ADTECH COMMUNICATION

ENGL 1023 (CODE 017): PRELIMS

LESSON 1: INTRODUCTION TO TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

Technical communication is written for and DIFFERENCE OF TECHNICAL WRITING
about business and industry, focusing on products TO OTHER TYPES OF WRITTEN
and services: how to manufacture them, market COMMUNICATION
them, manage them, deliver them, and use them.
Technical writing is written: in the work Technical Writing is different from other types of
environment or for supervisors, colleagues, written communication in terms of content, style,
subordinates, vendors, and customers. Technical language, and purpose.
writing, which must be understood easily and Technical Writing versus Academic Writing
quickly, includes: memos and e-mail letters,
reports, instructions, brochures and newsletters, Academic and technical writing are two forms
the job search, web pages, fliers, PowerPoint of writing between which a key difference can be
presentations, and graphics. Technical identified. Most people assume that a technical
writing/Technical Communication is the resume writer is, in fact, an academic writer as well. This,
that helps get a job and the web page that however, is a false assumption. Although both
promotes a company. In each case, the technical academic writing and technical writing require
document must be quantifiable, precise, and easily excellent writing skills, the key differences
understood. One reason for studying teaching between these two types of writing are the
technical communication is so you will know audience and purpose of writing. Academic
the types of documents you will write on your Writing is a form of writing that is used in
future job. academic disciplines. On the other hand, technical
writing is a form of writing that is mostly used in
WHAT IS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION? technical disciplines. As you can see, the context
Technical information is frequently of the two forms of writing differ from one
communicated through documents such as another. Also, the target audience for academic
proposals, emails, reports, podcasts, computer writing is mostly scholars, but not in the case of
help files, blogs, and wikis. Although these technical writing. Even a lay person can be the
documents are a key component of technical target audience.
communication, so too is the process: writing and Technical Writing versus Creative Writing
reading tweets and text messages, for example,
or participating in webinar or videoconference Technical writing and creative writing are two
exchanges with colleagues. Technical styles of writing, which may very well be
communication encompasses a set of activities distinguished just by having a look at their traits.
that people do to discover, shape, and transmit The principal between every of them is that,
information. When you produce technical creative writing is written to enthrall, entertain
communication, you use the four basic and arouse a certain feeling in a reader, whereas
communication modes — listening, speaking, technical writing is to show the viewers with the
reading, and writing — to analyze a problem, factual knowledge and is launched in a logical
find and evaluate evidence, and draw conclusions. technique.
These are the same skills and processes you use
Below is a poem about a tennis shoe as well as
when you write in college, and the principles you
technical specifications for manufacturing the
have studied in your earlier writing courses apply
same shoe. These two writing samples further
to technical communication. The biggest
illustrate the difference between technical writing
difference between technical communication and
and other types of writing.
the other kinds of writing you have done is that
technical communication has a somewhat different
focus on purpose and audience.
ADTECH COMMUNICATION
ENGL 1023 (CODE 017): PRELIMS

A wind energy company might create a website

with videos and text intended to show that
building wind turbines off the coast of a tourist
destination would have many benefits and few
risks. A property owners’ association might create
a website to make the opposite argument: that the
wind turbines would have few benefits but many
risks. In each of these two cases, the purpose of
communicating the information is to persuade
UNDERSTANDING PURPOSE
people to accept a point of view and encourage
Technical communication begins with them to act — perhaps to contact their elected
identifying a problem and thinking about how representatives and present their views about this
to solve it. Because of the variety of problems and public-policy issue. Figure 1.2 shows an excerpt
solutions in the working world, people from a website that promotes the building of wind
communicate technical information for a number turbines off the coast of Massachusetts.
of purposes, many of which fall into one of two
categories:

