1. Technical Writing
Objective 6.01 Explain the abilities to communicate effectively in a technological world.

2. You should be able to…… List the parts of a technical report
Describe the purpose of a technical report
Describe how to prepare and deliver a presentation
Describe the parts of a portfolio.

3. Technical Report Writing
Used to convey technical information to other people
The general structure of a technical report contains 6 elements.
Each element pertains to information the reader generally wants to know.

4. 6 Elements Introduction Method Results/Discussion Conclusion
Recommendations
References

5. Note To Self
NOTE: In addition to the six elements listed on the previous slide, it is appropriate to include:
Title Page
Outline Page in the form of a Table of Contents

6. Introduction The introduction provides a focus for the report.
Describes the reason for the report
States the main points of the report
Provides background information

7. Methods
This sections describes how the technical process or activity is developed.
Describes the research and/or design process
Describes the tools and/or procedures used.

8. Results or Discussion
In this section the results of the technical process or procedures are described and discussed.
With tables and graphs
In sentence form, discuss specific results as evidence to support the interpretation.

9. Conclusion
The importance of the results is established in this section.
The meaning of the results are explained in relation to the original research question or problem.
Conclusions are expressed using general statements based on the results obtained from the research, process, and procedure.

10. Conclusion continued
Conclusion should focus on answering the original questions or provide a solution to the original problem.
In other words, the conclusion should provide the important information the reader is looking for.

11. Recommendations
Recommendations to the reader are stated in this section.
If there are no recommendations to be made, this section can be omitted.
Recommendations should be based on the conclusions or results or data.

12. References
In this section credit is given to other sources of information used in the report.
Work by others should be
Acknowledged in the text of the report
Listed in this section in proper form.

13. Formats
There is no single format that is appropriate for all situations. Some of the most popular styles include:
APA Style (American Psychological Association)
MLA Style (Modern Language Association)
CBE Style (Council of Biological Editors)

14. Visual Aids
Visual aids can be an important part of a technological report.
When used correctly, they can provide more information than written words.
Visual aids should be thought of as part of the message instead of supplement to the text.

15. Types of Visual Aids
Some types of visual aids that might be included in a technical report consist of:
Drawings
Photographs
Tables
Diagrams
Charts
Graphs

16. Rules for Using Visual Aids
1) Use visual aids where they will achieve the communication objectives.
2) Use visual aids appropriate to the objective.
3) Use visual aids that are not complicated and are pleasing to the eye.
4) Make visual aids a part of the text.

17. Questions to Ask Elements- What does the reader want to know?
Introduction- What can be gained from reading the report?
Method- Was the process or procedure sound?
Results/Discussion- What was the results of the process or procedure, and how are the results interpreted?

18. Questions to Ask Conclusions- What is important about the results?
Recommendations- What can be changed or improved?
References- What other sources of information are included in the report?