Technical Writing

Definition: Special kind of persuasion that fairly and accurately appeals to logic, emotion, and character to prove a point of view. Examples: Problem-solution, research

P.W. Write to Argue

Definition: Specific kind of argument that argues for the merits of a subject and presents evidence to support Examples: Book, movie, restaurant or music review

P.W. Write to Evaluate

Definition: Thoughts and feelings of author on a specific topic Examples: Journal or diary entry, letter, poetry, personal narrative.

P.W. Write to Express

Definition: Use language in a humorous way and is usually combined with explaining, informing, or arguing Examples: Brief joke, newspaper column, television or podcast script, internet homepage tidbit

P.W. Writing to Entertain

Definition: Gather facts and combine with experience to clarify who or what something is, how it happened, or why something happened. Also called "expository writing." Examples: Definition essay, process piece, cause-effect explanations

P.W. Writing to Explain

Definition: Communicate ideas and information to others Examples: Journalistic writings, laboratory reports, research, economic reports, business reports

P.W. Writing to Inform

Definition: Use appeals of logic, emotion, and character to prove a point. Examples: Advertisement, debate

P.W. Writing to Persuade

A technical writer's responsibilities would generally cover the following aspects:

- Developing end-user documentation for products - Developing technical documentation/curriculum - Creating and redefining graphics, text and layout of courseware - Editing, rewriting and authenticating technical instructional information - Developing and maintaining style guides - Developing user manuals and online help systems - Working with the localization team to deliver translation-friendly documentation

It refers to your readers/listeners/viewers/users. Audience Analysis is possibly the most critical part of understanding the rhetorical situation.

1. AUDIENCE

is an information correspondent whose objective is to deliver information between two or more parties and make complex information easier to comprehend. This writer conveys the information through any medium that best facilitates the transfer and comprehension of the information.

A technical writer

ABC's of Technical Writing: A technical paper should be free from errors. A misplaced element or misstated fact could make months, even years of labor worthless. Accuracy of statement depends not only on individual words but on the way sentences are put together, the way the paragraphs are developed, and the way the report as a whole is balance. In conclusion, technical writer should guard himself against being misunderstood.

ACCURACY

understand that writing is something that can be learned

As someone who writes,

The rules of writing are not as exact as those of science, but they can never be thrown overboard if you are to bring your substance home to your reader. One writer, who knew well the nature and substance of technical writing, summed up the way to be successful with three imperatives: 1. Know your reader. 2. Know your objective. 3. Be simple, direct, and concise.

As someone who writes, understand that writing is something that can be learned

A technical writer should be short or brief and makes use concise expressions. A technical writer should begin with his main point and then show why it is sound. Emphasize the highlights of your work, cut out irrelevant comments, immaterial excursions and meaningless statements.

BREVITY

but, you also have to consider that you need to use an economy of words so that you do not bore your reader with gratuitous details.

Be thorough in description and provide enough detail to make your points;

writing ensures that the reader can easily follow your ideas and your train of thought. One idea should lead logically into the next through the use of transitional words and phrases, structural markers, planned repetition, sentences with clear subjects, clear headings, and effective and parallel lists. Writing that lacks coherence often sounds "choppy" and ideas seem disconnected or incomplete. Coherently connecting ideas is like building bridges between islands of thought so the reader can

COHERENT

writing includes all requested information and answers all relevant questions. The more concrete and specific you are, the more likely your document will be complete as well. Review your checklist of specifications before submitting your document to its intended reader.

COMPLETE

writing uses the least words possible to convey the most meaning while still maintaining clarity. Avoid unnecessary padding, awkward phrasing, overuse of "to be" forms (is, are, was, were, am, be, being), long preposition strings, vagueness, unnecessary repetition, and redundancy. Use active verbs when possible, and take the time to choose a single word than a long-phrase or expression. Think of your word count as a budget; be cost-effective by making sure every word you choose does effectiv

CONCISE

writing involves using specific, precise language to paint a picture for your readers so that they can more easily understand your ideas. If you have to explain an abstract concept or idea, try to use examples, analogies, and precise language to illustrate it. Use measurable descriptors when possible; avoid vague terms like "big" or "good." Try to get your readers to "see" your ideas by using specific terms and descriptions.

