CHAPTER TWO The Communication Process: Prewriting, Writing, and Rewriting I b pr Prewriting + Initial cliont contact ‘them at work * Clarification meeting, M 28Objectives When you complete this chapter, you wil 3. Write to organize your information, provide visuals, and format content 4. Understand the writing process 4. Test for usabilty of your tod be able to including prewriting, writing, and ©. Apply the checklist to your technical communication 4 rewsting 5. Rewrite by adding or deleting 2. Prowrite to examine purposes and ‘goals, determine audience, gather data, and choote the communication chan correcting + Proposal creation. Following the initial meeting, Creative writes as edule, complete with project plan, scope, and description of the deliverables. Writing *+ Drafting through collaboration. The Creative am creates a wiki to hel collaboratively. + Design, development, production, and pilot testing. Creative creates text, graphics, and audio and video training modules for final bet This rough draft verifies that the procluct works the way everyone expects it to, ing + Editing. The Creative writing tearn (with input from other co-workers and the end user) revises their inital drafts by making revisions through their wik. communication u ‘Check out our quarterly newsletters at waapearsonhighered.con/geraon for dot.com updates, new case sues, sights tom busines professionals, grammar exercses, and fats about technical information, simplifying terms, ‘moving oF reformatting content, changing style of writing, and his includes adding details, deleting unnecessary ‘+ Evaluation and maintenance. Through end-user analysis, commentary on their blog, usability testing ‘and customer measurement, Creative ensures that the performance needs are met and that training materials are current and valid Creative International refers to its “process map" from the beginning to the end of a project. They use process for mar- keting, for internal camsmunication, and for project planning and management. The writing process that Creative follows is recursive. tt includes stant sign-off and change or ders. With input from all parties, during prewriting, writing, and rewriting, Creative provi sits customers "communica ton that provides custom solutions. 29 Copy 2012 by Pearson Eascaton, heCIES ‘The Writing Process: An Overview ve pensonbighared ‘Technical communication is a major part of your daily work experience. It takes time to ‘com/gerson For more jor part of y ly work exp. information abourte | write the correspondence, and your writing has an impact on those around you. A well- ‘communication recess, | written report, e-mail message, user manual, Web sit, or blog gets the job done and makes visor companion you look good. Poorly written correspondence wastes time and creates a negative image of you and your company. However, recognizing the importance of technical communication does not ensure that your correspondence will be well written. How do you effectively write the memo, letter, blog entry, or report? How do you successfully produce the finished product? ‘To produce successful technical communication, you need to approach writing as a process. The process approach to writing has the following sequence: 1. Prewrite, Before you can write your document, you must have something to say. Prewriting allows you to spend quality time, prior to writing the correspondence, generating information, considering the needs of the audience, and choosing the communication channel, 2. Write. Once you have gathered your data and determined your objectives, the next step is to state them. You need to draft your document. To do so, you should organize the draft so that it’s easy to read, contains appropriate visual aids, and is formatted for easy access. 3. Rewrite, The final step, and one that is essential to successful communication, is to rewrite your draft. This step requires that you revise the rough draft. Revision allows you to test for usability and to perfect your memo, Web site, letter, report, or any document. ‘The writing process is dynamic, with the three parts—prewriting, writing, and rewriting—often occurring simultaneously. You may revisit any of these parts of the process at various times as you draft your document. The writing process is illustrated in Figure 2.1. FIGURE 2.1 The Writing Process The Writing Process 30 CHAPTER 2 Tecnica Communion: Paces and Pre Seventh Ein, by hate J. Cason and Sotan M. Gator. Pablshed by Prentice Hal ‘Copy 2013 by Pesan Eden IePrewriting Prewriting the first stage of the process, allows you to plan your communication. If you do not know where you are going in the correspondence, you will never get there, and your audience will not get there with you. Through prewriting, you accomplish many objectives, including ‘+ Examining purposes + Determining goals + Considering audience ‘+ Deciding what action you want your audience to perform + Gathering data ‘+ Determining the most effective communication channel Examine Your Purposes Before you write the document, you need to know why you are communicating. Are you planning to write because you have chosen to do so of your own accord or because you have been asked to do so by your boss? In other words, is your motivation external or internal? External Motivation. If someone else has requested the correspondence, then your motivation is external. Your boss, for example, expects you to write a monthly status report, a performance appraisal of your subordinate, or an e-mail report suggesting solu- tions to a current problem. Perhaps a vendor has requested that you write a letter docu: menting due dates, or a customer asks that you respond to a letter of complaint. In all of these instances, someone else has asked you to communicate. Internal Motivation. If you have decided to write on your own accord, then your moti vation is internal, For example, you need information to perform your job more effectively, so you write a letter of inquiry. You need to meet with colleagues to plan a job, so you write an e-mail message calling a meeting and setting an agenda. Perhaps you recognize a problem in your work environment, so you create a questionnaire and transmit i via the company blog. Then, analyzing your filings, you call a meeting to report your findings. Inall of these instances, you initiate the communication. Determine Your Goals Once you have examined why you are planning to communicate, the next step is to determine your goals in the correspondence or presentation. You might be communicating to ‘= Perstuade an audience to accept your point of view ‘+ Instruct an audience by directing actions + Inform an audience of facts, concerns, or questions you might have ‘© Build trust and rapport by managing work relationships ‘These goals can overlap, of course. You might wane to inform by providing an instruction. You might want to persuade by informing, You might wane to build trust by persuading. Stil, itis worthwhile looking at each of these goals individually to clarify their distinctions. Communicating to Persuade. If your goal in writing is to change others’ opinions or a company’s policies, you need to be persuasive. For example, you might want to write a proposal, a brochure, or a flier to sell a product or a service. Maybe you will write your annual progress report to justify a raise or a promotion. As a customer, you might want to write a letter of complaint or an e-mail message about poor service. Your goal in each of these cases is to persuade an audience to accept your point of view. HE COMMUNICATION PROCESS: PREWRITING, WRITING, AND REWRITING Copy 2012 by Pearson Eascaton, he 31‘Audience Soe Chapter ormore ‘msn of acon julticutural Audiences Communicating to Instruct. Instructions will play a large role in your technical