1. Definition Goals Writing Process
Technical Writing
Definition
Goals
Writing Process

2. Technical Writing AKA …
Business Writing
Workplace Writing
Professional Writing
Informational Writing
Tell participants that they may hear Technical Writing called by many different names.
Also inform them that the kind of writing that we usually do in school is academic writing.

3. GPS – Technical Writing
ELA7W2 The student demonstrates competence in a variety of genres.
c. Creates an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience, and context.
D. Develops the topic with supporting details.

4. GPS – Technical Writing
The student produces technical writing (business correspondence: memoranda, s, letters of inquiry, letters of complaint, instructions and procedures, lab reports, slide presentations) that:
a. Creates or follows an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience,
and context.
b. Excludes extraneous and inappropriate information.
c. Follows an organizational pattern appropriate to the type of composition.
d. Applies rules of Standard English.

5. Essential Questions:
How does technical writing in school prepare students for adult living, learning, and work settings?
How does technical writing compare to academic writing?
How does technical writing reflect 21st century learning and engage 21st century learners?

6. Goal of technical writing
“Is to enable readers to use a technology or understand a process or concept. Because the subject matter is more important than the writer’s voice, technical writing style uses an object, not a subjective, tone. The writing style is direct and utilitarian, emphasizing exactness and clarity rather than elegance or allusiveness.” (Gerald J. Alred, et al., Handbook of Technical Writing. Bedford/St. Martin’s 2006)

7. Definition/Purpose of Course
Technical communication is the “art and science of making complex technical information accessible, usable, and relevant to a variety of audiences in a variety of settings.”
Review of the planning, drafting, and editing processes
Interaction with new technologies and new environments
Added from a different power point. The slide has been changed for the purpose of the class and age

8. What is Technical Writing?
Technical writing introduces you to some of the most important aspects of writing in the world of science, technology, and business – the kind of writing that scientists, nurses, doctors, computer specialists, government officials, engineers, and other people do as a part of their regular work.

9. What is Technical Writing?
The term “technical” refers to knowledge that is not widespread, that is more the territory of experts and specialists.
Whatever your major is, you are developing an expertise, and whenever you try to write anything about your field, you are engaged in technical writing.

10. What is Technical Writing?
Technical communication can be written, oral, or visual.
Technical writing is composed in and for the workplace.
Technical writing is a significant factor in work experience for a variety of reasons.
Technical writing serves valuable purposes in the workplace and often involves teamwork.

11. What is the purpose of technical writing?
Technical writing is the delivery of technical information to readers in a manner that is adapted to their needs, level of understanding, and background.
Technical writing is intended to communicate to a specific audience, for a specific purpose.

12. What is Technical Writing?
It is the type of everyday writing that surrounds us from the time we wake until we climb in bed at night.
Directions on the toothpaste tube
Nutrition benefits on the cereal box
Business letters and catalogs that come in the mail
Written instructions for assembling a new product
Tax receipts and notices
Product safety information
First of all, technical writing has many names – practical, informational, workplace, professional, business or transactional writing. It is just what is shown on this slide. It is the type of writing that surrounds us daily.
Many states have begun to focus on technical writing instruction by having students write proposals, action plans, position papers, observation reports, incident reports, process explanations and progress reports.

13. How is Technical Writing Different?
The information is organized, presented and communicated in a specific format.
The writing is concise, clear and accurate.
The writing takes into account the audience’s needs, biases and prior understanding.
The writing presents information to help readers solve a problem or gain a better understanding of a situation.
The writing conveys technical, complex, or specialized information in a way that is easy for a non-technical reader to understand.
Technical or business writing skills are developed in the same way that traditional literary-response writing is developed. The roots are in the basic essay that is featured in K-12 writing instruction. The integral difference comes when writers have to think critically, problem solve, analyze, and synthesize information.

14. The Audience
The audience element is so important that it is one of the cornerstones of technical writing.
You are challenged to write about highly technical subjects but in a way that a beginner—a non-specialist—could understand.

15. Accessibility Accuracy– no errors of fact or grammar
Clarity– no ambiguity
Completeness– all necessary information is present
Diction—appropriate and grammatically correct language
Organization—logical arrangement of parts
Visual effectiveness– page/screen design, graphics

16. Usability
Allows audience to perform the task or retrieve the information they need
Studies design of table of contents, index, headings, etc.
Keeps learning curve short

17. Relevance Focus on your audience’s need for information.
Give only what’s needed.
Use language that fits your audience and situation and is consistent.

18. Translating Technical Information
In a world of rapid technological development, people are constantly falling behind and becoming technological illiterates.
As a technical writer, you need to write about the area of specialization you know and plan to write about in such a way that even Granddad can understand.