Communication that helps others learn

about a subject, carry out a task, or make a
decision. For instance, administrators with the
Department of Health might hire a media
production company to make a video that explains
to citizens how to use a website to manage their
Medicare benefits. The president of a
FIGURE 1.2 A Communication That Aims to
manufacturing company might write an article in
Change Attitudes
the company newsletter to explain to employees
why management decided to phase out production The purpose of this website, created by an energy
of one of the company’s products. The board of development company, is to generate public
directors of a community-service organization support for an offshore wind park.
might produce a grant proposal to submit to a
philanthropic organization in hopes of being UNDERSTANDING AUDIENCE
awarded a grant. Figure 1.1 shows a screen
When you communicate in the workplace, you
capture from an online video that explains how to
have not only a clear purpose — what you want to
create a facebook web page.
achieve — but also a clearly defined audience —
one or more people who are going to read the
document, attend the oral presentation, visit the
website, or view the video you produce.
Sometimes audience members share the same
purpose, but not always. It’s possible, even likely,
that a piece of technical communication will have
multiple audiences with different purposes.
FIGURE 1.1 A Communication That Helps
Others Carry Out a Task In most of your previous academic writing, your
audience has been your instructor, and your
The purpose of this online video is to help viewers purpose has been to show your instructor that you
carry out the task on how to create their own web have mastered some body of information or skill.
page. Typically, you have not tried to create new
knowledge or motivate the reader to take a
Communication that reinforces or changes particular action — except to give you a “95” for
attitudes and motivates readers to take action. that assignment.
ADTECH COMMUNICATION
ENGL 1023 (CODE 017): PRELIMS

By contrast, in technical communication, your assumptions about such matters as how to

audience will likely include peers and supervisors organize and interpret documents, or do you need
in your company, as well as people outside your to adjust your writing approach to match a
company. For example, suppose you are a public- different set of assumptions? Does your audience
health scientist working for a federal agency. You include people with disabilities (of vision, hearing,
and your colleagues just completed a study movement, or cognitive ability) who have
showing that, for most adults, moderate exercise requirements you need to meet?
provides as much health benefit as strenuous
exercise. After participating in numerous meetings PURPOSE-RELATED FACTORS
with your colleagues and after drafting, critiquing, Before you can write, you need to determine your
and revising many drafts, you produce four purpose: what do you want your audience to
different documents: know or believe or do after having read your
• a journal article for other scientists document? Do you have multiple purposes? If so,
• a press release to distribute to popular print is one more important than the others? Although
and online publications much technical communication is intended to help
• an infographic for use in doctors’ offices people perform tasks, such as configuring privacy
• an animated blog post for your agency to settings in a social-media environment, many
share on social media organizations large and small devote significant
communication resources to the increasingly vital
In each of these documents, you present the key purpose of branding: creating an image that helps
information in a different way to meet the needs of customers distinguish the company from
particular audience. competitors. Most companies now employ
community specialists as technical communicators
THE CHALLENGES OF PRODUCING to coordinate the organization’s day-to-day online
TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION presence and its social-media campaigns. These
One of the most challenging activities you will specialists publicize new products and initiatives
engage in as a professional is communicating and respond to questions and new developments.
your ideas to audiences. Why? Because They also manage all of the organization’s
communication is a higher- order skill that documents — from tweets to blog posts to
involves many complex factors. Facebook fan pages and company-sponsored
discussion forums.
The good news is that there are ways to think
about these complex factors, to think through SETTING-RELATED FACTORS
them, that will help you communicate better. No What is the situation surrounding the problem
matter what document you produce or contribute you are trying to solve? Is there a lot at stake in
to, you need to begin by considering five sets of the situation, such as the budget for a project, or is
factors. your document a more routine communication,
AUDIENCE-RELATED FACTORS such as technical notes for a software update?
What is the context in which your audience will
What problem or problems is your audience use your document? Will the ways in which they
trying to solve? Does your audience know use it — or the physical or digital environment in
enough about your subject to understand a detailed which they use it — affect how you write?
discussion, or do you need to limit the scope, the
amount of technical detail, or the type of graphics Will the document be used in a socially or
you use? Does your audience already have certain politically charged setting? Does the setting
attitudes or expectations about your subject that include established norms of ethical behavior? Is
you wish to reinforce or change? Does your the setting formal or informal? Settings can have a
audience speak English well, or should you great deal of influence over how audiences think
present the information in more than one about and use technical communication.
language? Does your audience share your cultural DOCUMENT-RELATED FACTORS
ADTECH COMMUNICATION
ENGL 1023 (CODE 017): PRELIMS

