TECHNICAL WRITING
Reviewer - Prelim
TECHNICAL WRITING
Knowing how to create paper in a professional world
of your chosen field/specialization. Includes every
instruction you do in the field of education.
Focuses on doing concise, clear, and straight-forward
form of writing.
According to the Society for Technical
Communication (STC) – a professional association –
“technical communication” is any form of
communication that ticks the following boxes:
 Communicating about topics that are
technical or have a very specialized focus
 Done by leveraging some form of
technology, like web pages, social media,
etc.
 Provide instructions to a clearly-defined
audience through technical content
Common Types of Technical Writing
1. Technical Documentation: Technical
documentation is needed to communicate
those instructions and ensure that the user
doesn’t make a fatal error. This is the most
common type of technical writing and exists in
the form of instruction manuals, maintenance
checklists/guidelines, references, and
engineering specifications, among others.
2. Policies and Procedures: Every company has a
set of policies and pre-determined formal
procedures that the employees must follow to
ensure productivity, create a safe working
environment, and reduce liability risks.
3. Business Plans and Proposals: Business plan is
a comprehensive document detailing the
various strategies of a venture created for
people who would be willing to invest.
4. Case Studies: A case study is a detailed
documentation of a project, event, or process.
Its purpose is to provide guidance, insights, or
proof of something. Case studies can be used
for business and scientific or engineering
purposes and can be on many topics. However,
all case studies have one thing in common–
they leverage data to identify patterns.
Difference from Other Types of Writing
More specialized than other types of writing. Aligned
in a certain field.
Focuses more on instruction.
Characteristics of Technical Writing
 Active voice
 Does not use contractions
 Formal
 Comprehensive
 Concise and specific
 Organized
 Appropriate for intended audience
 Unambiguous
 Observe courteousness and diction
Importance of Technical Writing in Education
To be better equipped in creating intructions for the
students.
Good communication is the bridge between
confusion and clarity. - Nat Turner
WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN WRITING?
Good technical writing must take into account
the audience of the report. This can include knowing
the members' background, education level, needs,
interests, and other demographic characteristics. As
a teacher, you already know most (or all) of these
traits in your students, so you already have a head
start. Where technical writing training becomes
especially helpful, however, is in the adaptive
measures that it teaches.
1. Audience Analysis
 Good technical writing must take into
account the audience of the report.
 This can include knowing the members'
background, education level, needs,
interests, and other demographic
characteristics. As a teacher, you already
know most (or all) of these traits in your
students, so you already have a head
start.
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Reviewer - Prelim
 Where technical writing training becomes
especially helpful, however, is in the
adaptive measures that it teaches.
2. Consider The Text/Information
 It’s often very difficult to develop
engagement with an audience when the
subject matter is somewhat complex.
 So with this in mind, it’s worth
considering how your audience would like
to engage with the information you have
to share.
 Be careful with the choices of words.
Make sure that it is familiar with the
audience. Simplify language at every
opportunity
3. Professional Correspondence
 Any written interaction you have at work,
whether it is printed, handwritten, or
electronic, gives you the chance to leave
a good or bad impression. Additionally,
you could mention the relevance of a
certain job, position, or institution and
provide information about yourself as
well as your qualifications.
 It also helps to make an impression with
powerful communication abilities.
Professional Correspondence Requires Professional
Writing Skills.
What Professional Writing Should Be?
Professional writing aims to swiftly communicate
information and ideas in a professional context. It is
straightforward and concise.
Professional writing aims to enlighten or persuade a
reader about the business as well as the workplace.
Characteristics of Professional Correspondence
1. Concise
 Contains all necessary information
 Provides a detailed overview about the
letter’s intentions
 Provides clarity over what is expected
from both parties involved
2. Formal
 Professional writing makes use of
standard English and more complex
sentence structures.
 There should be low to nil usage of
personal pronouns as well as colloquial or
slang terms.
3. Straightforward
 Straight-to-the-point.
4. Accurate
 Information should be validated and
confirmed by the sending party before
dissemination.
 All written communications must be
reviewed thoroughly to avoid confusion
in certain terms.
5. Clear
 Intentions should be stated outright.
 All expectations must be clearly defined
 Simplicity magnifies the message better
than using superfluous words.
Learn How To Impress With Less: Being impactful
doesn’t necessarily mean going overboard. Good
writing is simply effective.
BASIC PARTS OF A LETTER
HEADING: The branded letter heading usually
contains the institution’s name and logo, along with
their postal address as well as their communication
details (Phone/Landline number, E-mail Address)
DATE LINE AND INSIDE ADDRESS: This includes the
date, name of the recipient, the position of the
recipient, and the recipient’s office address. Some
letters are also branded with personal headings that
contain the school/institution’s details.
BODY: The Body starts with a recognition of the
recipient (Ms., Mr., Mx.) and a salutatory greeting,
followed by the Expression of Intent, the
Backgrounder of the institution, and the
expectations defined in writing.
CLOSING STATEMENT: A Complimentary close can
be expressed by offering follow-ups for clarification,
should the recipient of the letter find the need to do
so.
 Sample Closing Statement
o Please check and let me know if you
have any questions or concerns
about this document. Thank you.
TECHNICAL WRITING
Reviewer - Prelim
o We are hoping for your most
immediate and most positive
response. Thank you.
o We look forward to possible
engagements with you in the future.
o Should you have any further
questions and concerns about this
request, please contact me through
my details below.
