Also
consider if the word choices are best serving your purpose.
3. Proofreading
Take a look at particular mechanical and grammatical elements-spelling, punctuation,
typography and grammatical mistakes. Note that the editing functions in your word –
processing program can help you with this task.
One last and important word regarding revision:
Get feedback from others. Because it might be difficult to catch errors and weaknesses in
your work, search for assistance from willing colleagues and receive their criticism with
an open mind. 14
MCQ
You chooses a pattern of organization before you begins a letter. What part of the writing
process does this activity represent?

a. Planning.

b. Gathering.

c. Revising.

d. Editing.

15
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing

Plan of Writing Business Messages:

• To determine your message's basic plan, a good place to start is by assessing

the reader's expected reaction to what you have to write.
• If the reaction is expected to be positive, or neutral, the best approach is to be
direct.
• This means getting to the objective right away and without delaying the
explanation or even using conditioning words.

16
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing

Begin with the objective:

• If you are looking for information, start by asking for it, while if you are
giving information start giving it.

• Whatever your objective is, use it as a guide. If your reader is not expecting
to hear from you or is not familiar with you or your company, you might need
to open with a brief orienting phrase or sentence, but get to the point as
soon as possible.

17
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing

Cover the remaining part of the objective

You must cover everything that needs to be discussed.

If you cover all your objectives in the beginning then nothing is needed, but if
there are any questions or answers you must address them by listing and arranging
them in paragraphs.

Ending with Goodwill:

As it is second nature for friendly people, you should end your message with a
friendly goodwill. These final goodwill words will receive the best reader reaction
such as "a prompt reply will be appreciated", or "Thank you in advance for your
response".
18
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing

Guidelines to be a better writer:

First: You
must READ

Guidelines
Fourth: You
need a
to be a Second: You
must WRITE
FEEDBACK better
writer

Third: You
should
WANT to
WRITE

19
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing

Guidelines to be a better writer:

First: You must READ.

If the only writing you ever read is your own writing, you will be having no standard
to judge and compare your writing against. We have learned to speak by hearing
others speak. You should read like a spectator, if you must, but also try to read like
an apprentice.

Second: You must WRITE.

It does not matter how many rules you know, it takes some practice to write well.
Your eighth or ninth letter to an angry client will be easier to write than the first
one. This is also the case for writing reports.
20
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing

Guidelines to be a better writer:

Third: You should WANT to WRITE.
Find some personal reasons for wanting to write well, to communicate with
others, and then turn off the language cop and start writing.

Fourth: You need a FEEDBACK.

It is important to have a feedback system to determine how you're doing.
You need to know if your writing is effective.
Look at feedback not only as an opportunity to find better solutions, but
also an opportunity to correct errors.

21
MCQ
Which of the following is not something that enhances writing skills?

a. You should consider other’s feedback.

b. You should want to write.

c. You should encourage others to write.

d. You should write.

e. You should read

22
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing
Some Rules of Good Writing
Study the readers interest: Think first of the reader and address yourself to his
interests. Tell him all he wants to know and don't leave him to guess between
the lines.

Adopt the right tone: A tone suited to the occasion and the purpose of the
report is necessary.

Write naturally and sincerely: Say what you have to say with sincerity and
express your thoughts in your own words and in your own way.

Avoid wordiness: Make it a rule to use no more words than are needed to make
your meaning clear.
23
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing

Some Rules of Good Writing

Avoid commercial language: Avoid using old and approximately phrases with its
rough and meaningless forms of expression that add little or nothing to the
meaning of what you want to write.
Write effectively: Use simple language. Be consistent. Be precise. Use concrete
words.
Avoid monotony: Avoid monotony by introducing variety into reports such as by
using mixing loose sentences with periodic, short sentences with long and
sometimes by changing the normal order of words.
Pay special attention to the opening and closing paragraph – first and last
impressions leave a special mark on the reader.
24
MCQ
Which one of the following is not one of the fundamentals of business
writing?

a. Avoid the wordiness.

b. Avoid commercial language.

c. Avoid precision.

d. All of the above.

25
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing
The Basics for Writing an effective Business Message

Be clear

Be
considerate
Be
complete
Basics for Writing
an effective
Business Message

Be correct
Be concise

26
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing
The Basics for Writing an effective Business Message
Be clear:
Make sure that your writing is clearly communicated and has a definite purpose. Be smart
and connect quickly. Clarity stresses that the business message should be correct, concise,
complete, concrete, and with consideration. Use the right level of language: proper
punctuation makes the writing clear. Make sure to check the accuracy of facts, figures, and
words.

Be complete:
You should include all the necessary facts and information to support your message that you
are communicating.
The message should be complete to produce desirable results. It should include everything
the reader needs for the reaction you desire. You must know what information your reader
wants or needs; you should be able to know the reader's background, viewpoint, needs,
attitudes and emotions.
Provide all the necessary information. Answer all questions asked. Give something extra
when desired.