commu- nication activites. As a manager, for example, you often will need to direct action. Your job demands that you tell employees under your supervision what to do, You might need to write an e-mail providing instructions for correctly following procedutes. These could include steps for filing out employee forms, researching documents in your company's intranet data bank, using new software, or writing reports according to the company’s new standards. Asan employee, you also will provide instructions. Your boss might ask you to create an instructional YouTube video. As a computer information specialist, maybe you work the 1-800 hotline for customer concerns. When a customer calls about a computer prob- lem, your job would be to give instructions for correcting the problem. You either will pro- vide a written instruction in a follow-up e-mail or a verbal instruction while on the phone. Communicating to Inform, Often, you will write letters, reports, and e-mails merely to inform. In an e-mail message, for instance, you may invite your staff to an upcom- ing meeting. trip report will inform your supervisor what conference presentations you attended or what your prospective client’s needs are. A letter of inquiry will inform a vendor about questions you might have regarding her services. Maybe you will be asked to write a corporate blog entry or a Web site link informing your co-workers about the company’s picnic, personnel birthdays, or new stock options available to employees. In these situations, your goal is not to instruct or persuade but to share information objectively. Communicating to Build Trust. Building rapport isa very important component of your communication challenge. As 2 manager or employee, your job is not merely to “dump data” in your written communication. You also need to realize that you are communicat- ing with co-workers, people with whom you will work every day. To maintain a successful ‘work environment, you want to achieve the correct, positive tone in your writing, This ‘ight require nothing more than writing a tweet, saying “Thanks for the information,” or “You've done a great job reporting your findings.” A positive tone shows approval for work accomplished and recognition of the audience's time. Recognizing the goals for your correspondence makes a difference. Determining your goals allows you to provide the appropriate tone and scope of detail in your communication. Tn contrast failure to assess your goals can cause communication breakdowns. Consider Your Audience ‘What you say and how you say itis greatly determined by your audience. Are you writing up to management, down to subordinates, oF laterally to co-workers? Are you speaking to a high-tech audience (experts in your field), a low-tech audience (people with some knowl- ‘edge about your field), or a lay audience (customers or people outside your work environ- ment)? Face it—you will not write the same way to your boss as you would to your subordinates. You will not speak the same way to a customer as you would to a team member, You must provide different information to a multicultural audience than you would ‘Sgn Chapner fr more ro individuals with the same language anc rural expectations. You must consider issues (Stan) ipa we ie pes andr apecions os mcm 32 of diversity when you communicate. Gather Your Data Once you know why you are writing and who your audience is, the next step is deciding ‘what to say. You have to gather data. The page or screen remains blank until you fill it with content. Your communication, therefore, will consider personnel, dates, actions required, locations, costs, methods for implementing suggestions, and so forth. As the CHAPTER 2 Tecnica Communion: Paces and Pre Seventh Ein, by hate J. Cason and Sotan M. Gator. Pablshed by Prentice Hal ‘Copyigi'© 2013 by Person Educatewriter, itis your obligation to flesh out the details. Afterall, until you tell your readers what you want to tell them, they do not know. There are many ways to gather data. In this chapter, and throughout the textbook, we provide options for gathering information. These planning techniques include the following: ‘+ Answering the reporter’s questions Research Techniques + Mind mapping ‘+ Brainstorming or listing + Outlining + Storyboarding ‘+ Creating organization charts + Flowcharting + Researching Each prewriting technique is discussed in greater detail in Table 2.1, Table 2.2 lists Web sites for online research. Determine How the Content Will Be Provided— The Communication Channel After you have determined your audience, goals, and content, the last stage in prewriting is to decide which communication channel will best convey your message. Will you write an instant message or a text message, letter, memo, report, e-mail, Web site, blog entry, XOROSMAUUDUALS ‘YouTube video, proposal, instructional procedure, flie, or brochure or will you make an | Formore information abou oral presentation? ingle sourcing, checkout In Table 2.3, you can review the many channels or methods you may use for commu-_ | "* llwns ns nicating your content. + STE Single Sourcing SIG" nepiivanestesg os! Single Sourcing. Maybe you will create content that will be used in a variety of com- | « sSingle Sourcing: An ‘munication channels simultaneously. Single sourcing, is the act of “producing documents | ttreducton” designed to be recombined and reused across projects and various media” (Carter 317).In_ | _"Pwww.cherletcom ete singlesourengihn a constantly changing marketplace, you will need to communicate your content to many | , "Anshun different audiences using a variety of communication channels. For instance, you might |" ,Sraseqe sega" need to market your product or service using the Internet, a fier, a brochure, newsletters, | Projecs" and.a sales leer. You might need to write hard-copy user manuals and develop online help | _oifwwsecrerbe screens. To ensure that content is reusable, the best approach would be to write a “single | “ud =™ source of text” that will “generate multiple documents for different media” (Albers 337), HE COMMUNICATION PROCESS: PREWRITING, WRITING, AND REWRITING 33 Copy 2012 by Pearson Eascaton, heTABLE 2.1 Prewriting Techniques “Ansmering the reporter's questions See By answering who, what, when, were, why, tnd how, you create the content of your Who soe kingsbery, Sales Rep comespondence What Need to know what aur discount ie ifwe buy in quantities ‘+ What the guarantees ave + service is provided on-site +l the instalos ave certified and bonded iF Acma provides 24-nour shipping Whon Need the information by July9 to mest our proposal deadine Where ‘Acme Radiators 111285 Armour Bh. ‘Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 45233 Lkings@aemerad.com why ‘As requested by my boss, John, to help us provide more information to prospective customers How Ether communicate with alter or an e-mail. lean write an ‘e-mallinquiy to save time, but Imus el Joe to respond ina letter with his signature to very the information he provides. Mind mapping Envision a wheel. Atthe centr is your topic, Radiating from this contr, ke spokes ofthe whee, te diferent ideas about the topie. Mind mapping allows you to look at your topic from multiple perspectives and then cluster the similar ideas. Brainstorming oF listing i Performing ether individually or with a group, you can randomly suggest ideas fxninstarming) and then mato a ist ofthese suggestions. This meshed, which ‘works for almost al kind of communication, s tespecially valuable for team projects Se eae ' Before meetings, ask employees for agenda items (that way, thay can feel empowered) + Consider flextime 1+ Review employee benefits packages Hold yearly awards coremony for bast atondance, highest performanct mast cold call, lowest customer compleits, ee. (Ofer employee sharing for unueod personal dayslsck eave days Roll over personal days to next ealendar yea! Include employees in dec's'on-making process ‘Add more personal days (asa tradeoff anticipated lower employee races) 34 Tecnica Communion: Paces and Pre Seventh Ein, by hate J. Cason and Sotan M. Gator. Pablshed by Prentice Hal ‘Copyigi'© 2013 by Person EducateTABLE 2.1 (Continued) This traditional method of gathering and arganizing information allows you to break a topic into major nd minor components This sa wonderul alk purpose planning tol Storyboarding Storyboarding is» visual planning technique that lets you graphically sketch each page or screen of your text. This allows you to see what your document might look lik. Creating organization charts This graphic allows you to see the overall organization of document as wall he subdivisions to be ciscussed 1.0. The Writing Process 51 Previnting + Planning Techniques 1.2 Waiting ‘+ AlkPurpose Organizational Template + Organiational Teciniques 1.3 Rewnting 20. Citeria for Efeactve 21 Chasity 22 Concisonase 23. Document Design 2 Aucience Recognition 25. Accuracy schnieal Communication Eo io BO ONin o—_ i .