What type of content will the document budget limit the number of people you can enlist
include? How will the content aid problem to help you or limit the size or shape of the
solving? Does your subject dictate what kind of document? Does your schedule limit how much
document (such as a report or a blog post) you information you can include in the document?
choose to write? Does your subject dictate what Does your schedule limit the type or amount of
medium (print or digital) you choose for your document testing you can do? Will the document
document? Do you need to provide audiences with require updating or maintenance?
content in more than one medium? If you’re using
a document template, how should you modify it Because all these factors interact in complicated
for your audiences and purposes? Does the ways, every technical document you create
application call for a particular writing style or involves a compromise. If you are writing a set of
level of formality? (For the sake of convenience, instructions for installing a water heater and you
we will use the word document throughout this want those instructions to be easily understood by
book to refer to all forms of technical people who speak only Spanish, you will need
communication, from written documents to oral more time and a bigger budget to have the
presentations and online forms, such as podcasts document translated, and it will be longer and thus
and wikis.) a little bit harder to use, for both English and
Spanish speakers. You might need to save money
PROCESS-RELATED FACTORS by using smaller type, smaller pages, and cheaper
paper, and you might not be able to afford to print
What process will you use to produce the it in full color. In technical communication, you do
document? Is there an established process to the best you can with your resources of time,
support the work, or do you need to create a new information, and money. The more carefully you
one? Do you have sufficient time for planning think through your options, the better able you
tasks, such as analyzing your audience and will be to use your resources wisely and make a
purpose, choosing writing tools, and researching document that will get the job done.
and reading background information? Does your

LESSON 2: IMPORTANCE/PURPOSE OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

In the first week of your module, it was clearly of content within this category are specifically
discussed what technical communication is. So, written for professional audiences. These experts
we will just have a recap of its definition. When rely on traditional technical writing for targeted
we say technical writing, it is a form of written research papers, programming guidelines, and
communication – especially in engineering and repair manuals.
other applied sciences in – which scientific,
business, and legal ideas, concepts, and data are a. Science and Medical Papers-
presented in an objective, accurate, and logical Research results can be hard to explain, so
manner. Is it also defined as the practice of scientists collaborate with technical writers to
documenting processes, such as software manuals interpret and organize findings. These papers act
or instructional materials. In short, technical as learning resources for practitioners to
writing is a type of writing where the author is understand procedures and results. As with any
writing about a particular subject that requires form of research, technical writers ensure that
direction, instruction, or explanation. With the proper credibility is given in the text.
different definitions of Technical Writing, we are b. Professional Reports and Review- In
going to discuss the Types of Writings in addition to writing for scientists and doctors,
Technical Professions technical writers assist in creating reports for
TYPES OF TECHNICAL WRITINGS business growth and educational institutions.
Examples of professional reports include project
1. Traditional Technical Writing- While and business status reports, legal case reviews, and
traditional technical writing sounds broad, pieces personnel activity reports.
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ENGL 1023 (CODE 017): PRELIMS

2. End-User Documentation- Almost every a. Brochures- Brochures take users to a

product you purchase has a written explanation of deeper level of understanding and appeal through
operation. These “how-to” pieces are written to clear descriptions, functions, and uses of a
help users understand and operate products product. It is intended to provide customers with
correctly. Since end-user documentation requires additional information on corporate offerings, and
clear and concise instruction, it’s important to are used by sales personnel to persuade customers
create content that breaks down technological to purchase a product. The brochure – also called a
terms to layman’s terms. data sheet, product brief or solution brief –
describes the main features of the product, any
. a. User Help Guides- When software specifications for its use and is usually
product users have questions that needs specific accompanied by either a picture of the product or
answers, they turn to user help guides. These are an architectural design, illustrating the solution.
written to provide clear and sensible answers to
common questions that may develop as use of BASIC PRINCIPLES OF GOOD
software programs continue. User help guides are TECHNICAL WRITING
broken down into sections depending on the type
of ‘help’ needed – allowing users to read ahead or Technical writing is one of the most important
re-read information to make their understanding of elements of a company's customer support
a product stronger. strategy, and these five principles that technical
writers must bear in mind to be successful.
EXAMPLE: Inattention to any of these five areas often leads to
a substandard document and dissatisfaction on the
client end.

