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?

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

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 revisionCut the sentence in half or thirds

– Avoid shun wordsAvoid words ending in –tion or –sion

Came to the conclusion concluded

– Avoid camouflaged wordsMake 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