o Let me know if you will be needing
assistance for the accomplishment of
this task. Thank you.
ALWAYS WRITE IN A COMPLETE SENTENCE.
Complimentary Close: A complimentary close is
placed after the body of the message as a way to
politely end the correspondence. The complimentary
close you choose depends on how formal the
correspondence is and how well you know the
person you're writing to.
Signature: A Signature contains the name, position,
and contact details of the sender, along with their
printed or digital affixes.
COMMON LETTERS AT WORK
Request Letter: A request letter is typically written
to draw the attention of the reader concerned to
some particular demands or claims of the writer. It
still remains one of the most standard and useful
types of letters written in a business workplace.
Letter of Recommendation: In a letter of
recommendation, you endorse an individual for a
specific role and provide details that prove they're
capable of fulfilling the duties of the position. The
recipient of the letter is normally a prospective
employer, an academic institution or another entity
that selects candidates based on qualifications.
You'd write this type of letter only on request.
Letter of Interest/Intent: Also known as a letter of
inquiry, a letter of interest is a document you write
to an organization to express your interest in
working for them when they don't have any open
positions posted. The purpose of this letter is to
introduce yourself to the hiring managers and to
request to be for a role should one arise. In the
letter, you describe your skills and qualifications and
explain how you can be an asset to the organization
as an employee.
Cover Letter: The main purpose of a cover letter is to
introduce yourself to the employer and to
supplement and clarify the experiences you have
highlighted on your resume. Cover letters are also
where you help the employer understand why you
are interested in the organization and the specific
position for which you are applying. Your goal in the
end is to leave the employer wanting to know more
about you, your skills, and your experiences so that
they invite you to interview with them.
Follow-Up Letter: After an interview with a
prospective employer, it's a good idea to send a
follow-up letter or email to express thanks, to
reiterate your interest in the position and possibly to
mention qualifications or other details you haven't
mentioned before. A follow-up letter addresses
similar topics as a cover letter but is normally brief,
consisting of one to three short paragraphs. Done
well, this type of letter can demonstrate
professionalism and recall your qualifications to the
hiring manager.
Offer Letter: An offer letter is a document or email
you receive from a prospective employer you've
interviewed with, notifying you that they'd like you
to join their organization. This letter typically
expresses congratulations and includes the terms
and conditions of employment. Often, the letter also
instructs you to respond with your acceptance or
declination by a specified time.
For people employed in human resources, knowing
how to write an offer letter is an essential part of the
job. The letter normally mentions the following:
 The official title of the position
 Expected work hours
 Salary
 Start date
 Expectations for the first day
 Request for additional information or
documents, if needed
It often closes with a request for a response
expressing acceptance or declination of the job offer
by a specified date
TECHNICAL WRITING
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Acceptance Letter: If you decide to accept a job write this type of letter if you need to leave your
offer, you should submit an acceptance letter or employment for personal reasons or have received a
email as soon as possible. In this communication, job offer from another employer. Though it's
you'd express gratitude for the opportunity and common to write a resignation letter in the form of
explicitly state that you accept it. If the offer letter an email, a physical document is often considered
mentioned additional information or documents, more professional and thoughtful.
confirm that you understand and state you intend to
To write a resignation letter, directly state that
provide them in the requested manner. If you have
you're writing to inform your employer of your
any questions about the employment, ask them
intent to resign and mention the date of your last
toward the end of the letter.
day of work. Remember to express gratitude for the
Declination Letter: The purpose of a declination time you worked for the employer and note any
letter or email is to decline an offered position. As information you think is important, such as the
with an acceptance letter, you should respond as status of a project you've been working on.
soon as possible so the employer can immediately
Inform Letter: Inform letters are letters written to
extend the offer to another candidate. The
communicate new knowledge or changes in
declination letter is normally very brief. Begin by
situations. Teachers usually write this letter when
expressing gratitude for the offer, but then clearly
reporting students’ academic performances (e.g.
state that you wish to decline it. Offer a reason, but
Quarterly Report on student’s Academic Progress
refrain from over-explaining. To end the letter, it's a
and demand letter)
good idea to request information about future
opportunities with the organization and to offer to GENERAL NOTES AND TIPS
stay in touch.
 Make time for final edits.
Experience Letter: An experience letter verifies an  Be wary of redundancies.
individual's employment at an organization but also
 Pay attention to spellings (especially with
confirms they possess particular skills. You might
names).
request an experience letter from a previous
 Always go for the simpler word.
employer when you're applying for a new job. Its
 Justify the Body (Ctrl + A and Ctrl + J).
purpose is to validate claims you make on
application documents such as a resume or cover GOOD WRITING IS SIMPLY EFFECTIVE
letter. Not all prospective employers require such a
document, but having one to offer during your job
search can improve your candidacy.

If you're writing an experience letter as an HR

professional, you should make sure to include the
following details:

 Your name and title

 The name of your organization
 The employee's period of employment with
your organization
 The employee's name and their title during
their employment
 Confirmation of the employee's
qualifications or skills

Resignation Letter: A resignation letter is a

document to your employer that expresses your
intent to leave your current job. You may need to