Technical Writing

Technical Writing Definition Goals Writing Process

What is Technical Writing? • Technical writing introduces you to some of the most important aspects of writing in the world of science, technology, and business – the kind of writing that scientists, nurses, doctors, computer specialists, government officials, engineers, and other people do as a part of their regular work.

What is Technical Writing? • The term “technical” refers to knowledge that is not widespread, that is more the territory of experts and specialists. • Whatever your major is, you are developing an expertise, and whenever you try to write anything about your field, you are engaged in technical writing.

What is Technical Writing? • Technical communication can be written, oral, or visual. • Technical writing is composed in and for the workplace. • Technical writing is a significant factor in work experience for a variety of reasons. • Technical writing serves valuable purposes in the workplace and often involves teamwork.

Importance of Teamwork • Business and industry have expectations about the results of teamwork. • Business management philosophies depend upon teamwork. • Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma (continuous improvement) programs encourage efficient teamwork. • Strategies for successful collaboration can improve outcomes.

What is the purpose of technical writing? • Technical writing is the delivery of technical information to readers in a manner that is adapted to their needs, level of understanding, and background. • Technical writing is intended to communicate to a specific audience, for a specific purpose.

The Audience • The audience element is so important that it is one of the cornerstones of technical writing. • You are challenged to write about highly technical subjects but in a way that a beginner—a non-specialist—could understand.

Translating Technical Information • In a world of rapid technological development, people are constantly falling behind and becoming technological illiterates. • As a technical writer, you need to write about the area of specialization you know and plan to write about in such a way that even Granddad can understand.

Goals of Effective Technical Writing • Clarity • Conciseness • Accuracy • Organization • Ethics

Effective Technical Writing: Clarity Methods for developing ideas precisely • An expressive essay can clarify the writer’s intent through emotional, impressionistic, connotative words (soon, many, several, etc.). • An impressionistic word such as “near” will mean different things to different people which is okay in in an essay where the goal may be to convey a feeling.

Effective Technical Writing: Clarity • The ultimate goal of effective technical writing is to say the same thing to every reader. • Let’s say I write instructional manuals for company manufacturing space heaters. If I write, “Place the space heater near an open window,” what will this mean to thousands of customers who purchase the machine?

Effective Technical Writing: Clarity • One person may place the heater 6 feet from the window. • Another reader will place the heater 6 inches from the window. • As the writer, I have failed to communicate clearly.

Effective Technical Writing: Clarity • Specify • Provide specific detail • Avoid vague words (some, recently) • Answer reporters’ questions (who, what, where, when, why, how)

Effective Technical Writing: Clarity • Avoid obscure words • Use easily understood words • Write to express, not to impress • Write to communicate, not to confuse • Write the way you speak aforementioned already discussed in lieu of instead of

Effective Technical Writing: Clarity • Limit and/or define your use of abbreviations , acronyms, and jargon. • Define your terms parenthetically • CIA (Cash in Advance) or • Supply a separate glossary • Alphabetized list of terms, followed by their definitions

Effective Technical Writing: Clarity • Use the active versus the passive voice. • Passive voice: It was decided all employees will take a ten percent cut in pay. • Unclear: Who decided? • Active: The Board of Directors decided that all employees . . . Overtime is favored by hourly workers. • Wordy • Active: Hourly workers favor overtime.

Effective Technical Writing: Conciseness • Limit paragraph, word, and sentence length. • A paragraph in a memo, letter, or short report should consist of • No more than four to six typed lines or • No more than fifty words. • Fog index (sixth to eighth grade level) • Strive for an average of 15 words per sentence • No more than 5 multisyllabic words per 100 words

Effective Technical Writing: Conciseness Fog Index • Count up to 100 words in successive sentences • Divide words by number of sentences = average number of words per sentence • Count number of long words (three or more syllables) within sentences • Don’t count proper names (Christopher Columbus), long words created by combining shorter words (chairperson), or three syllable words created by ed or es endings (united).

Effective Technical Writing: Conciseness • Use the meat cleaver theory of revision • Cut the sentence in half or thirds • Avoid shun words • Avoid words ending in –tion or –sion • Came to the conclusion concluded • Avoid camouflaged words • Make an amendment to amend

Effective Technical Writing: Conciseness • Avoid the expletive pattern • There is, are, was, were, will be • It is, was • There are three people who will work for Acme. • Three people will work for Acme. • Omit redundancies • During the year of 1996 • During 1996

Effective Technical Writing: Conciseness • Avoid wordy phrases • In order to purchase to purchase • Proofread for accuracy • Consider ethics

Effective Technical Writing: Accuracy • The importance of correct grammar and mechanics • Grammatical or mechanical errors make writers look unprofessional and incompetent.

Effective Technical Writing: Accuracy • Grammar is so important in technical writing that in a one page assignment • 4 major grammatical errors = F • 3 major grammatical errors = D • 2 major grammatical errors = C • 1 major grammatical error = B • “A” means “excellent” which is defined as “without flaw”

Effective Technical Writing: Organization • Methods for organizing • Spatial • General to Specific • Chronological • Mechanism Description • Process Description • Classification

Effective Technical Writing: Organization • Methods for organizing • Definition • Comparison/Contrast • More Important to Less Important • Situation-Problem-Solution-Evaluation • Cause-Effect

Effective Technical Writing: Ethics • Ethics – methods encouraging moral standards in technical writing • Practical • Legal • Moral

Effective Technical Writing: Ethics • General categories of ethics in communication • Behavior towards colleagues, subordinates and others (plagiarism, harassment, malicious actions) • Dealing with experimental subjects, interviewees, etc. (informed consent) • Telling the “truth” (falsify data, misrepresent facts) • Rhetoric—choosing your words (loaded words, discriminatory language, logical fallacies)

Effective Technical Writing: Process • The writing process is effective . . . and easy. • All that you need to do is three things: • Prewrite (about 25 percent of your time) • Write (about 25 percent of your time) • Rewrite (about 50 percent of your time)

Effective Technical Writing: Prewriting Techniques • Reporter’s questions • Mind mapping • Brainstorming/listing • Flowcharting • Outlining • Storyboarding

Technical Writing • Is important to success in business • Lets you conduct business • Takes time • Costs the company • Reflects your interpersonal communication skills • Often involves teamwork

Sources • Society for Technical Communication • Technical Writing - A Dalton: Organizing • Online Technical Writing: Information Infrastructures – Comparison • Online Technical Writing

Technical Writing