LESSON 1.

Nature and Requirements of Technical Writing

Technical Writing
 Is communication in any field the primary aim of which is to convey a
particular piece of information for a particular purpose to a particular
reader or group of readers.
 Is objective, clear and accurate, concise and unemotional in its
presentation of facts.
Purpose of Technical Writing
 It gives information that leads to the accomplishments of specific tasks and in the
making of needed decisions.
Example: what to do during an earthquake and how to operate a new equipment.
 It analyzes events and their implications, the failure of certain systems as
educational, socio-economic, political and the needed changes.
Example: how to save the dying rivers of the country.
 It persuade and influences decision by showing how a business or an industry
succeeds.
Subject Matter of Technical Writing
 The content of technical writing is objective information that is accurately and
clearly presented. Technical readers need to know exactly what the piece of
writing means. It tells the reader exactly what to do, how to do it, and under what
conditions to do it.
 Technical writing records data in business, science, engineering, industry and in
all formal aspects of professional areas. It presents factual data, statistics and
measurable elements.
 Technical writing leaves its readers specific knowledge WHILE Creative writing
leaves a powerful feeling or emotion.
Qualities of Technical Writer
 They must be analytical and organized
 They must have very good interpersonal skills.
 They must be adept in researching
 They must be good at visual communication.
 They must be fast learners.
 They must be open minded particularly to the criticism of other people.
 They must be time conscious.
The Readers of Technical Writing
The readers may be specific individuals or a general group with common interests.
Readers of technical writing may be managers, supervisors, secretaries, engineers,
scientist, sociologists, psychologists, technicians and they may come from any
discipline or professional area.

Technical vs. Nontechnical writing

Technical writing involves documents that are based on facts and uses language with
univocal meaning WHILE Nontechnical writing is primarily built on intuition, feeling, and
imagination.
Technical Writing Documents Nontechnical Writing Documents
Business letters, memos, written reports, Poems, fiction, nonfiction essay, comics,
 abstracts, research papers, graphic aids, bible, novel, editorial, personal letter
print advertisements, instructional lyrics of a song.
manuals, handbooks, brochures,
proposals, specifications, articles for
journals and books.

Reasons of Readers in Reading Technical Writing

a) They need to read the material.
b) They want to read the material.
c) They already know something possibly a great deal about the subject.
d) They read for information, not for pleasure.
Functions of a Technical Writer
 Edits and proofreads documents
 Prepares graphics
 Designs document layout
 Develops manuals
 Writes policy statements
 Writes instructions, descriptions, and definitions
 Prepares proposal and reports
 Prepares correspondences
 Creates marketing materials
 Designs and maintains web pages
 Creates online documentation
Components of Technical Writing
Context
 Refers to the situation in which technical writing exists. It may include personal
relationships with the intended audience, time and place, and interferences that
may influence the writing.
Message
 Refers to the content. It includes facts, issues, and relevant details for clear and
effective communication.
Language
 Is the channel used to convey the message. It may be formal or informal.
Purpose
 Refers to the reason why the technical writers is communicating and the motives
and reactions she\he wants to elicit from the target audience.
Audience
 Is the receiver of the information. The recipients can be classified as primary or
secondary.
Product
 Refers to the physical form of the message influenced by context, purpose,
message, language and audience.

LESSON 2. Writing Process

Preparation
 During the preparation stage, the context of writing is clearly defined. This
situation is then placed within the type of document that you will write.
Modeling
 The modeling stage is the point where you recognize how the documents
structure and organization will develop in order to accomplish the purpose.
Generating and focusing ideas
 By writing and talking, you can generate ideas and learn new ways of thinking
about the topic. It can be done through brainstorming, clustering and free writing.
Outlining or organizing
 Once you have generated and focused your ideas, plan the organization of your
paper through an outline. An outline is a graphic organizer or tool for organizing
information in a clear and logical order.
Drafting
 Once your well- structured outline is completed, you can start writing your first
draft. A well- structured outline will produce well – crafted first draft.
Providing feedback
 Feedback is another important component in producing a good technical
documents. It is response to your writing whose focus as well as aim is to
improve the content, style, organization, structure and ideas of the paper.
Revising
 Revision is a procedure to improve your paper. It is ideal to have a break period
before returning to your paper for revision.
Editing
 Is the finishing stage of writing. It involves correcting diction or word choice, run-
ons and fragments.
Publishing
 You can show your finished product to other people. Disseminating or publishing
your work will build your confidence as writer.