The Essentials of Technical Communication

Detailed Contents

Checklists
Preface
Acknowledgments


Part One: Principles

1. Characteristics of Writing at Work
Writing at Work versus Writing at School
Requires acute awareness of security and legal liability
Requires awareness that documents may be read by unknown readers
Achieves job goals
Addresses a variety of readers who have different perspectives
Requires a variety of written documents
The Foundations of Effective Writing at Work
The Qualities of Good Technical Writing
Exercises

2. Writing for Your Readers
Understand Your Readers-The Heart of the Planning Process
Keep in mind that business readers want answers now
Determine your readers and their perspectives
Determine your purpose
Understand your role as a writer
Plan the content
Anticipate the context in which your writing will be received
The Basic Parts of the Composing Process
Analyzing the writing situation-purpose, readers, and context
Choosing/discovering information
Arranging information
Drafting
Revising
Editing
Exercises

3. Writing Ethically
Your Professional Obligations
Codes of Conduct and Standards of Practice
Recognizing Unethical Communication
Plagiarism and theft of intellectual property
Promotion of prejudice
Failing to make information accessible
Uncritical use of information
Managing Unethical Situations
Exercises

4. Achieving a Readable Style
a. The Paragraph
Examples for study
Basic Principles of Effective Style
Determine your readers' knowledge of the subject
Determine whether a particular style will be expected
Adjust the style to the readers, the purpose, and the context
Keys to Building Effective Sentences
Watch sentence length
Keep subjects and verbs close together
Avoid pompous language; write to express, not to impress
Avoid excessive use of is/are verb forms
Use active voice for clarity
Word Choice
Squeaky Clean Prose
Exercises

5. Designing Documents
Understanding the Basics of Document Design
Know what decisions are yours to make
Choose a design that fits your situation
Plan your design from the beginning
Make your design accessible
Reveal your design to your readers
Keep your design consistent
Designing Effective Pages and Screens
Use blank space to frame and group information
Choose a type design that is legible
Space the lines of text for easy reading
Adjust the line length to the size of the page or screen
Use a ragged right margin
Position words and illustrations in a complementary relationship
Helping Readers Locate Information
Use frequent headings
Write descriptive headings
Design distinctive headings
Use page numbers and headers or footers
Testing Your Design
Exercises

6. Designing Illustrations
Creating Illustrations
Tables
Bar and column graphs
Circle graphs
Line graphs
Organization charts
Flow charts
Project schedule charts
Diagrams
Photographs
Infographics
Video Clips
Designing Illustrations Ethically
Testing Your Illustrations
Exercises
Part Two: Applications

7. E-mails, Texts, Memos, and Letters
E-mail and Text Messages
Memos and Letters
Guidelines for Ensuring Quality
Appropriate Tone in E-mails, Texts, Memos, and Letters
Guidelines for Dealing with Tone
Writing for Social Media
Planning and Writing Correspondence
Exercises

8. Technical Reports
Kinds of Reports
Report Categories-Informal and Formal
Informal Report Headings
Subject line
Reference
Action required
Distribution list
Parts of an Informal Technical Report
Introduction
Summary
Discussion
Conclusion
Recommendations
Attachments
Developing Reports
Elements of Formal Reports
Prefatory elements
Abstracts and summaries
Discussion, or body of the report
Collecting and grouping information
Letter Reports
Writing Collaboratively
The team leader
Requirements of team leaders
Requirements of team members
Example Report for Study
Exercises

9. Proposals and Progress Reports
Proposals
The context of proposal development
Effective argument in proposal development
Standard sections of proposals
Structure of progress reports
Online submission of progress reports
Style and Tone of Proposals and Progress Reports
Exercises

10. Instructions, Procedures, and Policies
Instructions versus Procedures
Critical Role of Instructions and Procedures in the Workplace
Planning Instructions and Procedures
Structure and Organization
Introduction
Theory governing the procedure or instruction
Warnings, cautions, hazards, and notes regarding safety or quality
Conditions under which the task should be performed
Name of each step
Online Instructions
Testing Your Instructions
Exercises

11. Oral Reports
Understanding the Speaking-Writing Relationship
Analyzing the Audience
Determining the Goal of Your Presentation
Choosing and Shaping Content
Analyzing the Context
Choosing the Organization
Introduction
Body
Conclusion
Choosing an Appropriate Speaking Style
Designing the Slides to Enhance Your Purpose and Your Meaning
Planning Your Presentation-Questions You Need to Ask
Audience
Purpose
Context
Content
Illustrations
Style
Speaking to Multicultural Audiences
Designing Each Segment
Choose an interesting title
Develop your presentation around three main divisions
Focus the introduction
Organize the body
Fortify the conclusion
Choosing an Effective Delivery Style
Techniques to Enhance Audience Comprehension
Designing and Presenting the Scripted Presentation
Structuring the scripted presentation
Writing the script
Practicing the presentation
Exercises

12. Resumes and Job Applications
The Correspondence of the Job Search
Letter of application
The resume
Follow-up letters
Your Social Media Profile
Interviewing
The interview
Negotiation
Before and after the interview
Exercises


Appendix A: Brief Guide to Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage
Appendix B: Using Sources of Information
Appendix C: Report for Study and Analysis
Index