Ch. 1 intro to technical writing

Complete

Also make sure you have all the facts, as your writing must also be full. Have you included everything that your reader needs?

Research and technology oriented

Because of workplace demands, technical and workplace writing is often created in collaboration with others through a network of experts and designers and depends on sound research practices to ensure that information provided is correct, accurate, and complete.

Honest

First and most important • our trustworthiness in communication reflects not only on you personally but on your organization or discipline.

Legible

First, make sure your writing is this. Is the font large enough to be read by a variety of audiences? Is it an easy to read font style that is appropriate for the content? If you are writing for the internet, these considerations are especially significant. If there are problems with legibility in your document, it will be of little use to your reader.

What Standards Should I Observe to Make my Writing Successful?

Honesty, clearness, accuracy, complete, concise, attractive

Readable

If you have identified and analyzed your audience, you are off to a good start. your document can be easily understood by your target audience, and refers to the formula whereby words, sentence length, and sentence complexity determine how hard or easy your sentences are to read. If your readability is too high for the audience, then they will either take more time getting what they need from your writing, or it won't be of any use to them at all. Too low? You may come across as condescending, if not a lousy writer.

Technical writing

In this text, the word "document" refers to any of the many forms of technical writing, whether it be a web page, an instruction manual, a lab report, or a travel brochure.

Ethical

Lastly, technical communication is ethical. All workplace writers have ethical obligations, many of which are closely linked to legal obligations that include liability laws, copyright laws, contract laws, and trademark laws.

accurate

Next, good writing! • Do your homework and make sure you have your facts right. There is no excuse for presenting incorrect information.

Focused on audience

Technical and workplace documents address a specific audience. •The audience may be an individual or a group, and it may or may not be known to the writer. • While there is always a primary audience addressed, there may be a secondary audience. Thus, an understanding of the reader or user of a technical document is important.

Rhetorical, persuasive, purposeful, and problem-oriented

Technical communication is all about helping the reader or user of a document solve a problem or compel others to act or do. • For example, the syllabus of your calculus class informs the students what is expected of them Identification of a specific purpose and a particular audience are the first two steps of technical writing.

Professional

Technical communication reflects the values, goals, and culture of the organization and as such, creates and maintains the public image of the organization. •Look back at your university's web site to see what image it conveys, or consider the United States Government.

Design centered

Technical communication uses elements of document design such as visuals, graphics, typography, color, and spacing to make a document interesting, attractive, usable, and comprehensible. While some documents may be totally in print, many more use images such as charts, photographs, and illustrations to enhance readability and understanding and simplify complex information

Comprehension

To enhance this in readers, use language and terminology familiar to the reader, and limit paragraphs to one main idea. Strive for brevity if your users will be reading on tablets or mobile devices. Use visuals such as charts or diagrams to present a lot of information in a graphic format. You can evaluate how easy your document is to comprehend by getting another set of eyes on it. Ask a colleague to read your text and then tell you what the important ideas are.

What does technical communication or workplace writing look like?

Who is the target audience? What information does this document provide? What task or goal will it help to accomplish? What elements of this document do you think make it useful? Does it solve a problem? What about the style of the writing in this government document? Is it concise and accurate?

Concise

Your audience has neither time nor patience for excessive verbiage, so simplify and cut any clutter. Good writing is always this type of writing.

attractive

Your document should be pleasing to look at. Just as you wouldn't eat a hamburger from a dirty plate, your reader will not be moved by a document that is not carefully designed and professional

Clear

Your writing has to be so that your reader can get from it the information you intended. • Strive to make sure that you have expressed exactly what you mean and have not left room for incorrect interpretations.

technical communications origins

been attributed to various eras dating back to Ancient Greece (think Rhetoric!) and to the Renaissance, the professional field of technical writing began during World War I from the need for technology based documentation for military and manufacturing industries.

The Society of Technical Communications (STC) defines technical communication as a...

broad field that includes any form of communication that is about technical or specialized topics, that uses technology such as web pages or help files, or that provides instruction about how to do something.

technical writing involves

communicating complex information to a specific audience who will use it to accomplish some goal or task in a manner that is accurate, useful, and clear

Without exception, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure have to be ...

correct. Even a single grammatical or spelling error can cause your reader to dismiss you as not professional, as not caring enough to edit carefully. Poor writing at this level reflects poorly on your organization as well, and most companies can't mandate good writing with a law!

Accessibility

perhaps the most important standard for excellence in technical communication. At the very least, the design of your document should be useful, easy to navigate, and with all information easy to locate. Specifically, websites and e-learning documents must meet ADA (American Disabilities Act) laws for accessibility. The link below will provide more information about ADA for you

As technology grew, and organizations become more global...

the need and relevance for technical communication emerged, and in 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recognized Technical Writer as a profession (STC

Technical Communication

the process of making and sharing ideas and information in the workplace as well as the set of applications such as letters, emails, instructions, reports, proposals, websites, and blogs that comprise the documents you write.

(1) Jakob Nielsen (1997) & (2) The late William Zinsser (2006), author of On Writing Well, emphasizes the same points when he states,

• (1)readers, or users, won't read content unless it is clear, simple, and easy to understand. • (2) "Good writing has an aliveness that keeps the reader reading from one paragraph to the next, and it's not a question of gimmick to personalize the author. It's a question of using the English language in a way that will achieve the greatest clarity and strength."

Characteristics of technical writing

•Focused on audience •Rhetorical, persuasive, purposeful, and problem-oriented •Professional •Design centered •Research and technology oriented •Ethical