Formal or Informal? That is the Question! By Jessica Pfaff

After college many of us will move into the workforce and after landing our “dream” job we might be put in a situation when writing reports is part of our everyday routine. Reports don’t seem that difficult or confusing to write but many people including myself stress out about deciphering between formal and informal reports and the differences between the two. Knowing these differences is key since formal and informal reports are completely different.

So, what distinguishes a formal report from an informal report? The answer lies surprisingly, not in the topics of formal reports, but in the expectations of the audiences for the reports. The audience for a formal report expects a methodical presentation of the subject whereas the audience of an informal report knows a lot about the subject already so not as much background information is needed. Also readers for a formal report are often two or more audiences and an informal report is written for a specific small group of readers or a single reader.

Format is the key between writing a formal or informal report. Formal reports are split into different sections. The front matter contains the background information about the subject. The main text reveals the introduction, discussion, and conclusion of the report. The back matter portion includes the glossary and references to provide any secondary information needed to all readers. Informal reports are much easier because they are broken into introduction, body, and conclusion.

By remembering these few very important parts of formal and informal reporting no stressing is needed when your “awesome” boss asks for a report! Good luck!

Sources:
http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/workbooks/reports.html
http://educationfuture.info/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/memo.335170817_std.jpg
Walter, Oliu, Charles Brushaw, Gerald Alred. Writing that Works. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007