Mills and Walter (1980: 13-14) identified the basic

principles as follows:

1. Always bear in mind a specific reader, real

or imaginary, when you are writing a
report; and always assume that he is
intelligent but uninformed.
b. Product Manuals- Product manuals
are those small booklets that highlight a product’s • An awareness of who is going to read a user
main features, general maintenance, and basic guide, the knowledge gap that the user guide is
operation. It contains written guidelines informing filling and the delivery method of the guide all
the audience how to use a certain product. play important roles.

c. Assembly Guidelines - Since 2. Before you start to write, always decide

assembly guidelines tell users how to physically what the exact purpose of your report is;
set up a product, technical writers are responsible and make sure that every paragraph, every
for writing clear and user-friendly, step-by-step sentence, every word makes a clear
instructions. It’s important for these instructions to contribution to that purpose and makes it at
be written in a way that ensure users can the right time.
accurately assemble products.
• Before beginning any writing task, the writer
3. Technical Marketing Content -Content analyzes audience and identifies the purpose
marketing is a strategic marketing approach for the document. The writer asks following
focused on creating and distributing valuable, questions about the audience:
relevant, and consistent content to attract and
retain a clearly defined audience — and,  Who will read the document?
ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. The  What are their biases?
primary goal of marketing content, is to convince
the reader to buy a product or service.
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ENGL 1023 (CODE 017): PRELIMS

 What are technical writer’s ethical CLEAR - Your written work is clear if, on one
responsibilities when communicating this reading, your readers are able to get a quick
to audience? understanding of the main message or point of the
whole composition. You can easily achieve this if
• With regard to purpose, technical writers ask: you always remember that clear writing always
what should this document accomplish? What results from clear thinking, as well as from the use
should it do? Should it: of simple, concise, specific, and grammatically
correct language structures. How the person
✔ Inform ✔ Request ✔
around you express themselves or how you
Instruct
express the ideas as they come to your mind
✔ Suggest ✔ Order ✔ Report serves as your guide or pattern in writing things on
the paper.
✔ Reply ✔ Analyse/ critique ✔ Compare
For the sake of clarity, it is important too, that you
3. Use language that is simple, concrete, and apply in your work all the principles of good
familiar. sentence construction like parallelism, consistency
of tense, dangling modifiers, split infinitive,
• Different types of writing have different choppy sentences, run-on sentences, comma
audiences, and each audience has its own splice, wordiness, and so on. Applying the
linguistic needs, which the writer respects with qualities of a good paragraph writing such as
tone and word choice. unity, coherence, and emphasis are likewise
4. At the beginning and end of every section of essential to making your technical written work
your report, check your writing according appear clear to your readers. (Gustavi, 2008; and
to this principle: First you tell the reader Marsh, 2005)
what you’re going to tell him, then you tell FORMAL - In technical writing, you cannot just
him what you’ve told him. write anything you like in any way you want on
5. Make your report attractive to look at. your writing paper, because some writing
CHARACTERISTICS OR PROPERTIES OF standards underlie the structure, pattern, format,
TECHNICAL WRITING and language of this kind of writing. You have to
adhere to these agreed upon technical writing rules
The following descriptive words sum up all the because your readers judge the value or reputation
characteristics or properties of technical writing of your output based on the how you conform to
that experts or authoritative people named in the the conventions governing this kind of writing.
book (Technical Writing in this Era Globalization
and Modern Technology) clearly expressed in their GRAPHICAL - Graphs like tablets, charts,
books. figures, diagrams, maps, pictures, and other
illustrations are absolutely necessary in technical
ACCURATE - A technical written work is writing. This is so because this kind of writing
accurate when it deals with the facts that are deals with topics that are technical; meaning, it
completely true, instead of things whose identity, deals with things appealing only to certain group
appearance, or measurements are so difficult to of people, or uses words expressing specialized
determine. An accurate report uses words, meanings or ideas known only to a specific set of
sentences, numbers, or figures that exactly express people. Considering that this nature of technical
what the written work intends to convey (Bantin, writing makes the technical work not readable to
2008). It avoids the frequent use of expressions for all types of readers in this world, you then have to
hedging such as may, perhaps, maybe, seem, include in your work non-prose materials like
apparently, would, etc. Using an expression that graphs to stress, clarify, simplify, or sum up ideas
conveys one and only one meaning instead of an which you textually present in your written
ambiguous term with multiple meaning will help compositions. (Bertoline, 2009)
readers get an easy and quick understanding of the
whole composition (Ling, 2004).
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ENGL 1023 (CODE 017): PRELIMS

