TECHNICAL

REPORT WRITING
(HS-125)
Week 1: Introduction to Technical Communication,
Writing Styles and Writing Process
 Technical Report Writing
■ Credit hours: 2+0
■ Contact hours: 2/week
■ Instructor: M. Khurram Saleem
■ Textbook:
– Technical Writing (Process and Product), by
Sharon J.G. and Steven M.G.
– Technical Report Writing Today, by Daniel
G.R. And Steve E.P.

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 Program Learning Outcomes
(PLOs)

Course Learnin
CLO Statement PLOs
Learning g Level
Outcome
At the end of semester, the students should be
able to,
Comprehend basic skills for an affective writing,
CLO1 PLO 10 C2
and its guidelines.
Apply knowledge to prepare memos, letters,
CLO2 PLO 10 C3
reports, etc.

CLO3 Assess one’s own writing. PLO 12 C6

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 Technical Communication

■ Technical Communication is written or oral communication for

and about business and industry. *

■ Technical communication is a means to convey scientific,

engineering, or other technical information. **

*Technical Writing (Process and Product), by Sharon J.G. and Steven M.G.

**Johnson-Sheehan, Richard (2005). Technical Communication Today. Longman 4

Technical Communication

■ Five channels of technical communication

– Listening
– Speaking
– Writing
– Visual
– Mathematics

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 Importance of technical writing
skills in academics and business
■ Technical writing is an extension of your interpersonal
communication skills.
– When you are writing you are not just conveying
technical information, you are revealing something
about yourself to your reader.
– If you write well, you tell your reader that you can think
logically, and communicate your thoughts clearly.
– Co-workers will judge your competence based on the
effectiveness of your correspondence.
– Through good technical writing you reveal to your
audience that you can tell people what to do and can
motivate them to do it.

6
 Importance of technical writing
skills in academics and business
■ Technical writing conducts business
– Through technical correspondence employees maintains
good customer-client relations (Follow-up letters)
– Ensure that work is accomplished on time (Directive
memos or email)
– Provide documentation that work is completed (Status
reports)
– Generate income (Sales letter, broachers, fliers, proposals)
– Keeps machinery working (Maintenance instructions)
– Ensure that correct equipment is purchased (Technical
description and specification)
– Inform the world about your company (world wide web)
– Confusing writing can waste time

7
 Types of Writing Styles
■ Expository: Writing in which author’s purpose is to inform or
explain the subject to the reader.
■ Persuasive: Writing that states the opinion of the writer and
attempts to influence the reader.
■ Narrative: Writing in which the author tells a story. The story
could be fact or fiction.
■ Descriptive: A type of expository writing that uses the five
senses to paint a picture for the reader. This writing
incorporates imagery and specific details

Jeffery, R. (2019). Types of Writing Styles – About Writing: A Guide. [online]

Openoregon.pressbooks.pub. Available at:
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/aboutwriting/chapter/types-of-writing-styles/ 8
[Accessed 27 Mar. 2019].
 Types of Writing Styles
■ Expository:
– When authors write in an expository style, all they are trying
to do is explain a concept, imparting information from
themselves to a wider audience.
– Expository writing does not include the author’s opinions,
but focuses on accepted facts about a topic, including
statistics or other evidence.
– Style frequently used in:
■ Textbooks
■ How-to-do articles
■ Recipes
■ News stories (not editorials or Op-Eds)
■ Business, technical, or scientific writing

Jeffery, R. (2019). Types of Writing Styles – About Writing: A Guide. [online]

Openoregon.pressbooks.pub. Available at:
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/aboutwriting/chapter/types-of-writing-styles/ 9
[Accessed 27 Mar. 2019].
 Types of Writing Styles
■ Persuasive:
– When authors write in a persuasive style, they are trying to
convince the audience of a position or belief.
– Persuasive writing contains the author’s opinions and
biases, as well as justifications and reasons given by the
author as evidence of the correctness of their position.
– Style frequently used in:
■ Cover letters
■ Op-Eds and Editorial newspaper articles
■ Reviews of items
■ Advertisements
■ Letters of recommendation
■ Research articles

