What You Will Learn and Practice

• How to analyze your audience and purpose so that you can choose how to present information clearly and effectively. [CLO 1]
• How to find and evaluate original, ethical evidence that supports your position through primary and secondary research. [CLO 2 & 3]
• How to write documents you may encounter in the workplace (specifically front matter for a report). [CLO 4]
• How to use colors, layout, and formatting that make your documents understandable and easy to read. [CLO6]
• How to take advantage of design principles, including contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity, to communicate your ideas effectively. [CLO 7]

What I Want You to Do

Return to your Pitch Script and the Brainstorming Your Intro activity and find all the information you gathered. Using that information and other notes you have, write the Introduction section of your Recommendation Report.

Why I Want You to Do It

The Introduction section provides an overview of the report that follows. It contains context, background, and forecasts the conclusions and recommendations. I am breaking the recommendation report out, section-by-section, to guide you through the process of writing the document and help make sure you include everything that is required for a complete report.

Where You Can Find Help

• From Markel & Selber, Chapter 18:
  
  • The details on the Introduction Section, from p. 493:
    “The introduction helps readers understand the technical discussion that follows.”
  • The list of nine questions to answer in your Introduction, on p. 493.
  • Example Introduction Section, on pp. 510–511 (part of the sample recommendation report in Figure 18.8).
• LinkedIn Learning video, “How to write an introduction” (4m 8s), from the Technical Writing: Reports course.

When to Do It

• Suggested Due Date: By 11:59 PM on Friday, April 15, 2022.
• Grace Period: The grace period for this activity ends at 11:59 PM on Friday, April 29, 2022.

How You Do It

1. Return to the script for your Pitch and your responses to the Brainstorming Your Intro activity and skim through your responses.
2. Open the word processor document where you are working on your recommendation report.
3. Scroll through your outline to the location for your Introduction section.
4. Write the content for the Introduction:
   1. Copy the information from the script for your Pitch and the Brainstorming Your Intro activity, and paste it into your recommendation report document.

   Writing Clear, Informative Paragraphs

   Because you are working from your Pitch and the Brainstorming Your Intro activity, you need to ensure that your introduction flows smoothly. It needs to sound like paragraphs, rather than a series of answers to questions.

   Use these sections from the textbook to as you compose and revise your introduction:

   • Use the advice in the “Structure Paragraphs Clearly” section, from Chapter 9 of the textbook (pp. 207–212).
   • See the strategies in the “Use Coherence Devices within and between Paragraphs” section, from Chapter 9 of the textbook (pp. 212–214).
   2. Use the details in Chapter 7, “Organizing Your Information,” to determine how you want to structure your information. It is possible to use more than one pattern. For instance, you might begin with a general-to-specific pattern or a chronological pattern to provide basic information and background, and then you might shift to a problem-methods-solution pattern to provide an overview the report.
   3. Rearrange your notes to fit the pattern(s) you have chosen.
   4. Work back through the information you have added to expand the notes into full paragraphs.
   5. Revise your introduction to make sure you have transitions, full sentences, and clear ideas.
   6. Ensure that any information you quote from your primary or secondary research is enclosed in quotation marks. Examples might be something that someone says in a response to a survey or interview (both primary research) or something stated in an journal article or book (both secondary research).
   7. Add Documentation and Citations anywhere that you include paraphrased information or quotations from outside sources.
5. Review the section and make any additions or changes, using the information from the textbook and LinkedIn Learning videos as needed. At this point, focus in particular on making sure that you have included everything that answers the question, “What is this document about?”
6. Move on to the next part of your report that you want to work on.

How to Assess & Track Your Work

You track and grade your own work in this course. Be sure to complete the following tasks:

• Track your work in your Weekly Work Log.

This is a working draft for your Best Submission. It is marked Complete in Canvas when you submit it for one of the two Feedback Discussions.