Foundations of Technical Communication Module 2

Objectives Identify the 5Cs of Good Technical Communication

Identify Elements of Good Technical Communication

5C’s of Technical Communication Concrete Clear Concise Coherent Contextualized

Concrete Content Concreteness refers to the proper coverage of your topics in appropriate detail. Problem statement Outline Grammatical Concreteness concerns the careful use of language to express meaning. Paragraph and sentence structure and word choice to describe and analyze your topics effectively.

Clear Simple, direct language Contextual clarity Use of: directly worded sentences simple sentences Appropriate word choices and avoiding overloaded sentences Contextual clarity What prompts you to write? What is your purpose? Whose work precedes or has influenced yours? What are the organizational and intellectual requirements of your paper?

Clear Use of: Abstracts Introductions that state the purpose and scope of the document Tables of content Problem statements Strategic repetition to promote structural clarity Graphs and tables Descriptive titles Headings

Concise Focus on what is relevant Draft outlines Identify project scope Look for sections, including appendixes, that are not essential to your work Substitute graphics to describe objects and processes, summarize data, and demonstrate relationships Carefully revise writing Reduce or eliminate wordiness

Coherent Coherence provides the reader with an easily followed path. The paragraph is one of the most powerful instruments of coherence. By organizing material into a topic sentence and supporting sentences, paragraphs pull together material and emphasize various forms of conceptual development.

Coherent Paragraph development strategies exemplification analysis comparison and contrast definition enumeration description

Contextualized Clear objective Delimited scope Written with the audience in mind