Jeffery, R. (2019). Types of Writing Styles – About Writing: A Guide. [online]

Openoregon.pressbooks.pub. Available at:
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/aboutwriting/chapter/types-of-writing-styles/ 10
[Accessed 27 Mar. 2019].
 Types of Writing Styles
■ Narrative:
– When authors write in a narrative style, they are not just
trying to impart information, they are trying to construct
and communicate a story, complete with characters,
conflict, and settings.
– Style frequently used in:
■ Novels/Novellas
■ Poetry
■ Stories

Jeffery, R. (2019). Types of Writing Styles – About Writing: A Guide. [online]

Openoregon.pressbooks.pub. Available at:
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/aboutwriting/chapter/types-of-writing-styles/ 11
[Accessed 27 Mar. 2019].
 Types of Writing Styles
■ Descriptive
– When authors write in a descriptive style, they are
painting a picture in words of a person, place, or thing for
their audience. But the author is not trying to convince the
audience of anything or explain the scene – merely
describe things as they are.
– Descriptive writing is often found in fiction, though it can
make an appearance in nonfiction as well (for
example, memoirs, first-hand accounts of events, or travel
guides).
– Style frequently used in :
■ Poetry
■ Journal/diary writing
■ Descriptions of Nature
■ Fictional novels or plays

Jeffery, R. (2019). Types of Writing Styles – About Writing: A Guide. [online]

Openoregon.pressbooks.pub. Available at:
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/aboutwriting/chapter/types-of-writing-styles/ 12
[Accessed 27 Mar. 2019].
 Types of Writing Styles
■ Expository writing
– The municipal government of Happyville unanimously
approved the construction of sixty-two miles of bike trails
in 2017. Made possible by a new tax levy, the bike trails
are expected to help the city reach its sustainability and
clean air goals while reducing traffic and congestion.
Eighteen trailheads with restrooms and picnic areas
have been planned at a variety of access points. The city
expects construction to be complete in April 2021.

Traffis, C. (2019). Learn the Types of Writing: Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive,

and Narrative. [online] Learn 4 Types of Writing | Grammarly. Available at:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/types-of-writing/ [Accessed 31 Mar. 2019]. 13
 Types of Writing Styles
■ Persuasive writing
– The bike trail is the glittering gem of Happyville’s new
infrastructure. It winds through sixty-two miles of lush
landscape, dotted by clean and convenient facilities. If
you haven’t experienced the Happyville Bike Trail yet,
ditch your car and head outside! Could life in Happyville
get any more idyllic?

Traffis, C. (2019). Learn the Types of Writing: Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive,

and Narrative. [online] Learn 4 Types of Writing | Grammarly. Available at:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/types-of-writing/ [Accessed 31 Mar. 2019]. 14
 Types of Writing Styles
■ Narrative writing
– As I cycled down the trail, I heard children giggling and
whooping just around the bend. I crested a small hill and
coasted down the curving path until I found the source
of the noise. Three little girls sat in the grass by a big
oak tree. They were startled to see me, and I smiled
kindly to put them at ease.
“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Nothing,” they chirped.

Traffis, C. (2019). Learn the Types of Writing: Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive,

and Narrative. [online] Learn 4 Types of Writing | Grammarly. Available at:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/types-of-writing/ [Accessed 31 Mar. 2019]. 15
 Types of Writing Styles
■ Descriptive writing
– The children pedaled leisurely down the Happyville Bike
Trail, their giggles and whoops reverberating through the
warm spring air. Sweet-scented wildflowers brought an
array of color to the gently undulating landscape,
tempting the children to dismount now and then so they
could lay down in the springy, soft grass.

