Page 34 - Mini-Module 11

Try to state the problem dispassionately and without judgement. You
would not say: 'Our performance over the last quarter has been
dreadful'; or 'The teachers have not been doing their jobs very well.'
You would be making judgements before you have even given any
facts. It would be better to say: 'There was a 15 per cent drop in out
students’ performance on standardized tests.'
It is always tempting to start introducing your own opinions when
outlining the problems. This is because you probably have some notion
about the possible cause. At this stage, however, you are only
interested in an objective statement of what the problem is.
Now comes some difficult advice: Look at the problem from the
perspectives of other interested parties. How does it affect other
leaders, teachers, parents and students? Similarly, when you look at
potential solutions, you should also consider the possible impact on the
same groups.

4. Background to Problem
The background to the problem is not quite the same as setting the
scene, although the two may be related. Imagine you could have a
picture of the issue from a few miles above it. You would be able to see
all the relevant forces on it. You have to do this for the reader: give
them a bird's eye view. But do it succinctly. We hear leaders say: 'But it
is a very complex issue; it needs a vast amount of background.'
Complex it may be, but it does not alter the fact that the recipient may
not read it. You have to be selective and only include that material
which is of critical relevance. Then you have to condense the amount of
information to something which can be easily read.

5. Methods of Collecting Information
Explain briefly how you investigated the problem (e.g. interviewed
someone, inspected official records, etc.). In doing this, just answer the
obvious questions your reader might ask. You do not have to go into
extensive detail about the duration of interviews, the structure of
questionnaires and so forth. If the method really has high relevance to
the report, you could always include important documents in the
appendices.

Summary
● Outline the purpose and scope of the report.

● State for whom it is written.
● Give relevant details of the situation.
● Explain the problem clearly.
● Give background information to the problem.

● Explain briefly how you collected information or ‘evidence’.

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