—_ : (~) _— ET] coma s in (Continuech 35 Tachi Communication: Pacas and Prot, Seveth Edin, by Sate J. Cason and Sevan M. Garson Pablshed by Prnte Hal Copy 2012 by Pearson Easton,TABLE 2.1 Prewriting Techniques (Continued) Flowcharting Flowcharting s another visual technique for gathering data. Because flowcharting organizes Content chronologically tis especialy useful for For examples sioprsan~ QC) Step = Decision = © TABLE 2.2 Intemet Search Engines Purpose Popular online search engines: Yahoo.com, Google.com, Bing.com, Ask.com Meto-rearch engines (ruithreaded engines that search several major engines at once) ‘MetaCrawlor.com, Clistycom, Dogpile.com ‘Specialty search engines Findlaw com focuses on logal resources |Webmd.com lets you access health and medical sites, Med nePlus gov provides consumer information, GoPubMed.com provides biomedical resources. Scinis.com provides scientfic resources, ZDNet.com, EarthLinknet, and BusinessWeck com provide resources for business, Broad academic searches bravians’ Internet Index tothe Internet fhttp/i.org), Infomine.veredy, GoogleScholarcom, Findarsele.com Government search sites USA.gov, Googles Uncle Sam International search sites Search Engine Colossus, Abyz News Links (aterational newspapers and magazines), and \Werllpressorg (international perspectves on the United States) Directory of search engines ‘Yahoo's Web Search, Search Engine Collosus 36 Tecnica Communion: Paces and Pre Seventh Ein, by hate J. Cason and Sotan M. Gator. Pablshed by Prentice Hal ‘Copyigi'© 2013 by Person EducateTABLE 2.3. Options for Providing Content Through Different Communication Channels fon Channels Email messages, instant ‘Benefits: These types of eletron’c carnmunication are quick and can almost be synchronous. messages (IM), text messages (TM) You can have a realtime, electrons chat with one or more reacers. Though email messages shouldbe short (20 or so nes of text), you can atach documents, Web links, graphics, and sound and movie files Challenges: F-mail instant messages, and text messages tend to be less formal shan other types cof communication. E-mail might not be private (a company’s network administrators can access your eleczonic communication). IM and TM havo size Imitations. Letters Benefits: Typed on official corporate leterhead stationery ators are formal correspondence to readers outside your company Challenges: Letters are time consuming because they must be mailed physically Although you ean enclose documents, this might demand costly or bulky envelopes. Memos Benefits: Memos—internal correspondence to one or several co-workers—allow for greater prvacy than email (esmall messages ae archived and can be obsorved by administers within 5 company). Even though most mamos ate lmited in length fone or swo pages), you ean attach ‘or enclose dactuments Challenges: Memos are both more time consuming than e-mail and lss formal than letters. Reports and proposals Benefits: Reports, intemal and external, ae usually very formal. They can range in length from ‘one page to hunsreds of pages (proposals anc annual corporate reports to staxsholders, for ‘example. Because of thet length, repors ae appropriate lor detailed information. Challenges: They can be sme consuming to wre, Brochures and fore Benefits: Brochures and flrs are appropriate for informational and promotional communication tolarge audiences, Challenges: Most brochures are limited to six or so panels, the equivalent of aback and front hard copy. Sirilar, a fers usually only one page long, Thus n-desth coverage ofa tope will ‘Web sites and blogs Benefits: A Web site or blog can provide informal and pubic communication to the entire world— anytime, anyplace. Web sites essentially have unlimited size, s0 you can provide lots of information, and the content can be updated instantanaously by Web designers. A Web ste can include link to other sitet, animation, graphs, and colon. Challenges: Audiences need access tothe Internet. Web sites and blogs could divulge sensitive corporate communication (ral presentations ‘Benefits: Oral presentations can be both formal and informal and communicate direct withthe audiones. Challenges: Many people are afraid to make an oral presentation, Sometimes audance member can be poor listeners Social media Benefits: Social madla such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube allow you to communicate rapidly with many people. You can communicate in 9 endl informal way with your audience. Challenges: Social media can pose confidentiality sues and consume too much on-the-job time Twitter allows only 140 charactors of txt. Videos Benefits: Instructional videos avoid language bariers and provide clear actions for people to follow. Videos can be entertaining Challenges: Creating a precise script with detailed clrectons for the video camera operator can be challenging, ime consuming, and expensive 7 Tachi Communication: Praceas and Prot, Seveth Edin, by Sate J. Cason an Sevan M. Garson. Pablhed by Pre Hal Copy 2012 by Pearson Eascaton, he38 Do writers actully follow a process when they compose correspondence? [Ac Most good writers follow a process. It's tke ploting your route before a tip. Sure, you can get in a car without a map, head wes (or east or north or south and find te but mapping the route belore a tp assures that you won't get lst an ‘Theres no one way to plot your destination, Prewriting might ental anly@ quick aulina,» few bref notes that Ist the topics you plan to cover and the order in which you'll cover them, This way, you will know where you're going before you get thar. In adetion to creating both bro and sometimes much more detailed outlnes,an important nar of prewriting it considering your audience. By considering thei renders, writers can decide how much deta efnion, or explanation is needed. Infact, thinking about the auaience can even help witers desermine how many examples or istrations to inch and what deta need to be removed from the dacument Altar prewriting, good witers always perceive ther tox as ada thet can be improved. Alling can be mpraved. Improving :ext requires rewriting, Word processing programs make this essential tep in the process easor Word processing programs let you add, celte, and eformat text. Computers also Fighligh= n color epaling and grammar errors, Thus, editing ie an integral part of wring. Writing ‘Writing lets you package your data. Once you have gathered your data, determined your ob- jectives, recognized your audience, and chosen the channel of communication, the next step is writing che document. You need to write a draft so that your readers can follow your train of thought