CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO

TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING

(PART 1)
UHB 30102: ENGLISH FOR TECHNICAL
PURPOSES
Prepared by:
Najah Binti Ramlan
CLS
Types of Writing
5 basic types of writing

Technical

Expository Creative
Types of
Writing

Persuasive Expressive
Creative writing

• Fiction – poetry, novels, short stories, plays

Expressive writing

• A subjective response to a personal experience

• E.g. Journals, diaries
Expository writing

• ‘Exposes’ a topic analytically and objectively

• E.g. News report
• Goal – to explain or reveal knowledge, but does
not necessarily require a response or action from
readers
Persuasive writing

• Depends on emotional appeal

• E.g. Advertisement
• Goal – to change attitude or motivate the action
So, what is
technical
writing?
What is technical writing?

"Technical writing conveys specific information

about a technical subject to a specific audience for
a specific purpose. The words and graphics of
technical writing are meant to be practical: that is,
to communicate a body of factual information that
will help an audience understand a subject or carry
out a task."
Michael H. Markel
Director of Technical Communication
Boise State University
Technical writing

• The most different from creative writing –

style, tone, language use
• Objective observations of a work-related
experience or research
• Goal – to explain or reveal knowledge, and
require a response or action from readers
Examples
Resume and Minutes of Feasibility
Cover Letter Meeting Report

Questionnaire
Procedures Business Letters
and Forms

Travel Guides Scientific Papers Proposals

Contracts and Magazine

Cookbooks
Grants Articles
Characteristics of Effective Technical Writing
Clear is easily understood by the intended
audience without ambiguities
Accurate is factual, correct, free from bias
Correct follows both grammatical and
technical conventions
Concise is clear and complete
Comprehensive contains all necessary information
Accessible includes headings and subheads,
indexes, and table of contents
Technical VS Academic Writing
Academic Writing Technical Writing

Descriptive Writing Job Description, Incident Report,

Résumé, Process Explanation

Narrative Writing Observation Report, Progress Report

Analysis Performance Evaluation, Feasibility
Report
Cause and Effect Analytical Report, Product Field Test
Report
Compare-Contrast Product Comparison, Feasibility Report
Persuasive Writing Proposal, Action Plan
Technical VS Creative Writing
Technical Writing Creative Writing

 imaginative, metaphoric or
Content  factual, straight-forward
symbolic

Audience  specific  general

Purpose  inform, instruct, persuade  entertain, provoke, captivate
Style  formal, standard, academic  informal, artistic, figurative
Tone  objective  subjective
Vocabulary  specialised  general, evocative

Organisation  sequential, systematic  arbitrary, artistic

Audience and Purpose
Target audience: General characteristics

Interest Age
Gender

Audience
Education Location

Income Occupation
Target audience: Specific characteristics
1. Who will read what I write?
(Identify your audience)

2. Why should they read what I write?

(Establish your purpose)

3. What do I have to say to them?

(Formulate your message)

4. How can I best communicate?

(Select your style and tone)
A. Identifying the audience

• Pay attention on the backgrounds,

experiences, needs and opinions of the
audience – each audience differ in
backgrounds, experiences, needs, and
opinions.
• Picture how the audience will interpret or
determine the message – determine what you
say to them.
A. Identifying the audience

• Try to view from the audience’s perspective to

select the relevant details for that particular
audience – help you select the most relevant
details for that audience.
B. Establishing the purpose
• Get straight to the point, state the goal
clearly
– E.g. I would like to introduce the employees
the new security code of company computer.

• State the purpose clearly at the beginning

– E.g. This e-mail will explain new employees
with the security measures they must take
when logging on to the company computer.
B. Establishing the purpose
• Informs the reader what will or will not be
covered by the report
– E.g. As you requested in the last meeting, I
have conducted a study of our use of
internet to advertise our services. This report
describes, but does not evaluate, our current
practices.
C. Formulating message
• A message should include:
– Facts, recommendations, scope and details of your
communication.
• Scope: how much information provided
• Details: the key points you think readers need to know

• Technical readers – supply a complete report

with every detail noted in an appendix.
• Other readers – provide a short discussion or
summary yet complete and helpful.
D. Selecting style and tone

Style Tone
Style
• How something is written rather than what is written.
• Helps to determine how well you communicate with an
audience, how well your readers understand and receive
your message.
• It involves the choices you make about:
– the construction of your paragraphs,
– the length and patterns of your sentences,
– your choice of words.

* Note:
Technical language and symbols can only be used if the
potential readers are specialists in your field.
Tone
• Like tone of voice.
• Can be formal and impersonal (a scientific report)
to informal and personal (email to a friend).
• Important in occupational writing – reflects the
image you project to readers; will determine how
they will respond to you, your work and your
company.
Homework... (Individual)
• Look for 1 piece of writing.
• Determine:
– Types of writing
– Source
– Target audience
– Purpose
– Style/tone
– Message
• Prepare a document (the sample document
and analysis) and submit via Edmodo.
See you next week…