Reporting Course or Conference Attendance
March 2008
So you’ve just returned from a training session or a conference. It was interesting and valuable because you learned some new techniques and met others in your profession. It may have even been fun, especially if it was in a warm climate, during the colder months of the year. Don’t forget that someone has authorized your attendance and paid for it. The least you can do is tell them about it: in writing! Never underestimate the power of a well-written document. This is a report that can go into your file and be used during your next performance appraisal and will be considered the next time you ask to attend another course or conference.
A Review of the Writing Pyramid
We encourage engineers to visualize their documents as two blocks of information: the first much smaller than the second, placed one above the other to form a pyramid:
In the Summary Statement, you present your main message: the information you most need to
tell your reader.
(See previous articles on focusing your message archived on our website)
In the Supporting Information, you answer the questions:
Who? |
What? |
The answers will provide your reader with the detail they need to fully understand the situation. In longer letters and reports, such as a report on course or conference attendance, the Supporting Information compartment is broken into several smaller compartments:
These writing compartments contain the following information:
- The Summary Statement states what course or conference you attended and the main impact it had on you.
- The Background answers the Who? Where? When? and Why?. You might also indicate who authorized your attendance.
- The Course/Conference Details describe the topics you want to discuss. Decide what you think is most important so your audience understands what you gained. Here are some example topics to consider:
- Identify your expectations or objectives(s) in attending the course or conference.
- Describe your overall reaction to the course or conference and whether your expectations or objective(s) were met.
- Describe the course: state how it was presented and what you did.
- Mention what aspect of the course or conference was of particular value to you.
- Comment on the quality of the course or conference, covering the effectiveness of the presenters or instructors, the pacing (particularly for a course or seminar), the visual aids and handout materials, and the facilities.
- • The Outcome or Action sums up your overall feelings about the effectiveness of the course or conference and if appropriate, includes a recommendation.
A Short Report on Attending a Course |
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To: |
Larry Wilson, HR Manager |
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Summary:
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The Making Effective Oral Presentations seminar I attended presented useful information and provided ample opportunities for practice. I suggest we bring the seminar in-house for other engineers. |
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Background: |
The seminar was presented by Joan Porter of Presentations International, based in Fayetteville. It was held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the cost was $690 per person. There were only 10 participants which is the maximum recommended to ensure individual attention. |
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Course Details: |
My objective was to increase my confidence when making oral presentations to clients and to in-house staff. I was also asked to evaluate the suitability of the seminar for other company employees. My objectives were fully met: practicing both planned and impromptu speeches has given me more confidence in preparing a presentation and responding to questions. The seminar was divided into three sessions: (1) techniques for informal and semiformal presentations (2) team interviews followed by an opportunity to introduce a speaker and (3) practical exercises in which each person presented a three-minute and a six-minute talk. The afternoon session was the most useful part of the seminar. The seminar was well presented. Ms. Porter established an informal setting that helped relax the participants, yet she kept the seminar fast-paced. Three were 30 pages of handout notes that summarized the key points and provided exercises for future practice. The room at the Crowne Plaza was a good size but the acoustics were not very good. We could hear people from the seminar next door. |
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Outcome: |
The Making Effective Oral Presentations seminar provided a valuable learning experience for me and I recommend we either enroll staff to attend the next open-registration seminar or hire Ms Porter to present this seminar inside our firm. I can contact her for quotes. |
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Pyramid writing plans provide a framework for organizing your information into a coherent document, yet they are not intended to be rigid structures. The number of compartments and their labels can be tailored to suit a particular situation or topic.
Online instruction on how to write short reports is available at www.rgilearning.com
Lisa Moretto is a Sr. Consultant with RGI Learning. For 16 years she has helped engineers improve their oral and written communication skills. Visit www.rgilearning.com or call (585) 461-3617 to learn about RGI’s courses.
© 2008 RGI Learning