CONCRETE

A report writer should develop on his paper the sense of reliability and trust. He should be sure enough to know more about the subject than anyone else at that time. If he convinced that he is saying is right, he should say it. If not, he should go back to see where the problem lies and how he can correct it.

CONFIDENCE

It refers to the situation that creates the need for writing. In other words, what has happened or needs to happen that creates the need for communication? The context is influenced by timing, location, current events, and culture, which can be organizational or social. Ignoring the context for your communication could result in awkward situations, or possibly offensive ones. It will almost certainly impact your ability to clearly convey your message to your audience.

CONTEXT

All genre of writing has distinct rules and procedures, called

CONVENTIONS

Convention is an element that makes writing clear and understandable to readers.

CONVENTIONS

writing uses Standard English punctuation, sentence structure, usage, and grammar. Being correct also means providing accurate information, as well as using the right document type and form for the task.

CORRECT

writing entails designing a reader-friendly, easy-to-read document; using tactful language and proper modes of addressing the audience; and avoiding potentially offensive terminology, usage, and tone. Without courtesy, you cannot be constructive.

COURTEOUS

A. is a process that involves certain distinct steps. Every communication has a distinct purpose, which determines the message.

Communication

refers to the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed. Grammatical constructions in a technical paper should be complete. This can also be achieved with straightforward expression and with summarized, simplified and well organized information. 1. Emphasis

DIGNITY

A report writer should know how to stress major points. As a matter of course, the writer must indicate the most important ones and never expect the reader to find it out for himself. He should tell the reader what is important and lead him from point to point by using straightforward style plenty of guideposts and transitional aids.

EMPHASIS

is making the report easy to read and understand. For facility, report writing should observe pacing, sequence, arrangement, and continuity. ü Pacing - is presenting technical and unfamiliar information in small segments, explained, defined or illustrated before more of such information is presented. ü Sequence - is leading the reader from familiar to unfamiliar, from the simple to complex, from the whole to the parts. ü Arrangement - is emphasizing and balancing important parts to show thei

FACILITY

It reflects the organization's goals and culture.

For example, a state government department that oversees vocational-education programs submits an annual report to the state legislature to secure continued funding, as well as a lot of technical information to the public in an effort to educate its audience. And technical documents also show the organization's culture. For example, many organizations urge their employees to blog about their areas of ability to create a positive image of the organization.

It helps readers solve problems.

For instance, you might produce a video that explains to your company's employees how to select their employee benefits or a document spelling out the company's policy on using social media in the workplace.

It is the rule of the thumb that whatever kind of writing a person does, the application of grammatical rule is a must.

GRAMMATICAL CORRECTNESS

Consists of a gerund (a verb ending in -ing) and its modifiers. Example: 1. She loves reading mystery novels. 2. Swimming in the ocean is my favorite summer activity. 3. She enjoys reading novels before bedtime. 4. Running a marathon requires months of training. 5. The children spent the afternoon playing in the backyard.

Gerund Phrase:

is chiefly acknowledging the use of other people's information or work either on footnotes or in text. This can also be shown by telling the readers, and one's successes and failures.

HONESTY

provided some tips to become an effective technical writer:

Houp, Pearsall, Tebeaux & Dragga (2002)

referred to as graphics or visuals which includes charts, diagrams, tables, photos and other which is used to elucidate, clarify and support the writer's views, precept, idea, or the text given. 1. Judgment

ILLUSTRATION

Starts with an infinitive verb (to + base form) and may include modifiers. Example: 1. His dream is to travel the world. 2. She has a desire to travel the world. 3. His goal is to become a successful entrepreneur. 4. We made a decision to adopt a pet from the shelter. 5. The first step is to understand the problem.

Infinitive Phrase:

Images—both static and moving— can make a document more interesting and appealing to readers and help the writer communicate and reinforce difficult concepts, communicate instructions and descriptions of objects and processes, communicate large amounts of quantifiable data, and communicate with nonnative speakers.