readily and easily access your data. Writing the draft lets you organize your thoughts in some logical, easy-to-follow sequence. Writers usually know where they are go~ ing, but readers do not have this same insight. When readers pick up your document, they can read only one line at a time. They know what you are saying at the moment, but they don’t know what your goals are. They can only hope that in your writing, you will lead them along logically and not get them lost with unnecessary data or illogical arguments, Organization To avoid confusing or misleading your audience, you need to organize your thoughts. As with prewriting, you have many organizational options. In Chapter 3, we discuss the following traditional methods of organization: + Space (spatial organization) + Chronology + Importance + Comparison/contrast + Problem/solution ‘These organizational methods are not exclusive. Many of them can be used si- ‘multancously within your technical communication to help your reader understand your content Formatting You also must format your text to allow for ease of access. In addition to organiz- ing your ideas, you need to consider how the text looks on the page or screen. If you give your readers a massive wall of words, they will file your document for future reading and look for the nearest exit. An unbroken page or screen of text is not reader friendly. To invite your readers into the document, to make them want to read the technical communication, you need to highlight key points and break up ‘monotonous-looking text. You need to ensure that your information is accessible CHAPTER 2 Tecnica Communion: Paces and Pre Seventh Ein, by hate J. Cason and Sotan M. Gator. Pablshed by Prentice Hal ‘Copyigi'© 2013 by Person EducateRewriting Document Design Rewriting lets you perfect your writing. After you have prewritten (to gather data, orga-_ | See rsp: or more nize thoughts, and understand audience) and written your draft, your final step is to Usability Testing A report, instruction, or Web site is only good if your audience can understand the con- tent and use the information. Usability testing helps you determine the success of your draft. Through usability testing, you decide what works in the draft and what needs to be rewritten. Thus, usability focuses on the following key factors: ‘+ Retrievability. Can the user find specific information quickly and easily? ‘+ Readability. Can the user read and comprehend information quickly and easily? + Accuracy. Is the information complete and correct? ‘+ User satisfaction. Does the document present information in a way that is easy to learn and remember? (Dorazio) ‘Audience 1. Ave technical txms defined? Recognition 2. Are examples used at tre reader’ lavel of understanding to explain difficult steps or coneopt? 3. Are graphics used appropriately ta help the audience understand the procedure or concept? 4. Ne tone and word usage spproptiate forthe intends sdienco? Development 1. Are stops or concapts precisly developed? 2. Ieall equ information provided including hazards, technical descriptions process analyses, warranties, accessories, and required equipment or:00l? 3. Iswelevant or arly needed information omitted? Ease of Use Can readers easly ind what hey want trough ‘+ A table of contents ‘Anavigation bar Aalossay Hierarchical headings Headers or footers An index Links FAQs Conciseness 1. Are words mited to ane to two syllables wen possible? 2. va sentences imitad to 10 to 15 words when possible? 3 ‘Ara paragraphs limited to four to sx lines of text when possible? Consistency 1. [sa consistent hierarchy of headings used? 2. jee graphics presented consistently (same location, same use of igure titles and ‘numbers, similar size, smilar syle of graphics, et)? 3. Does word usage meen the same throughout th text technical terms, hazard notations, ere}? 4. Ie the amo style of numbering ueod throughout? Document Design 1. Do graphics help depict how to perform stops? 2. lewnite space used fo mace information accessiole? 43. Doos color emprarize hazards, koy terms, or important information? 4. Dohe ing headings ad clarity and help the readers navigate the text? ‘THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS: PREWRITING, WRITING, AND REWRITING Tachi Communication: Praceas and Prot, Seveth Edin, by Sate J. Cason an Sevan M. Garson. Pablhed by Pre Hal Copy 2012 by Pearson Eascaton, he ieumsin of document rewrite, Revision requires that you look over your draft to determine its usability and | Saguere “9 correctness, 39Revision Techniques After testing your document for usabili techniques: ; revise your text by using the following revision. * Add missing detail for clarity. * Delete dead words and phrases for concisenes ‘+ Simplify unnecessarily complex words and phrases to allow for easier understanding, * Move around information (cut and paste) to ensure that your most important ideas are emphasized. © Reformat (using highlighting techniques) to ensure reader-friendly cease of access. + Enhance the tone and style of the text. ‘+ Correct errors to ensure accurate grammar and content. ‘We discuss each of these points in greater detail throughout the text. How Important Is Proofreading? Do employees in the workplace really care about grammar and mechanics? Is proofread- ing only important to teachers? Proofreading is absolutely important. Incorrect documen- tation costs companies money. “A misplaced decimal point resulted in one company paying... . $120,000 in taxes on a piece of industrial equipment, instead of the $1,200 the firm rightfully owed” (Rizzo A1). ‘A Chicago-based company purchased an industrial sander for $54,589.62. Unfortu- nately, when listing the purchase on their yearend taxes, the company reported the purchase price as $5,458,962. This misplaced comma and decimal point equaled a difference of over $5 million. The issue went to court, costing even more money. A single mark of punctuation can be important (Rizzo A6). Table 2.4 shows the importance of proofreading, The National Commission on Writing highlights what employers and employees consider to be essential skills in technical com- munication (*Writing: A Powerful Message from State Government” 19). Revision is possibly the most important stage in the writing process. If you prewrite effectively (gathering data, determining objectives, and recognizing audience) and write an effective draft, you are off to a great start. However, if you then fail to rewrite your text, you run the risk of having wasted the time you spent prewriting and TABLE 2.4 Essential Skills in Technical Communication a Erm Accuracy 278% Speling, grammar, aunctuation na% lary 94% Documentation/support 12% Logie 55.1% Concisenese 429% Visual appeal 122% CHAPTER 2 Tecnica Communion: Paces and Pre Seventh Ein, by hate J. Cason and Sotan M. Gator. Pablshed by Prentice Hal ‘Copyigi'© 2013 by Person EducateTECHNOLOGY TIPS Using Microsoft Word 2010 for Rewriting Word processing progrems help you rewrite your document in many ways: + Spell chock, When you misspell 2 word, often spell check wll underline the erorin rad (as shown in tho following example vith “grammer” incorrectly spelled). Spell check, unfortunately, will not catch all erors. Ifyou use a word lke to instead of to0, spellcheck will not "no" the difference (of course, that should be "know" but spel check did net marc the ero). Microso't Word 2010 Review tab slso provides you access to prootieeding helo and allows you to make comments and track changes. eT ea peer re errr) FP (BRI tone ret reine ateenes ass | even | Mow) rat 2@ | ‘Senne ‘conment St changes» HE] Reviening rane = oe + Grammar check: Word processors also can help you catch grammar errors. Grammar check underlines errors in grgen. When you Fight-ick on the undefined text, the word