Technical Writing A very brief overview

 Establishing an audience and purpose  Designing an effective document  Writing a successful  Achieving a readable style What topics will we cover?

 The major difference? “On the job, keep in mind that no one wants to read anything you write. Most of the time they will not read all of what you write” (Tebeaux and Dragga 3). Tech Writing vs. Academic Writing

 Writing at work  “Requires acute awareness of security and legal liability” (Tebeaux and Dragga 4).  Text messages and s can be subpoenaed  Web history can be monitored or traced  Anything that you write online might live forever  You are responsible for your own writing A little more detail?

 Technical writing  May be “read by unknown readers, inside and outside the organization, for an infinite time” (4).  s can be forwarded  Attachments can be reattached to new s  Presentation slides may read out of context, so they should be able to stand alone Also...

 What do you need to know about your readers? Considering Your Audience

 Determine your purpose  What do you want to achieve with your document?  Understand your role as writer  What position do you have in the organization?  Plan the content  What ideas should you use to achieve the goals of the message?  What ideas should you omit?  How should you arrange your ideas?  Anticipate the context in which your writing will be received  How will readers use your writing? Planning your Document

 Use headings  Headings should be concrete and specific  E.g. “The Importance of Sustainability” rather than “Overview”  Heading styles should be consistent  Define the heading styles on your document  Use size to signal importance  Use numbers or bullets to present lists  And use lists whenever possible! Designing your Document

Writing Effective s

 Tip 1: Use as many strong verbs as possible  Keep subjects and verbs close together  Maintain a high verb/word ratio E.g. John loves Mary because she inherited money. (verb/word ratio = 2/7) Mary’s inheritance of money was one of the reasons for John’s interest in Mary. (verb/word ratio = 1/12)  Make the actor the subject of the sentence and follow it with a verb that shows what the actor does. Achieving a Readable Style

 Tip 2: Use active verbs  Avoid excessive use of is/are verb forms  Use active voice for clarity Revise the Following Examples: Delegation is a means of lessening the manager’s workload. The door is to be locked at 6 p.m. Achieving a Readable Style

 Tip 3: Use short, concise sentences  Vary sentence length when possible  Remove unnecessary words  Speak to convey information, not to impress Revise the Following Example: We encourage you to anticipate the amount of correspondence you accumulate and suggest you endeavor to answer it promptly. Achieving a Readable Style