27
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing
The Basics for Writing an effective Business Message
Be concise:
keep in mind your reader's knowledge of the subject and the time constraints.
Convey the information as quickly and easily as possible.
Business executives are always busy. They don't have time to go through unnecessarily long
messages.
The writer has failed if he writes wordy messages because it involves more time to type and
read.
Conciseness makes the message more understandable and comprehensible.
Eliminate wordy expressions, include only relevant material, and avoid unnecessary
repetition.
Be correct:
By checking all your information is accurate and timely. Double-check your spelling,
punctuation and grammar.
Proof read it before you send it.
To communicate in a correct manner bear the following principles in mind: Use the correct
level of language.
Include only facts and figures. Maintain suitable writing procedure.
28
Lesson 04: Fundamentals of Business Writing
The Basics for Writing an effective Business Message
Be considerate:
Keep the needs of your reader in mind as you write. You should ask yourself, "Why
should the reader spend his time reading this"? Make it worthwhile for them to do so.
Consideration refers to your attitude and sympathy towards human feelings and
understanding human nature. Consideration means writing the message with the
receiver in mind.
You should try to visualize your readers, desires, problems, emotions, circumstances
and possible reaction. Focus on you instead of I and we. Show the reader your benefit
or interest in them.

Be courteous:
It is more important and advantageous in business writing than it is in face to face
communication or conversation.
Courteous messages strengthen relations and make new friends. It is a goodwill building
so you have to answer your mail promptly, be sincere polite, considerate and
appreciative, and use expressions that show respect 29
MCQ
“Be courtesy in your writing” means

a. Showing consideration for your correspondent.

b. Using polite phrases.

c. Adopting the right tone

d. A and B are correct.

30
 ‫الدرس الخامس‪ :‬أساسيات الكتابة‬

‫• كتابة الرسائل‬
‫يعتب االتصال الفعال جرسا مفتوحا من المعلومات و تعد الرسائل المكتوبة من أهم وسائل االتصال‬ ‫ر‬
‫حيث تعتمد عىل الكتابة‬
‫األساس للرسالة هو توصيل المعلومات بطريقة صحيحة‪.‬‬ ‫ي‬ ‫فه تخاطب العقل ‪ ،‬و الهدف‬ ‫ي‬
‫أهمية كتابة الرسائل‬
‫تعتب وثيقة ادارية يرجع اليها وقت‬
‫تعتب كتابة الرسائل من أهم وسائل نقل المعلومات ‪ .‬كما انها ر‬ ‫ر‬
‫ال ما سبق فان‬
‫القسم ‪ .‬باإلضافة ي‬‫الحاجة‪ .‬حيث تعرض الرسالة فكر الراسل ‪/‬الكاتب ‪ /‬اإلدارة ‪ُ /‬‬
‫تأثبا ايجابيا عىل قارئها و تكون انطباعا جيدا لدية‪.‬‬
‫الرسالة الجيدة توجد ر‬
‫مواصفات الرسالة الجيدة‬
‫لغة رسمية علمية تتدرج يف عرض المعلومات المطلوبة‪.‬‬
‫مباشة يف استخدام كلمات ال تقبل التأويل مع تحديد واضح لمضمون الرسالة ‪.‬‬ ‫يجب ان يكون هناك ر‬
‫يجب ان يكون هناك عناية و اهتمام باإلمالء واللغة الصحيحة ‪.‬‬

‫‪31‬‬
 ‫الدرس الخامس‪ :‬أساسيات الكتابة‬

‫• رشوط الرسالة الجيدة‬

‫الموضوعية‬ ‫البساطة‬

‫التعبير‬ ‫اإليجاز‬

‫‪32‬‬
 ‫الدرس الخامس‪ :‬أساسيات الكتابة‬

‫رشوط الرسالة الجيدة‬

‫حت تحقق الهدف‬ ‫الرسائل‬ ‫كتابة‬ ‫عند‬ ‫االعتبار‬ ‫ف‬ ‫وضعها‬ ‫يجب‬ ‫وط‬ ‫ش‬ ‫هناك عدة ر‬
‫ي‬ ‫ي‬
‫التعبب ‪،‬الموضوعية‪.‬‬
‫ر‬ ‫وه‪ :‬اإليجاز ‪ ،‬البساطة‪ ،‬قوة‬
‫منها ي‬
‫‪ .1‬البساطة‬
‫يعتب اختيار الكلمات عامال هاما لنجاح الرسالة يف بلوغ الهدف منها‪ .‬فيجب عند‬ ‫ر‬
‫كتابة الرسالة ان يتم استخدام االلفاظ السهلة المعروفة و الكلمات والجمل‬
‫عىل القارئ ادراكها‪ .‬ومن ثم قم باستخدام‬ ‫الت يسهل ي‬‫الغب معقدة و ي‬ ‫القصبة ر‬
‫ر‬
‫اقرب وأوضح الكلمات فهما وقربا من االستعمال حت ال يتم اضاعة الوقت يف‬
‫تتعال عليه او‬
‫ي‬ ‫والتفسب و حت ال يشعر المستقبل للرسالة بأنك‬
‫ر‬ ‫القراءة و التأويل‬
‫اعىل منه مما يولد لديه شعورا سلبيا تجاهك‪ .‬و أيضا ابتعد عن‬ ‫ان ثقافتك ي‬
‫خصصي‬
‫ر‬ ‫غب المت‬‫ال ر‬‫استخدام المصطلحات الفنية خاصة عندما توجه رسالتك ي‬

