1. Dr. ELIZABETH ANTHONY FSTPi UTHM
TECHNICAL WRITING
Dr. ELIZABETH ANTHONY
FSTPi
UTHM

2. alice@copyright/fstpi/2011
TECHNICAL WRITING
What is technical writing?
The most important aspects of communication in the world of science, engineering, technology, and business.
The delivery of technical information to (readers/listeners/viewers) in a manner that is adapted (to their needs, level of understanding and background).

3. alice@copyright/fstpi/2011
TECHNICAL WRITING
What is technical writing? cont…
Putting scientific and technical information into easily understandable language to a specific audience.
Communication for the purpose of giving instructions, narrating an event or a performed task and making descriptions of things, phenomena, etc.

4. alice@copyright/fstpi/2011
TECHNICAL WRITING
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS
Topic
Decide what subject you are going to speak about or write on; narrow it as much as possible.

5. alice@copyright/fstpi/2011
TECHNICAL WRITING
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS cont…
Audience
Define a specific person/group of people for whom you are going to communicate.
Define the circumstances in which it is needed.

6. alice@copyright/fstpi/2011
TECHNICAL WRITING
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS cont…
Purpose
Define your purpose for communicating and what you plan to accomplish – what needs of the audience it is going to fulfill.

7. alice@copyright/fstpi/2011
TECHNICAL WRITING
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS cont…
Type
Decide on the type of communication. For example, technical background report, feasibility report, instructions, narration, description of an equipment or some others.

8. alice@copyright/fstpi/2011
TECHNICAL WRITING
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS cont…
The ability to “translate” technical information to non-specialists or those who come from different field of study is the key skills to any technical communicator.

9. alice@copyright/fstpi/2011
TECHNICAL WRITING
How Technical Information may be Organized
Understanding how technical information may be organized will make it easy for you to put down and present your ideas more systematically and clearly.
Most importantly you will be making it a lot easier for your audience to have a good grasp of what actually you want to inform your audience with confidence.

10. alice@copyright/fstpi/2011
TECHNICAL WRITING
How Technical Information may be Organized cont…
Via ideational frameworks

11. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs)
WHAT IS IF?
Models of how the mind organizes information or ideas in information sets. (Burgess, 1994)
The use of IFs is actually putting an abstract body of information into a concrete visual format.

12. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs)
PURPOSES
Provide insights into how meaning is
constructed and may be visualized.
Can be used to contain and organize
ideational content to facilitate learners.
Act as a link between the receptive skills
and the production skills.

13. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs)
TYPES
There are basically three types or models.
- Flow Chart
- Tree Diagram
- Grid/Table
Used in the technical fields of science and
technology, education, professional
communication and media.

14. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs) - FLOW CHARTS
Used in managing a series of information that interrelate in terms of sequences.
They order graphically how something occurs.
It is well defined in instructions, descriptions of processes and narrations.
The audience are able to view the flow of content in a more concrete form.

15. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs) - FLOW CHARTS cont …
(a) A Simple Linear Flow Chart
Roll some paper into a cylinder
Push a band on to the pillar
Etc

16. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs) - FLOW CHARTS cont …
(b) A Bifurcating Flow Chart
The milk is transported to the dairy
It may be pasteurized It may be sterilized
It is bottled

17. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs) - FLOW CHARTS cont …
(c) A Lateral Branch Flow Chart IF
He saw an advert for a job he had not seen the job
He applied for it he would not be the
director
He got it

18. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs) - FLOW CHARTS cont …
(d) A Cyclic Flow Chart
Moisture falls on the land
It flows into rivers It evaporates from the
surface
It goes to the sea

19. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs) - A GRID
Represent the attribution of characteristics to phenomena.
Used to organize clusters of ideas that interrelate across two axes; (i) the axis of phenomena, and, (ii) the axis of criteria.

20. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs) - A GRID cont …
COMPUTERS
SIZE
USER
Desktops
Big
General population
Notebooks
Small
People on the move
Palmtops
Very small
Executives

21. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs) - A GRID cont …
Basically, there are three main kinds of computers available in the market. These are desktops, notebooks and palmtops. In terms of size, desktops would be the biggest whose monitor is about the size of a small TV set. In most office and homes this kind of computer would be predominant and the prices is relatively cheaper. As for notebook, it is about the size of an A4 paper. It is light and slim and very popular among working people who are always on the move. The third kind and the smallest of the three is the palmtop. As the name implies, it is about the size of your palm which can be easily stored in your pocket. Busy executives find this kind of computer most handy.

22. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs) - A TREE DIAGRAM
Represent the highly abstract classification of information into hierarchies.
Used to relate information to each other in order of generality.
The framework produces a hierarchy of information that moves downwards narrowing in subdivisions from general to specific.

23. IDEATIONAL FRAMEWORKS (IFs) - A TREE DIAGRAM cont …
There are two main classes of trunks. In the first class, trunks are straight. Straight trunks are either upright or leaning. In the second class, trunks are curved. Curved trunks stretch upward or downward. Trunks that stretch upward have either gentle or …