You are writing a report about new regulations that affect your company. Members of your primary audience of company executives are very busy and will read your report quickly, but secondary- and tertiary-audience members are likely to read more slowly and carefully. Which of the following options is most appropriate for your situation?
A) Include detailed footnotes on each page.
B) To save time, omit the executive summary and put more details in the body of your report.
C) Follow the patterns of writing that were successful for you in college English and history classes.
D) Break your report into modules and put highly detailed information in an appendix.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Breaking the report into modules and putting highly detailed information in an appendix allows the primary audience to quickly read the main body of the report while allowing the secondary- and tertiary-audience members to read more detailed information if they choose to do so. This approach caters to both types of readers and provides a balanced approach to conveying the information. Including detailed footnotes on each page may be overwhelming for the busy primary audience, while omitting the executive summary and putting more details in the body of the report may make it harder for the primary audience to quickly grasp the main points. Following patterns of writing that were successful in college may not necessarily be the most effective approach for a professional report.

You Are Writing a Report About New Regulations That Affect