processing package will provide an optional correction, Grammer eros ook lke this, for example error looks + Add/Delete. Word processing makes adding new content and deleting unneeded text very easy. Allyou need to do's place your cursor where you want to add/delete. Then, to ad8, you type. Te doles, you hit the Backspace key othe Delece ay. ‘+ Move. The Copy, Cut, and Paste features of word processing allow you to move text with ease, + Enhance/Reformat. In addition to changing the tone of your text, you also can enhance the visual appeal of your document ata keystroke, From the Home tab on your toolbar, you can choos from the Word 2070 Ribbon and inelide bullets, ales, boldlace, fort changes, numbered lst, etc writing, Rewriting is the stage in which you make sure that everything is correct. Fail- ure to do so not only can cause confusion for your readers but also can destroy your credibility. ‘The process approach to writing—including prewriting, writing, and rewriting (in- cluding usability testing)—can help you communicate successfully in any work envicon- ment or writing situation. In fact, the greatest benefit of process is that it is generic. Process is not designed for any one profession or type of correspondence. No author of technical communication book can anticipate exactly where you will work, what type ‘of documents you will be required to write, or what your supervisors will expect in your ‘THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS: PREWRITING, WRITING, AND REWRITING a Tachi Communication: Praceas and Prot, Seveth Edin, by Sate J. Cason an Sevan M. Garson. Pablhed by Pre Hal Copy 2012 by Pearson Eascaton, heWRITING PROCESS CHECKLIST Prewriting Rewriting 1. Have you determined the purpose for communicating? 8. Have you tested far usability? 2. Inyour goal to inform, instruct, persuade, or build trust? 9. Have you revised by adding, deleting, simpliying, 3. leyour audience high-tech, low-tech, or ly? enhancing tone, and reformating? 14. Have you gathered data through prewriting techniques or ‘10: Have you proofread for accuracy? cesearching? 5. Have you chosen the correct communication channel? wating 4, Have you organaed the ivorraton (sng modes such as patil, chronology, comparison/contrast, 1. tethe content formatted for eadabilty? writing. However, we can give you a methodology for tackling any communication ac- tivity, Writing as a process will help you write any kind of oral or written communica- tion, for any boss, in any work situation. The Writing Process at Work Following is an e-mail report written using the process approach to writing. The docu- ment was produced in the workplace by John, an information technologist writing to his supervisor. John needed to create a user manual and instructional video for the —Gxinki An Editor's Use of the Writing Process Candice Millard, an editor at Wireless World and National + Flosh out the details. Candico's next jab isto “film the Geographic magazines and author of The River of Doubs soos holes." Sometimes, her biggest challenge is defining her hersel as "the reader’ advocate.” As an editor, her job is to authors highly tecnica terminology. When authors snake sure thet readers understand the text she is editing depend on jargon, Candice “translates the term.” Candice states, “Because authors invest enormaus ime and + Slice and dice. The opposte goal to adding detal for tin their writing, they often become so attached to their work thas they gat lost inthe details.” Candice’s laity is deleting text. Candice ako must “edt out contradictions, weed the irelevancies, emove 1b isto be the detachod eye, the objective stractions, and excise whatever might rng fake wader’ point of view, + Practice diplomacy. Candico’s authors ar al experts in thei fields, When these authors write In the witing process, Candices authors in charge ofthe prewriting and writing. Candice’s bout what they love, every word they use is jb focuses on the final stage ofthe writing “ , "a the other hand, must cut thir text to ft space limitations and to meet a readers ited attetion span. Cutting makos “people brite." Thoefore, when ‘editing, she considers how her comments wll affect the writer She “engages in conversation, points out what’ 1s to them; every detail is crucial. Candlice, on process—remfting. To accomplish his goal, she e ‘offers these aditoral hints: ‘+ Start big and get small To achieve editorial objectivity, Candice says that she must “step back, get the big picture, and then ‘work :oward the details” She asks nereol, “What's goed, epar he be the posed then women ited changes. superlvous, what's confusing, what questions do Ihave in that haven't been answered, and where is ebrity Asan editor, Candice knows that she isn't just dealing with words; she is working with people. 42 CHAPTER 2 ° ° Copyraht © 2012 by Pesan Eden, neFIGURE 2.2 Using Reporter's Questions to Prewrite Who—my boss What—write a progress report about our new user manual and instructional video Where—the manual will be available online (www.vCard.com/customerhelp}, saved to disc, and packaged with the product; the instructional video will be saved on disc and accessible on our Web site When—to accompany the release of our new product (November 2012) ‘Why—in response to boss’s request for an update on how to improve customer service How—I worked with SMEs and a panel of customers to test usability to create the user manual and instructional video installation of a video card, with added functions such as video capture, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 decoding, light pen, TV output, and the ability to connect multiple monitors. His boss asked for a follow-up status report about the creation of the manual and the instructional video. Prewriting Jobn worked on a user manual and video for several weeks. After receiving an e-mail re- ‘quest for a follow-up status report from his boss, John used the reporter’s questions to prewrite for his report. John’s prewriting (shown in Figure 2.2) tells us who he is writing ‘05 what types of documents he worked on; where the user manual will be accessible to the customer; when the new product will be released; why the boss requested the updates how John gathered data for his manual and tested for usability. ‘With data gathered and objectives determined, John was ready to write. Writing First, John wrote a rough draft, as shown in Figure 2.3. In this draft, John took the word “rough” seriously and did not consider document design, grammar, or sentence structure. ‘When you draft, do not worry about errors or how the correspondence looks. It is meant to be rough, to free you from worry about making errors. You can correct errors when you Rewriting No writing is ever perfect. Every memo, letter, report, or e-mail message can be improved. John asked a colleague to review his rough draft and suggest revisions. Figure 2.4 shows the rough draft with suggestions for improvement. After John read his colleague's comments, he revised the report and sent it to his ‘boss. Figure 2.5 shows you his finished product. Once the manager received the report, he commended John for a job well done. The manager found the report easy to read be- cause of the use of white space, headings, listed and bulleted information, and smaller paragraphs. The manager also noted the grammatically correct and well-constructed sentences. When you approach writing as a step-by-step process (prewriting, writing, and rewriting), your results usually are positive—and you will receive positive feedback from your supervisors. ‘THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS: PREWRITING, WRITING, AND REWRITING Tachi Communication: Praceas and Prot, Seveth Edin, by Sate J. Cason an Sevan M. Garson. Pablhed by Pre Hal Copy 2012 by Pearson Eascaton, he 43FIGURE 