To begin, think of an incident, or a conflict, that you witnessed or are aware of. Get started by writing down details of what happened. Remember that for our purposes, it’s best to think of something in which there was a conflict between two sides, where each side might even have a different take on what happened, who was at fault, why it happened, and so on. It’s also best if you were more of a neutral person with it rather than one of the sides actively involved.
Next, describe who was involved. There were at least two parties/sides. What was their role, how were they involved, what was their perspective of the incident?
Now, to complete this assignment, these are the final components that you’ll write and submit:
1) Write a formal summary report of what happened. This must objective, taking neither side’s perspective as right or wrong. Aim for no more than one page in length, but be sure it’s enough to clearly portray what occurred. Your audience must be able to understand what happened, how it happened, when it happened, where it happened, and who was involved. Readers must be able to understand the incident without having been there themselves. (about 1 page)
2) Next analyze who the appropriate audience for your incident report would be. Explain why they need this report, what they’ll use it for, and how it’s important. Your purpose for this analysis is to effectively analyze who’s using your report, what they’re doing with it, and how the information in the report is critical for everyone involved. (½ page to 1 page)
*Note: the page lengths cited above are rough guides. Your exact page length will depend on the incident that you’re presenting. An important component of this assignment is your ability to balance being descriptive with being precise and concise.
