Disadvantages of the Indirect Approach in Report Writing
The indirect approach to report writing is most appropriately used in scientific writing. In scientific writing, the passive voice properly puts the emphasis on the experiment or process being described, not on the researcher. The findings are presented first and all supportive details are discussed before the main conclusions or ideas are presented. In other forms of writing, such as government or business presentations, when an audience may be skeptical, hostile or resist the recommendations, the indirect approach to reporting can be effective in gradually overcoming reservations. However, the indirect approach has many disadvantages also.
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Harder to Follow
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Indirect writing can be awkward and result in lengthy, complex sentence structures that are harder to follow. Generally written in the passive voice, indirect objects of transitive verbs are used to tell to whom or for whom something was done. Passive voice speaks of the person or thing indirectly affected by the actions of verbs which leads to the use of more words to complete the sentence. Similar long descriptions are required for indirect questions and quotations that report a question or quotation without asking it or directly quoting it word for word, thus using more words in the sentence structure.
Lacking Confidence
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Indirect writing can imply a lack of confidence in the results of the report. When a writer is certain of the conclusions and recommendations, it is better to present those conclusions first, then the supporting evidence. Positive, straightforward presentations of conclusions, then supporting evidence, convince audiences of the conclusions discovered by the research.
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Lack of Judgment
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Writing indirectly with the recommendations at the end of the report may indicate a submissive attitude in a reporter. Although indirect writing can be used to allow the audience to come to their own conclusions, it can also imply lack of judgment by the reporter. The direct approach when writing reports implies the reporter has strength of character, is confidant of himself and his research, and adds a less formal tone to the presentation.
Less Effective
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The best approach to writing is to report using short messages. Longer reports can ramble on, losing audience attention and trying the patience of busy executives. Direct writing has more impact, gets to the point more quickly, and tells audiences what the conclusions are first, so they can evaluate the evidence you then present. When audiences are more engaged in this manner, they can access your presentation and more quickly identify the questions they would like to ask about your report.
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References
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