2.3 Rough Draft REPORT ON MANUAL Recently, you asked us to develop an instruction manual and video for installation of our vCard 9600 pro series video card. Our focus was to create a manual that was aesthetically pleasing and easy to follow for all levels of computer literate people. All in efforts to increase our customer service satisfaction percentage. We feel we successfully created a manual that can be beneficial to anyone who uses this product. Our installation guide is an extremely user friendly, providing an casy- to-follow, step-by-step instruction to the installation of our 9600 pro and can be used asa basis for developing manuals for all of our products. We feel we should develop detailed installation manuals for every product and service we provide, this will increase customer service satisfaction and relieve our technical support department's hold time on calls. We're sure you agree that Extreme PCs should not only be known for our great products, but for our great customer service as well. Since the release of this manual, our customer satisfaction percentage has increased greater than our competitors. We encountered two problems in writing our manual. Using computer jargon when describing installation. Our use of high-tech terminology led to reader confusion, as documented by customer complaints. Screen captures should parallel the content. We had problems with the instructional video. ‘The manual was a complete success. However, we could improve future manuals as, follows: More instruction manuals detailing installation on all our products. We're certain that our customer satisfaction will continue to increase if all of our products are packaged with manuals or if manuals are provide online for casy download. To manage the challenge we encountered with high-tech terminology, all manuals will now include glossaries to define challenging word usage. SMEs will help with this. More time to work on the manuals. We had so many ideas during the development process, that we ran out of time to implement them all. With this first manual ‘created, however, we can use it as a template, This will save time for future manual development. We'd also like to see an increase in staffing to take on such a massive project. Plus, we'd like to increase our tech support department to reduce hold time and ensure customer satisfaction levels. Each company you work for over the course of your career will have its own unique approach to writing memos, letters, reports, e-mail messages, proposals, or ‘Web sites. Your employers will want you to do it their way. Company requirements, vary. Different jobs and fields of employment require different types of correspon- dence, However, you will succeed in tackling any writing task if you have a consistent approach to writing. A process approach to writing will allow you to write any corre- spondence effectively. CHAPTER 2 Tecnica Communion: Paces and Pre Seventh Ein, by hate J. Cason and Sotan M. Gator. Pablshed by Prentice Hal ‘Copyigi'© 2013 by Person EducateFIGURE 2.4 Rough Draft with Suggested Revisions REPORT ON MANUAL Recently, you asked us to develop an instruction manual and video for installation of our vCard 9600 pro series video card, Our focus was to create ‘a manual that was aesthetically pleasing and easy to follow for all levels of computer literate people. All in efforts to increase our customer service satisfaction percentage. ‘We feel we successfully created a manual that can be beneficial to anyone who uses this product. Our installation guide is an extremely user friendly, providing an easy-to-follow, step-by-step instruction to the installation of our 9600 pro and can be used as a basis for developing manuals for all of our products. We feel we should develop detailed installation manuals for every product and service we provide, this will increase customer service satisfaction and relieve our technical support department's hold time on calls. We're sure you agree that Extreme PCs should not only be known for our great products, but for our great customer service as well. Since the release of this manual, our customer satisfaction percentage has increased greater than our competitors. We encountered two problems in writing our manual. Using computer jargon when describing installation. Our use of high-tech terminology led to reader confusion, as documented by customer complaints. Screen captures should parallel the content ‘We had problems with the instructional video. ‘The manual was a complete success. However, we could improve future manuals as, follows: More instruction manuals detailing installation on all our products. We're certain that our customer satisfaction will continue to increase if all of our products are packaged with manuals or if manuals are provide online for easy download. To ‘manage the challenge we encountered with high-tech terminology, all manuals will now include glossaries to define challenging word usage. SMEs will help with this. ‘More time to work on the manuals. We had so many ideas during the development process, that we ran out of time to implement them all, With this first manual created, however, we can use it as a template. This will save time for future mana development. We'd also like to see an increase in staffing to take on such a massive project. Plus, we'd like to increase our tech support department to reduce hold time and ensure customer satisfaction levels. John, don’ put the subject line in all caps. what about the manual? You need Aadaitional information about the video, Change the word “recentiy” to specific date, clarity who you worked with on this project, and reming the reader exactly why you're writing this report Note that the last tine in paragraph one isa fragment (incomplete sentence). You have similar grammar errors elsewnere, ‘No one will read this paragrapi or your last paragraph, John. They're both too bulky. can you add white space, adc headings, and use some bulleted ists? Define "SMEs" John, ‘Our boss asked fora status report about the vCard project. Your conclusion {oes not emghasize what was learned from the project. A status report of the vCard project will help him decide how to set up the next company project, Your conclusion needs some “punch” for emphesis, 45 Tachi Communication: Praceas and Prot, Seveth Edin, by Sate J. Cason an Sevan M. Garson. Pablhed by Pre Hal Copy 2012 by Pearson Eascaton, heFIGURE 2.5 Finished Product Subject: Report on Video Card Installation Manual and Instructional Video ‘What we hoped to achieve On Friday, November 2, 2012, you asked our team to develop an instruction manual and video for installation of our vCard 9600 pro series video card. Our focus was to create a hard-copy manual and an instructional video that were aesthetically pleasing and easy to follow forall levels of computer literate people. We hoped to increase our customer service satisfaction percentage. We completed the user manual and video in time for the vCard 9600 rollout. This report will bring you up to date on our achievements. ‘What we accomplished ‘We successfully created a manual and a video that can be beneficial to anyone who uses our product. Our installation guide is user friendly, providing an easy-to-follow, step-by-step instruction to the installation of our 9600 pro. The manval and video are available online at ‘www.vCard.com/customerhelp. Plus, we saved the text and accompanying video to disc and packaged them with the product. We believe that these end-user help aids can serve as a basis for developing manuals for all our products. Our instructional video is easy to use for the consumer and can be a model for all future instructional videos. Working with our customer usability panel and SMEs (subject matter experts} proved to be an invaluable resource and a ‘great way to achieve customer service satisfaction. Work remaining to be done We feel we should develop detailed installation manuals and instructional videos for every product and service we provide. This will increase customer service satisfaction and relieve our technical support department's hold time on calls. Since the release of this manual and video, our customer satisfaction percentage has increased by approximately 12 percent over our competitors, as validated by independent survey results. Problems encountered ‘We encountered two problen in writing our manual: 1. We used computer jargon when describing installation. Our use of high-tech terminology led to reader confusion, as documented by customer complaints. 