‫‪33‬‬
 ‫الدرس الخامس‪ :‬أساسيات الكتابة‬

‫رشوط الرسالة الجيدة‬

‫‪ .2‬اإليجاز‬
‫الكثب من الوقت لقراءة‬
‫يعتب االيجاز ضورة لعرض الرسائل حيث ان االدارة العليا ليس لديها ر‬ ‫ر‬
‫الرسائل المطولة‪.‬‬
‫و من ثم حاول قدر المستطاع أن تتضمن رسالتك موضوعا واحدا يف ورقة واحدة مع معالجة‬
‫تفكبه‪.‬‬
‫كب ر‬ ‫فكرة رئيسية واحدة لتمكن القارئ من تر ر‬
‫يجب اال يتم تكرار ما جاء بالرسالة المردود عليها ( يف حالة وجودها)‪.‬‬
‫أيضا قم باختيار الكلمات بعناية دون إشاف أو نقصان حت تساعد القارئ عىل سهولة االدراك ‪.‬‬
‫يجب مراعاه أن تكون لكل كلمة موضع بالرسالة بحيث ال يمكن االستغناء عنها ‪ .‬مع مراعاة‬
‫حت يتنج عما سبق رسالة متكاملة‪.‬‬ ‫ترابط وتناسق و تسلسل الكلمات ي‬

‫‪34‬‬
 ‫الدرس الخامس‪ :‬أساسيات الكتابة‬

‫رشوط الرسالة الجيدة‬

‫‪ .3‬التعبي‬
‫التعبب الجيد يساعدك يف توصيل رسالتك ال القارئ ومن ثم يجب عليك أن تقرأ باستمرار و أن تكون‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ان‬
‫مطلعا حت تعينك اللغة يف اختيار الكلمات المناسبة و أن تبتعد عن الكلمات الضحلة األسلوب والركيكة‬
‫المعت ‪.‬‬
‫ر‬
‫اع أن تتجنب االطالة يف الجمل أكب من الالزم‪ .‬تجنب استعمال‬
‫تثب الشك او تحتمل‬ ‫الت قد ر‬
‫الكلمات ي‬
‫ر‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ور‬
‫حت ال تولد انطباعا سلبيا‬ ‫الالزم‬ ‫من‬ ‫أكب‬ ‫والمجاملة‬ ‫التحية‬ ‫ف‬ ‫اف‬
‫ش‬ ‫اإل‬ ‫ر‬
‫تحاس‬ ‫التفسب بأكب من معت و ايضا‬ ‫ر‬
‫ي‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ي‬
‫لدي القارئ‪.‬‬
‫‪ .4‬الموضوعية‬
‫يجب اثناء عرض الرسالة ان يكون هناك البام شديد باألمانة والدقة‪ .‬يجب ايضا ان يتم من خالل العرض‬
‫علم حيث يجب ان تكون هناك مقدمات تمثل جوانب الموضوع تمهيدا لالستنتاجات ‪ .‬و من ثم‬ ‫ي‬ ‫إتباع منهج‬
‫يجب ان تنبثق االستنتاجات من تلك المقدمات‪.‬‬
‫كما يجب عليك ان تعبف بالخطأ (إن وجد)‬

‫‪35‬‬
 ‫الدرس الخامس‪ :‬أساسيات الكتابة‬

‫قواعد كتابة الرسائل‬

‫➢ اذا وجدت رسالة واردة فيجب اإلشارة اليها‪.‬‬
‫➢ ان تشمل الرسالة جميع البيانات والمعلومات الضورية‪.‬‬
‫منطق للرسالة‪.‬‬
‫ي‬ ‫➢ ان يكون هناك تسلسل‬
‫يكق لخدمة الغرض من الرسالة‪.‬‬ ‫ايجاز‬ ‫هناك‬ ‫يكون‬ ‫ان‬ ‫اي‬ ‫لإلطالة‬ ‫ر‬
‫تحاس‬ ‫➢ ان يكون هناك‬
‫ي‬
‫تعتب مقدمة الرسالة مدخال هاما يف ترابط الموضوع ‪.‬‬ ‫➢ ر‬
‫عىل تحديد دقيق و واضح لإلجراء المطلوب والتوصيات بالحلول‪.‬‬ ‫➢ تحتوي خاتمة الرسالة ي‬
‫والنه و يف حالة ان تكون تلك الرسالة‬ ‫األمر‬ ‫عىل‬ ‫تدل‬ ‫الت‬ ‫ات‬‫ر‬ ‫العبا‬ ‫تحاس‬‫ر‬ ‫➢ يجب ان يتم‬
‫ي‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ي‬
‫عىل رسالة سابقه فيجب ان يكون الرد مرتبا وفقا للنقاط الواردة السابقة ‪.‬‬ ‫ردا ي‬

‫‪36‬‬