It consists of words or images or both.

Technical communicators use design features—such as typography, spacing, and color—to make a document attractive so that it creates a positive impression. It also helps readers navigate and understand the document effectively.

It uses design to increase readability

referred to as qualifying or weighing the materials that he had gathered. These can be done by considering these criteria: (1) most ample; (2) most relevant or pertinent; (3) most simple in explaining the facts with least additional evidence; (4) most harmonious with the rest of the data and information.

JUDGEMENT

which is more than a collection of data, involves interpretation and the formulation of conclusions.

KNOWLEDGE

Gather information from a number of sources, understand the information gathered so that it can be analyzed thoroughly, and then put the information into an easy to understand format to instruct those who read it. The more inexperienced your audience, the more information you will need to gather and explain.

Know how to research

Markel (2014) also provided six major characteristics of a Technical Document It addresses particular readers.

Knowing who the readers are, what they understand about the subject, how well they speak the language, and how they will use the document will help you decide what kind of document to write, how to structure it, how much detail to include, and what sentence style and vocabulary to use.

is thinking straight. It is the process of showing the relations among groups of things and classes of groups

LOGIC

connotes the general appearance of the report. It involves putting the report in perfect shape- neatly typed and well margined. A presentable and neat report reflects that the writer gave enough time and effort to give the very best.

MECHANICAL NEATNESS

This refers to what information you want to communicate. This is the content of your document. It should be aligned to your purpose and target audience. While it is important to carefully choose what content your audience needs, it is equally critical to cut out content that your audience does not need or want.

MESSAGE

Plan your work for the day and for the rest of the week. Look up from time to time to take stock of what you and others are doing, so that you do not waste your time and energy on minor tasks that should be put off or dispensed with altogether. File your correspondence. Keep at your desk the supplies you need to do your work. Keep a clear head about ways and means for accomplishing your purpose.

Methodical and painstaking

is following or conformity to the acceptable arrangement of the different parts of a report. Report readers are used into finding information presented in standard fashion. Is someone departs from this, readers tend to be confused.

NORMAL PROCEDURE

Until the sense of a piece of writing is made indisputably clear, until the intended reader can understand it, nothing else can profitably be done with it.

Never forget that clarity is your most important attribute

It is produced collaboratively.

No one person has all the information, skills, or time to create a large document. You will work with subject-matter experts—the various technical professionals—to create a better document than you could have made working alone. You will routinely post questions to networks of friends and associates—both inside and outside your own organization—to get answers to technical questions.

is the writer's assuming a detached, impartial point of view. He writes not to impress but to express his ideas, beliefs or perceptions on the topic he is working out. He should treat his subject matter the way he sees or observes it.

OBJECTIVITY

Try not to get emotionally attached to anything you have written; be ready to chuck any or all of it into the wastebasket. While reading your own prose or that of your colleagues, do not ask whether you or they are to be pleased but whether the intended audience will be pleased, informed, satisfied, and persuaded.

Objective

is a group of related words that functions as a single part of speech. Unlike a complete sentence, a phrase lacks both a subject and a verb, and it does not express a complete thought on its own. However, phrases play a crucial role in providing additional information and details within a sentence.

PHRASE

This gives purpose and direction to what he has to write. It involves thinking ahead of what one has to do, when to do it, how to do it and who is to do it.

PLANNING

Contains a participle (verb form ending in -ing or -ed) and accompanying words. Example: 1. Feeling tired, she decided to take a nap. 2. Excited by the news, they started planning the celebration. 3. The cat, purring contentedly, curled up on the windowsill. 4. Written in a hurry, the letter was full of spelling errors. 5. The storm, raging outside, prevented us from going out.

Participial Phrase:

Begins with a preposition (e.g., in, on, under) and includes an object. Example: 1. In the morning, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast. 2. On the table, there is a vase of flowers. 3. She went for a jog in the early morning. 4. The cat is hiding under the bed. 5. We will meet you at the restaurant.