19. Goals of Effective Technical Writing
Clarity
Conciseness
Accuracy
Organization
Ethics

20. Tech Communicator’s Skills
Facility with language
Use of critical thinking skills to solve problems
Ability to assess situations, determine what the most important issues and the subsidiary ones are
Ability to organize a document that presents the information clearly

21. Effective Technical Writing: Clarity
The ultimate goal of effective technical writing is to say the same thing to every reader.
Let’s say I write instructional manuals for company manufacturing space heaters. If I write,
“Place the space heater near an open window,”
what will this mean to thousands of customers who purchase the machine?

22. Effective Technical Writing: Clarity
One person may place the heater 6 feet from the window.
Another reader will place the heater 6 inches from the window.
As the writer, I have failed to communicate clearly.

23. Effective Technical Writing: Clarity
Specify
Provide specific detail
Avoid vague words (some, recently)
Answer reporters’ questions (who, what, where, when, why, how)

24. Effective Technical Writing: Clarity
Avoid obscure words
Use easily understood words
Write to express, not to impress
Write to communicate, not to confuse
Write the way you speak
aforementioned already discussed
in lieu of instead of

25. Effective Technical Writing: Clarity
Limit and/or define your use of abbreviations , acronyms, and jargon.
Define your terms parenthetically
CIA (Cash in Advance) or
Supply a separate glossary
Alphabetized list of terms, followed by their definitions

26. Effective Technical Writing: Clarity
Use the active versus the passive voice.
Passive voice:
It was decided all employees will take a ten percent cut in pay.
Unclear: Who decided?
Active: The Board of Directors decided that all employees . . .
Overtime is favored by hourly workers.
Wordy
Active: Hourly workers favor overtime.

27. Effective Technical Writing: Conciseness
Limit paragraph, word, and sentence length.
A paragraph in a memo, letter, or short report should consist of
No more than four to six typed lines or
No more than fifty words.
Fog index (sixth to eighth grade level)
Strive for an average of 15 words per sentence
No more than 5 multisyllabic words per 100 words

28. Effective Technical Writing: Conciseness
Avoid the expletive pattern
There is, are, was, were, will be
It is, was
There are three people who will work for Acme.
Three people will work for Acme.
Omit redundancies
During the year of 1996
During 1996

29. Effective Technical Writing: Conciseness
Avoid wordy phrases
In order to purchase to purchase
Proofread for accuracy
Consider ethics

30. Effective Technical Writing: Accuracy
The importance of correct grammar and mechanics
Grammatical or mechanical errors make writers look unprofessional and incompetent.

31. Effective Technical Writing: Organization
Methods for organizing
Spatial
General to Specific
Chronological
Mechanism Description
Process Description
Classification

32. Effective Technical Writing: Organization
Methods for organizing
Definition
Comparison/Contrast
More Important to Less Important
Situation-Problem-Solution-Evaluation
Cause-Effect

33. Effective Technical Writing: Ethics
Ethics – methods encouraging moral standards in technical writing
Practical
Legal
Moral

34. Effective Technical Writing: Ethics
General categories of ethics in communication
Behavior towards colleagues, subordinates and others (plagiarism, harassment, malicious actions)
Dealing with experimental subjects, interviewees, etc. (informed consent)
Telling the “truth” (falsify data, misrepresent facts)
Rhetoric—choosing your words (loaded words, discriminatory language, logical fallacies)

35. Effective Technical Writing: Process
The writing process is effective and easy.
All that you need to do is three things:
Prewrite (about 25 percent of your time)
Write (about 25 percent of your time)
Rewrite (about 50 percent of your time)

36. Effective Technical Writing: Prewriting Techniques
Reporter’s questions
Mind mapping
Brainstorming/listing
Flowcharting
Outlining
Storyboarding

37. So why is technical writing important?

38. SCANS Report Three-Part Foundation needed on the job
Basic Skills (reads, writes, performs mathematical operations, listens and speaks)
Thinking Skills (Thinks creatively, makes decisions, solves problems, visualizes, knows how to learn, and reasons)
Personal Qualities (Displays responsibility, self-esteem, sociability, self-management, and integrity and honesty)
The Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) was a 2 year study that focused on a “high-performance economy characterized by high-skill, high-wage employment.” The commission was asked to analyze what specific skills students needed to master for success in the world outside the classroom.

39. SCANS Report
Possessing basic writing skills means that students need “to communicate thoughts, ideas, information, and messages in writing; and create documents such as letters, directions, manuals, reports, graphs, and flow charts.”
Point out the products of technical writing – letters, directions, etc.

40. Sources Society for Technical Communication
Technical Writing - A Dalton: Organizing
Online Technical Writing: Information Infrastructures – Comparison
Online Technical Writing

41. Other Sources