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Technical Writing
The link for good
workplace/professionalcommunication
Part 1
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Technical orBusiness writing isvery different fromAcademic writing.Each has its uniquepurpose and format tofollow.
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Technical writing is
done in the workplaceand centers around
technical topics.
Technical writing hasunique characteristics
and has specific
audiences.
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Why the Differences?
Time management
Variety of Readers
Reading for differentreasons
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Differences
Business leaders dont have the
time in their day to sift through
many pages, searching for theinformation they need to know
and
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Technical writing will have many
different readers, reading different parts
of the work.
- a project manager, financial officer, CEO, andsupervisor might all read parts that pertain to their
jobs, then discuss as a team the merits of the proposal.
Differences
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This PowerPoint will:
Explore the differences
between academic andtechnical writing
Explain the components andstyle of technical writing
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Technicalvs.
Academic
Writing
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Technical versus Academic
Knowledge
You are
the expert
Knowledge
You are
still alearner
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Technical versus Academic
Audience
Technical
background,professionals in the field
Audience
Wide range
of academicsand generalaudiences
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Technical versus Academic
Criteria forEvaluation
Clear andsimpleorganization,
Visuallyappealingand easy to
follow.
Criteria forEvaluation
Depth,logic,clarity,unity andgrammar
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Technical versus Academic
Graphics,charts, and
numbersare usedvery
frequentlyto supportconclusions
Graphics,charts, andnumbers aresometimesused to helpexplain and
demonstrateknowledge
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Characteristics of Technical
Writing Clear, Concise and simply
organized.
Repetitive in nature. Highly defined
structure/format.
Examples: Lab reports,memos, business letters,technical reports, and
proposals
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Compare These Statements:
Looking into
the azure blue sky
one could see thegolden orb of sun
slip gently beneath
the western sky.
The sun setin the west.
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The left-side description ofthe sun setting is an example
of academic writing and theright-side description is an
example of technical writing.
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Notice that the technical
description is clear,concise, and coherent.
These three Cs are
trademarks of technical
writing.
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Assignment:
Find an article out of a PopularMechanics magazine. Compare thefirst two or three paragraphs of thatarticle with a passage from one ofyour favorite novels using thefollowing categories: Content, Organization, Layout, Intended
Audience, Purpose, Tone.
You should notice a distinct difference ineach of the categories, leading to howeach is distinct in its clarity, coherence,and conciseness.
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Style in Technical Writing
Writers have unique characteristics. Sentence structure, word length word
choice, and word order; these are choices
we make without being conscious of it.These decisions shape the way weexpress ourselves
Style is personal choice, there is noright or wrong here
T
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Tone-
Expression of an underlying
attitude that can be:Casual
Objective
Persuasive
Enthusiastic
Serious
Authoritative
Friendly
**Always present your material in a positive
light. Never let the negative be presented.
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The following tips lend themselvesto better clarity and cohesion in
technical writing.
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Sentence Tips Place the main point atthe beginning of thesentence
**Dont make the
reader work tofind it.
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Sentence Tips Use one main clausein each sentence
**more becomes
Confusing.
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Sentence Tips
Examine your copy tomake sure you vary thesentence length but aimfor 15-20 words persentence. If you use thesame length sentences, the
text becomes tedious toread
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Conciseness Tips
Avoid the repeated use ofpronouns, this confuses thereader. Only use a pronoun
immediately following the nounit represents. Try to use specificnouns such as the persons
name, or the specific piece ofequipment, etc. In place ofabstract nouns
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Assessment of-
Classification of-
Computation of-
Development of-
Elimination of-
Requirementof-
Abstract Nouns
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Conciseness Tips
Focus onstrong verbs!
Assess
Classify
Compute
Develop
Eliminate
Require
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Conciseness Tips
Shorten wordy phrases
Replace long words with
short ones Leave out clichs
Cut out extra words thatare redundant
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Language Use Tips
Distinguish facts from opinions
Include supportive statementswhen necessary
Choose your words carefully
Avoid using words like alwaysand neverthese box thewriter in and create finality
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Active Voice
Active voiceemphasizes thedoer or the subject
Joe delivered the pizza within the
specified time frame.
Active voice uses one verb deliveredcompared to passive voice which uses aform of the verb to be + the verb---was delivered
Almost all technical writing should bedone in the active voice, except lab
reports.
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Active Voice helps:
Create less wordysentences
Places emphasis on thesubjecte.g. company orpersons name
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Passive Voice
Passive voiceemphasizes therecipient of the action
Verbs with the to be form
Emphasize the receiver ofthe action
Avoid repetitious use of I
and names
Is it the roses or the receiver of the
roses that is important to the giver?
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Examples of editing
forconciseness
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the passage of the levy wasaccomplished through longand hard negotiations, and
door to door canvassing.
Revised:
The levy pass through longand hard work.
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Confirmation of the votingresults occurred yesterday.
Revised
The voting results were
confirmed yesterday.
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Technical Writing
Provides clearcommunication in theworkplace
Has unique formats and aspecific style of writing
Creates clarity, conciseness
and coherency in writing
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Closure
Welcome to a new style ofwriting. Hopefully the handoutsthat accompany these
Presentations will help you takeyour first steps to become aTechnical Writer.