Prepositional Phrase:

It refers to the reason why you are writing. Determining your purpose requires you to engage in Task Analysis — that is, determine what you hope to accomplish by writing this document.

Purpose

is explaining the circumstances surrounding the work because they might have affected the results to be reported. It also includes the evaluation of ideas, facts, or statements to be included in the development of the report.

QUALIFICATION

This refers to you, the writer/creator/designer of the communication. It is important to examine your own motivation for writing and any biases, past experiences, and knowledge you bring to the writing situation. These elements will influence how you craft the message, whether positively or negatively. This examination should also include your role within the organization, as well as your position relative to your target audience.

R.S. 1. WRITER

is more than checking the spelling, punctuation marks, spacing and margin. An effective report is one that is published and refined to its perfection. The secret of good writing is rewriting.

REVISION

It is a good practice that the sentences to be employed must be limited to only one idea or two closely related ideas.

STRAIGHT SENTENCES

Is treating the subject fully for the report to have lasting value. He has to make sure that he has said enough to satisfy the reader's needs and achieve his objectives.

THOROUGHNESS

Essential Elements in Written Communication

Target (i.e., Anticipated Readers) Theme (i.e., Primary Objective) Content (i.e., What to Write) Organization (i.e., How to Structure Text) Style (i.e., How to Express in Writing)

writing involves knowing what you want to say before you say it because often a lack of clarity comes from unclear thinking or poor planning; this, unfortunately, leads to confused or annoyed readers. Clear writing conveys the purpose of the document immediately to the reader; it matches vocabulary to the audience, avoiding jargon and unnecessary technical or obscure language while at the same time being precise. In clarifying your ideas, ensure that each sentence conveys one idea, and that each

The 7Cs of Professional Writing; CLEAR

Step 1: Message is initiated. Step 2: Sender picks up the idea and encodes it for proper understanding. Step 3: The encoded message is then transmitted through the chosen medium or channel. Step 4: Receiver receives the message and decodes it. Step 5: The decoded message is used or acted upon. Step 6: As a final step, feedback on use or action is sent back to the sender.

The process of communication in an organization can be illustrated in six steps.

sure the reader understands the process or instruction. This at times may appear as simply a list of steps to take to achieve the desired goal or may be a short or lengthy explanation of a concept or abstract idea.

The writing should be straightforward and as simple as possible to make

Technical writers, to be effective, should possess a set of requisite skills. They should have good command over English, or other relevant languages and be well versed in the techniques of writing.

They should be in a position to speak and write the language which the target group understands well. They should understand the complexities involved and put them in simple, easy-to-understand terms. They should be skilled at design and illustration.

implies that all details and facts in the report are clearly relevant to the main point under discussion. The main objective of a unified report is to let the readers feel that they have read everything essential to the subject undertaken.

UNITY

\means truthfulness. Thus, a good technical paper never misleads or misinterprets.

VERACITY

is the use of precise language that communicates not just in a functional way, but in a way that moves and enlightens the reader. In good descriptive writing, strong word choice paints pictures in the reader's mind. 1. You Point

WORD CHOICE

means more than changing a personal pronoun. Rather than self-centered, it requires that the message be receiver-centered. It requires that "you" emphasize the receiver's interests and benefits rather than you own.

YOU POINT

writing means enthusiasm and energy. Write only about things that are worth writing and which are invigorating.

ZEST

Like journalism and scholarly writing, technical writing also has distinct features that readers expect to see in documents that fall within this genre. These include:

a. use of headings to organize information into coherent sections, b. use of lists to present information concisely, c. use of figures and tables to present data and information visually, and d. use of visual design to enhance readability.

a. Is your audience internal (within your company) or external (such as clients, suppliers, customers, other stakeholders)?

b. Are they lateral to you (at the same position or level), upstream from you (management), or downstream from you (employees, subordinates)? c. Who is the primary audience? Who are the secondary audiences?

In the case of technical writing, these conventions are connected to the main purposes of the writing, which include communicating the following:

• Technical or specialized information in an accessible and usable ways • Clear instructions on how to do something in a clear manner • Information that advances the goals of the company or organization