Traffis, C. (2019). Learn the Types of Writing: Expository, Descriptive, Persuasive,

and Narrative. [online] Learn 4 Types of Writing | Grammarly. Available at:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/types-of-writing/ [Accessed 31 Mar. 2019]. 16
 Problem Statement
■ What is technical writing? Why is it important?
Knowing this does not solve the problem
■ How do we write a document is the aim
– For some people, writing just miraculously occur.
– However, this is not the case for a majority of
population
– We might suffer from Blank Page Syndrome
■ When you open up a blank document and either
forget what you were going to write or cannot start
writing because there are no words on the page
(as defined in www.urbandictionary.com).

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 Writing process
■ You need to approach writing as a process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

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 Writing process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

Motivation

Goals of writing

Realize audience

Data collection

Communication channel

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 Writing process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

Motivation Internal/External

Goals of writing

Realize audience

Data collection

Communication channel

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 Writing process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

Motivation Persuade

Goals of writing Instruct

Realize audience Inform

Data collection
Build trust
Communication channel

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 Writing process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

Motivation Are we writing up, down, or to co-

workers?
Goals of writing

Realize audience Whether our audience is an expert in

the topic, has some knowledge, or
Data collection layman?

Communication channel

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 Writing process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

Motivation

Goals of writing

Realize audience
Gather data and details for your
Data collection writeup. Here, we can use different
techniques
Communication channel

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 Writing process
Techniques to gather data
■ Answering reporter’s questions
– What, When, Why, Who, Where, and How
– For example if we are writing about and an
incidence
■ What happened? When it happened? Where it
happened? Why it happened? Who was involved
etc.
■ Brainstorming
– Suggest ideas individually or as a group
– Useful in team projects

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 Writing process
Techniques to gather data
■ Outlining
– 1.0 Writing process
1.1 Prewriting
■ Planning techniques
1.2 Writing
1.3 Rewriting
2.0 Criteria for effective communication
2.1 Clarity
2.2 Conciseness

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 Writing process
Techniques to gather data
■ Storyboarding
– Visual planning technique
– Example of a brochure

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 Writing process
Techniques to gather data
■ Mind mapping
– Mind mapping allows us to look at our topic from
multiple perspectives and then cluster similar ideas
– Example

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 Writing process
Techniques to gather data
■ Organization charts
– You can see overall organization of your documents
– Example

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 Writing process
Techniques to gather data
■ Flow charts
– Especially useful for instructions writing
– Example

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 Writing process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

Social
Motivation E-mails Web-sites
media
Goals of writing Oral
Letters
presentation
Realize audience
Memos Videos
Data collection
Reports Brochures
Communication channel Proposals Fliers

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 Writing process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

Organize

Format

HS-125
 Writing process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

Problem/Solution

Cause/Effect
Organize
Argument/Persuasion

Chronology
Format Analysis/Comparison

Spatial

Importance
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 Writing process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

Organize
Highlight key points

Format Break long sentence

Add
Figures/Tables/Equations

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 Writing process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

Retrievability Usability testing

Accuracy Revision

Readability Proof reading

User Satisfaction
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 Writing process

Prewrite Writing Rewrite

Add missing details

for clarity Usability testing
Delete dead words
and phrases for Revision
conciseness

Reformat Proof reading

Enhance style of text

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 Writing process
■ Prewriting
Summary
1. Have you determined the purpose of writing?
2. Is your goal to inform, persuade, instruct etc.?
3. Is your audience high-tech, low tech, or lay?
4. Have you gathered data?
5. Have you chosen correct communication channel?
■ Writing
6. Have you organized the information?
7. Is the content formatted for readability?
■ Rewriting
8. Have you tested usability
9. Have you revised by adding, deleting, simplifying, enhancing
tone, and reformatting?
10. Have you proofread?

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 Writing process

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To do list……..!!!

■ Read page no 42 to 47 of the book

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