2, We did not include enough screen captures to help our target audience. This led to complaints about lack of understanding, We encountered two problems when scripting our video: 1, The instructional steps were not detailed enough for the video camera operator to shoot. 2. Our “actors” had insufficient time for learning lines. Suggestions for future projects ‘The manual and video were successful after we made revisions based on comments from our usability panel. However, we could improve future manuals and videos as follows: ‘+ More Manuals. More instruction manuals detailing installation of our products need to be created, We're certain that our customer satisfaction will continue to increase if all products are packaged with manuals or if manuals are provided cline for easy download, Tecnica Communion: Paces and Pre Seventh Ein, by hate J. Cason and Sotan M. Gator. Pablshed by Prentice Hal ‘Copyigi'© 2013 by Person EducateFIGURE 2.5. (Continued) ‘+ More Instructional Videos. Most if not all of our products could benefit from instructional videos. We could create videos in different languages to be sold in our international market. YouTube videos would be appealing to many of our customers. * Glossaries. To manage the challenge we encountered with high-tech terminology, all, ‘manuals will now include glossaries to define challenging word usage. Our in-house ‘SMEs can help with definitions of terms. + Time, We need more time to work on the manuals and the videos. We had so many ideas, during the development process that we ran out of time to implement them all. With this first manual and video created, however, we can use them as templates. This will save time for furure manval and video development. + Personnel, We'd also like to see an increase in staffing to take on such a massive project. Plus, we'd like to increase our tech support department to reduce hold time and ensure customer satisfaction levels. My team believes that hiring only two more help desk employees could successfully handle this need. If [can answer any questions, let me know. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work on this project. CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS. 1, Writing effectively is a challenge for many people. Following the process approach to writing will help you meet this challenge. 2. Prewriting helps you determine goals, consider audience, gather data, examine purposes, and determine the communication channel. 3. Prewriting techniques will help you get started, Try answering reporter's questions, mind mapping, brainstorming ot listing, outlining, storyboarding, creating, organization charts, floweharting, or researching. 4, When you prewrite, decide whether you are communicating to persuade, instruct, inform, or build trust 5. To begin writing a rough draft, organize your material, consider the layout and. design of the communication, and add visual aids such as tables and figures. 6. You can communicate content through e-mail messages, instant messages, blogging, letters, memos, reports, brochures, proposals, Web sites, and PowerPoint presentations. 7. Perfect your text by testing for usability. 8, Rewrite your document by adding, deleting, simplifying, moving, reformatting, enhancing, and correcting. 9, Proofreading is an essential part of the rewriting step in the writing process. Lack of proofreading causes businesses to lose money. 10, Accuracy is an essential skill in business according to the National Commission on Writing, ‘THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS: PREWRITING, WRITING, AND REWRITING a7 Tachi Communication: Praceas and Prot, Seveth Edin, by Sate J. Cason an Sevan M. Garson. Pablhed by Pre Hal Copy 2012 by Pearson Eascaton, heAPPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE CASE STUDIES 1. You are the co-chair of the “Mother's Weekend” at your sorority, fraternity, or other ete ere re ereeis Mae eee ee por be ected ete Benner Tf ee ee ee ee a reee SHEE Assignment Wiite an outline showing the decisions you've made regarding the topics above, Then, write a shore memo or e-mail to your organization's executive board sharing your findings. 2. You work for the Oneg, Oregon, City Planning Department. Your boss, Carol Haley, thas received complaints recently from citizens concerned about a wastewater facility being built in their neighborhood. The homeowners are worried about odors, chemical runoff in nearby Tomahawk Creek, decreases in home values, and a generally diminished quality of life in the neighborhood. The wastewater facility will be built. Despite the citizens’ concerns, City Planning has decided that Oneg needs and will profit from the plant. Nonetheless, you must respond to these complaints, acting upon the citizens’ issues. For odor abatement, the wastewater management company plans to control fumes and particulate matter through the use of cross flow and wet scrubbers, thermal oxidizers, absorption materials, and bio-ilters. Many of the concerns regarding runoff and home values ean be solved. through improved land management and ecological restoration. By planting more ceeds, bushes, and crees in the green space between the homes and the proposed plant, runoff can be absorbed more efficiently, and green barriers will improve home values. Finally, you have learned that the ‘wastewater company wants to be a good neighbor. To do so, it plans to become actively involved in the community by building more parks, playgrounds, hikebike trails, and stocking the nearby poad. Assignment In small teams or a individuals decide which communication channel you will use to share your findings with che comunity. Will you use a Web st, bog entry, twee, lttes, mail, oral commu nication, and so forth? Brainstorm the pros and cons of each channel. Then, write an e-mail to your teacher explaining which channel you chose and why. 43. Electronic City is a retailer of DVDs, televisions, DVD players with MP3 playhack/|PEG viewer, computer systems, cameras, telephones, fax machines, printers, and more. Flectronic City needs to create a Web site to market its products and services, The content for this Web site should include the following: Prcee ‘Store hours Warranties “Senice agreements Job opportunities Installation fees Extended holay haus Discounts Technical support ——-Productinformation Special holcay sales Delivery fees 48 CHAPTER 2 Tecnica Communion: Paces and Pre Seventh Ein, by hate J. Cason and Sotan M. Gator. Pablshed by Prentice Hal ‘Copyigi'© 2013 by Person EducateAssignment Review the list of Web site topics for Electronic City. Using an organizational chart, decide how to group these topics. Which willbe major inks on che Web site's navigation bar? Which will be op- {Gs of discussion within each ofthe major links? Once you have orgaized the links skerch the Web site by creating a storyboard 4. You are the special events planner in the marketing department at Thrill-a-Minure Entertainment Theme Park. You and your project team need to plan the grand opening of the theme park's newest sensation ride—The Horror—a