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    Notes 1 Technical Writing

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    zarar satti

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 11
    Major Traits of How Important Is Technical Communication? Communication duties are a critical part of most jobs. Survey after survey has ‘evealed that every week people the equivalent of one or more days g. In one survey, professionals in th hat they spend 68 verospace industry one-half days—con percent of their time—U cating (Pinelliet al. 9). Bob Collins, a corporate manager, is way: “The most critical skill required in today’s business world is the abilir con e, both verbal ting. Effective communication has a 1 pact on one’s potential with an organization.” Holly Jeske, an for a department store chain, ents demonstrate the importance and complexity of everyda I computer and e-mail for communicating with ve alotof e-mail daily. A huge part of yy time there isa fit even call them on ng what I want the factory to change Major Traits of Technical Communication Technical Communication Is Au nce Centered 3 implications of our brief definition of technic ting that aims to get work done” a What does that imply? It means that create documents that aim to help readers act effe lt which they find themselves, Janice Redish, an exp os n com design, explains that “a document . . . works for ifs users” in a aa a nd what they need Understand what they find hey understand aj priaely (163 der to create a document in which readers can find, unders content appropriately, writers need to understand how writing alfects and the interesting ways in which readers approach writing. Audie n this larger explanation, means that technical com Chapter Definition of Technical Communication Enl jionships Enables readers to act Occurs within a community Is interactive Has definite Is appropriate poses Technical Communication Enhances Relationships The starting point for creators of documents is the realization that their docu ents enhance relationships (Schriver, ‘Foreword’ audiencesdon't exist in a Vacuum. They exist in situations. Those situations mean that they have Teta= ‘fonships with many people. Writing, and all communication, enhances those Audiences read documents because they need to relate to some. elationship nnte else. is snot a commonly held concept about writing. Many beginners tend to see the goals of writing as “being clear” or “having correct spelling and gram: mar,” both of which are fine and necessary goals. But the modem conception of writing asks you to consider the issues related to those goals later. Fizst, you nderstand the relationship issue. Lets take a personal example. Sup- er has to assemble a tricycle fora birthday present. To assemble it, he box it came in, reads the instructions included, collects the cor en puts the parts together. He isable to assemble the trike be- se you wrote clear instructions, identifying the parts and presenting the steps so that at the end the father has completed a functional toy ready for a st opens th ect tools, and ‘hild to ride. f you think about the example for a moment, you can see thatliie faiharis. sie vausdinsiy . pitis goal in This situation isnot just to tuma pile of parts into a working machine, Iris 10 ve a present to another person, someone with whom he has an ongoing re ‘EWfonship. This present will enhance that relationship and your instructions are ‘Ipful factor to that end. ‘Now let’ take a busines example Yada possi grading its computer network/ Your JOB sto investigate various vendors ad een ee, soggest which brand to buy. When you finish your inves duce a repori, the computers are purchased and the network raded. Here, too, il you think about it, the report about enhancing cons, iii dil abbas slabs gation and prc [slauiopshigs, Your report is not just about a brand of computer; ull- ‘about the relationships people have with one another in the mati department, Inboth examples, you can see the same dynamicat work. Documents enhance relationships. Documents function to make the interaction of people bette, geeks @ & & & & & Major Traits of Technical Communication ? more effective, more comfortable, Documents then empower people ina rather unexpected way—not only is the tricycle assembled, the child rides it, and the giftis exciting. Not only are the computers installed efficiently, the office work- 15 can cooperate in effective, satisfactory ways as they exchange and analyze their data Technical Communication Enables Readers to Act According to Killingsworth and Gilbertson, itis helpful co view technical writ ing as [Writing that authars use to, empower readers by preparing them for and I {| moving them toward effective action” Signs 221-222). PEHective Seon means that readers actin a way that satisfies their needs. Their needs includ: I (acing they must knovy or do to carry out a practical activity: This ke aspect of technical writing underlies all the advice in this book. { ir. Jas part of his job, wrote the instructions for assembling the workstation fhe reader uses the instructions to achieve effective action—she successflly rksigiigg. This situation is a model, or paradigin, Tor all technical writing, In alf ends Of situations—from announcing a c computer lab’s open houts to detailing the environmental impact of a propose shopping mail—technical writers produce documents that enable effective action The writing enables the reader to act, to satisfy a need in a situation Figure 1.1 (p. 8) illustrates this concept in a common situation [fhe reader has affieed to fulfll ang a task that she must do. She ae ener + ai Technical Communication Occurs Within a Community [Action, however, Joccurs jwithin a zroup of it ag uerest. Phe key port {or a writer to rem: oa Td community allects.the,way.a person acts and expect pie mentee to act [Allen; Selzer). This concept means that teagers expec ‘Jrriting—all communication, actually—fio flow in a certain way, taking into ac Kot Various factors that range from Row a document shout took to- whet [Tone it projects Effective writers use these factors, or community values 0 pro lace effective documenis, —" Figure 1.2 (p. 9) illustrates the community basis for writing. If you and | employees of a company, we