wooden roller coaster that boasts a 10 g drop. What activites should your team plan ro market and introduce this special event? Assignment Using a planning technique discussed in this chapter, gather ideas for a day-long event to introduce ‘The Horror. Repore your findings as follows: + In the brief report to your marketing department boss, explain why you are writing, give options for the event, clarify which techniques you used to gather ideas, and sum up by recommending what you think are the best marketing approaches. ‘+ Write an e-mail to your teacher providing options for the event and explaining which techniques you used to gather data, *+ Give an oral presentation in class providing options for the event and explaining which techniques you used to gather data + Create a posting on the corporate blog about this special event. Send an e-mail to your teacher with the text for the blog entry, and explain how you gathered data * Create a link on the company Web site about the day-long event introducing the newest ride. Send an e-mail to your teacher with the text to be included in the link, and explain how you gathered data NDIVIDUAL AND TEAM PROJECTS 1, To practice prewriting, take one of the following topics. Then, using the suggested prewriting technique, gather data a, Reporter’ questions. To gather data for your resume, list answers to the reporter's 4uestions for two recent jobs you have held and for your past and present educational experiences. , Mind mapping. Create a mind map for your options for obtaining college financial aid. «. Brainstorming or listing. List five reasons why you have selected your degree program or why you have chosen the schoo! you are attending. 4d, Outlining. Ourline your reasons for liking or disliking a current or previous job. , Storyboarding. If you have a personal Web site, use scoryboarding to depict graphically the various screens. If you do not have such a site, use storyboarding to depiet graphically what your sites screens would include, £. Creating organizational chaets. What is the hierarchy of leadership of management at your job or college organizacion (fraternity, sorority, lub, or team)? To depict ‘ecaphically who is in charge of what and who reports to whom, create an organizational chart ig, Flowcharting, Create a flowchart of the steps you followed to repister for classes, buy a ‘ar, or seek employment. hh, Researching, Go online or find a hard copy of the Occupational Outlook Handbook. “Then, research a career field that interests you. Reading the handbook, find oue the nature of the work, working conditions, employment opportunities, educational requirements, ‘and pay scale, ‘THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS: PREWRITING, WRITING, AND REWRITING Tachi Communication: Praceas and Prot, Seveth Edin, by Sate J. Cason an Sevan M. Garson. Pablhed by Pre Hal Copy 2012 by Pearson Eascaton, he50 Using the techniques illustrated in his chapter, edit, correct, and rewrite the following flawed memo. Date: April3, 2012 To: William Huddleston From: Julie Schopper Subject: Trainning Classes Bill, our recent training budget has increased beyond our projections. We need to solve this problem, My project team has come up with several suggestions, you need ‘to review these and then get back to us with your input. Here is what we have come up with We could reduce the number of training classes, fre several trainers, but increase the number of participants allowed per class. Thus we would keep the same amount of income from participants but save a significant amount of money due to ‘the reduction of trainer salaries and benefits. The downside might be less effective ‘raining, once the trainer to participant ratio is increased, As another option, we could outsource our training. This way we could fie all our trainers which would mean that we would save money on benefits and salaries, as wel as offer the same umber of training sessions, which would keep our trainer to participant ratio low. ‘What do you think. We need your feedback before we can do anything so even if ‘your busy, get on ths right away Please write me as soon as you can. PROBLEM-SOLVING THINK PIECE In an interview, a company benefits manager said that she spent over 50 percent of her workday ‘on communication issues. These included the following: Consulting with staff, answering their questions about retirement, health insurance, and payroll deductions ‘Meeting weekly with human resources (HR) colleagues Collaborating with project team members Preparing and writing quarterly reports to HR supervisors Teleconferencing with third-party insurance vendors regarding new services and/or costs [E-mailing supervisors and staff, in response to questions Updating information about benefits on the corporate blog Ceeating a new link on the company Web site about changes to insurance and benefits Calling and responding to telephone calls Faxing information as requested Responding to and sending instant messages and text messages Writing letters to vendors and staff to document services ‘Though she had co use various methods of both written and oral communication, the ‘communication channels each have benefits and drawbacks, E-mailing, for example, has pluses ‘and minuses {convenience over depth of discussion, perhaps). Think about each of the ‘communication options above. Using the following rable, list the benefits of each particular type of ‘communication versus the drawbacks. CHAPTER 2 Tecnica Communion: Paces and Pre Seventh Ein, by hate J. Cason and Sotan M. Gator. Pablshed by Prentice Hal ‘Copyigi'© 2013 by Person EducateCommunication Channels | Benefits | Drawbacks | Possible Solutions ‘One-on-one discussions Group meetings Callaboratve projects Written repors| Teleconferences Email Blogsing Web ste Phone calls Faxes a [otters EB WORKSHOP |. Proofreading is a key component of successful technical communication, Access the following Web sites and read what these sites suggest as editing/proofreading hints. Compare ‘the content in the Web sites to your approaches to proofreading and editing. Write an e-mail ‘message oF memo summarizing your findings, + Literacy Education Online: bbupulleostcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/genproofed heal ‘Purdue University's Online Writing Lab: beep:fowl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/generaligl_edit-heml University of North Carolina: bhtepswwrw.unc.eduldeprshwewebihandouts/proofread hem! . The Society for Technical Communication provides a link to professional articles about usability testing: heep-iiwwwstesig,org/usabilcy/, Read any of the articles found in this Web site and report on your findings in an e-mail message or memo to your professor. QUIZ QUESTIONS 1. What are the three main parts ofthe writing process? 2. What are four ways you can provide technical communication content? 3. What can you achieve by prewriting? 4. What is the difference between external and internal motivation? 5. Why should you consider your audience before you begin writing? 6. 7 8 What are four different prewriting techniques? ‘Why do you consider format when you write a business document? ‘What are four rewriting techniques? 9. What happens when you fail to revise accurately? 10. How can the writing process help ensure that you become a successful writer? 11, What ate four goals of technical communication? 12, What are three search engines? 13. How do reporter's questions differ from mind mapping? 14, What is usability testing? 15. How can software help you to rewrite your dacuments? ‘THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS: PREWRITING, WRITING, AND REWRITING 51 Tachi Communication: Praceas and Prot, Seveth Edin, by Sate J. Cason an Sevan M. Garson. Pablhed by Pre Hal Copy 2012 by Pearson Eascaton, he