belong to the cgumuniy of th We pend on each other to get our work done ny roles, I visit jab sites to investigate items our company has installed. In one o your roles, you oversee installation, interact with clients, and make | about the effectiveness of our product line. When I visi a particular site, I per | form research to carry out some of my responsibilities. I examine all the ap. I propriate items, speak to the appropriate people, and take appropriate notes However, my responsibilities also include enabling you to carry out your re ponsibilities, So, when I return from the sie vst, I write 2 memo that wil enable you to act after you read it # Chapter Definition of Technical Communication Figure 1.2 Writing Makes Action Possible expects, briefly but succinctly explaining what Need: To assemble object Writing makes possible. ity values I know that \ you expect aebecause Mecompany has v, 100, the information I have four Wile the memo in the tradition that a person in this company und. You will rea ’ ” * . * Figure 1.2 Writing Occurs Within a Community Major Traits of Technical Communication Writer must research site information, Members have roles. Writer delivers site information Reader creates new (0 reader, who receives it the informs Writing joins members together. 10 Chapter1 Definition of Technical Communication memo, grasp what I have done, and then use that material as you do your job. You in turn may have to rewrite this material into a report to give to your su: pervisor, thus enabling that person to act, and so on. The writing I do is deeply atfected by my awareness of what members of my community need and eXpect. vu need certain factsffou expecta certain format! ou cannot know how to act on the facts I discover until I give them to you in a memo. Technical com- ication is based on this sense of community. “We write in order to help someone else act” (Killingsworth and Gilbertson, Signs 6). chnical Communication |s Interactive y to all community exchanges is that they are interactive, Readers read he words in the document, but they also apply what they know or Believe nn past experiences. As the words and thie @xpenfences infra, the Teader cl recreates the memo so that it means something special to her, and that ng may not be exactly what the writer intended, ows how this interaction works. The writer presents a memo the aa Acting on an ayyaceness of community va riter chooses a form jean) mentions Cetan facts (too much ga re 1.3 sh that tries to ena tues, the er personal meaning, the nay lake a diferent course of action from the one that the writer may have intended, For instance, because of reading a previous Teport (knowledge {rom a prior experience) the excessive gapping allows the reader to conclud that the machine that built the mat and molding needs repair, The statements in the memo also tell her thatthe legal department needs to be informed be cause teresa potential contrat problem. The memo is more than a report ona problem, Because the memo is read interactively, i vinnie, | This interactive sense of writing and reading means that the dagumensissike : ae which the gg as q a 7 lpuou sand acseralaa eco Lon atamesais bc: (ecationsandesmeisnsss aud anales anew message (Rude Schriver, Dynantis) GOmmunication does not occur until the reader Fecreates the message, Technical Communication Has Definite Purposes Technical writers enable-their readers to act in.three ways/by Finstructing, and)by persuading] (Killingsworth and Gilbertson, “How Can’). Most writers use technical Writing to inform. To carry out job responsibilities, people must supply or receive information constantly, They need to know or explain the scheduled time for a meeting, the division's projected profits, the physical description of a.new-machine, the steps in a proces, or the results of an -experigient Figure 1.3 Communication \s Interactive ‘Major Traits of Technical Communication nu | Reader fiters information, incorporates previous knowledge, and anticipates future problems. 2 Chapter 1 » Definition of Technical Communication Writersfinstruct when they give readers directions for using equipment and consumers to use their new purchase, a dock radio ota mainfame computer. Writing tells medical per sonnel exactly what to do when a patient has a heart attack. Finally, with cogent reasonsititers persuade readerg to follow a particular course of action. One writer, for example, persuades readers 19 accept site A, not site B, for a factory. Another writer describes a bottleneck problem in a pro- duction process in order to persuade readers to implement a particular solution Technical Communication |s Appropriate an hayetwo meanings in communication; the material needed in fhe situation is present Schriver, ord”) or thd material is socially ac- €epiable (Stes). Thdfirst meaning implies that the|wording must be more than cleat and well- siructured/ Suppose, for instance, that a reader consuls a user manual to dis- cover how to program a VCR that is connected toa digital TY. If that topic is not c he manual, or ifthe manual explains programming but does not deal with the particular steps needed to program the VCR digital TV system—in other he reader can’t find the instructions that she needs—then the manual is useless, or inappropriate. Writers must learn to conceptualize the reader’s scyeral.situations and create the sections that help her or him to act ‘The Secofid meaning feals with what can be called|sacial appropriateness, or ac curately geppeseuuing th si One writer, for instance, gives the example of being called a digaily 4 cos peamemlabla. aguas “I do mind paying taxes, but to refer to me as a client ii that context is unac ceptable; itis aunistepresentation of therelatianship. [am nota client of the tax office but a citizen contributing to society through their office” (Sless 64) Social iateness also has ethical and global dimensions, which are dis ater inthis chapter. Tadlethical dimension arises because writing affects ationships and empowers action, Thelglobal dimension arises because readers ciher-countries are members of other communities based in other cultures, Hiters, aware of the role of writing to empower action, must learn to take into

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