OBJECTIVE - This characteristic of technical course of writing acts. It presents facts and
writing is shown by any written work of yours that information in a systematic or methodical manner.
avoids revealing your individual thinking, Here, you act like a scientist following a certain
personal meaning, or emotional attitude about procedure or a step-by-step method in proving
your subject matter. Whatever understanding you your point about your subject matter. For instance,
have about your written work comes from outside first you have to identify and analyse your
yourself; meaning, from the results of your problem, collect data about it, and present your
environmental observations or sensory conclusions, discoveries, or findings about the
experiences. Avoiding to include in your technical object of your study.
paper, your inner thoughts, sentiments or feelings
means adopting an impartial or impersonal stand SPECIAL - Writing something to cater to a
or attitude towards what you’ve written. specific set of people rather than to any group of
people using expressions quite understandable and
This is what others call as the “You Attitude” or familiar only to this specific set of readers, not to
“Scientific Attitude”, whereby, in your writing, all kinds of people, is what makes technical
your focus is on your reader’s point of view rather writing special. Inclined to be exclusive and
than on your views as the writer. The following selective of its topic, language, methodology, and
are some ways to maintain an objective or readers, this kind of writing is special, unique, or
impersonal tone your technical written work. extra different from the other modes of writing.

1. Use passive voice instead of active voice DIVERSIONARY - Considering technical

structures. writing as on-the-job writing that is prone to
2. Use third-person point of view by using extensive exposure to multicultural clients, co-
words like his/her, they, or the user, instead workers, cross-cultural or multilingual
of the personalized first person point of communication brought about by globalization
view like I, We, Me, Ours, and the like. through the internet or the Email, you come to
3. Downplay the subject or personal nature of think of this kind of writing as one that will lead
the text by avoiding the use of emotive you to various topic, ideas, people, methodologies,
words like dissatisfied, uninteresting, or concerns, purposes, formats, language, etc. It has
undignified. some aspects or features that are as diverse or
varied as the different kinds of jobs available to all
However, some experts with the modern view on kinds of people all over the world. Though
technical writing argued that adopting a modern (Perkins, 2008) argued that intercultural
view of technical writing means humanizing communication is the “highest art and science of
technical writing; that is, feeling free to use human communication,” your technical writing
personal pronouns to arouse the readers’ acts must always be “sensitive to pitfalls” or
involvement or interest in what they are reading. hidden dangers arising from diversities in a multi-
PRACTICAL - Technical writing is practical if it cultural environment. (Canavor, 2010)
results in a written output that you can apply, use, STRAIGHTFORWARD - A straightforward
or carry out in your day-to-day living. It does not manner of writing means presenting knowledge or
mainly deal with scenarios or situations that you ideas honestly and directly. Unlike these other
can just imagine or ponder on, but also tackles up ways of writing – literary and expository writing
things you can practice in your everyday life that permit the writer to hide some meanings
situations like designing, constructing, repairing, through figurative language – technical writing
selling, travelling, buying, bidding, inquiring, brings out things in frank, unequivocal, or clear-
cooking, painting, and many others. cut way. Metaphorical, idiomatic, or circuitous
PROCEDURAL - Being a formal and scientific expression of ideas has no place in technical
way of writing whereby rules or conventions writing because your immediate purpose as a
determine the appropriateness of your written technical writer is to persuade your readers to say
output, technical writing adheres to a particular “yes” instantly to what you have written.
ADTECH COMMUNICATION
ENGL 1023 (CODE 017): PRELIMS

Hence, to realize this objective, the language of on the reader or to elicit an immediate and positive
your written work has to be direct, specific, and response from him, see to it that your written work
simple enough to make you and your readers come is free from any grammatical and typographical
to terms with you immediately. The use of errors. Present it nearly whether it is handwritten,
complex, highfalutin or pretentious words typewritten, or computerized.
demands longer time for the reader to think or
decide about the effectiveness of your offer. This The layout, order, or placement of the various
consequently hampers or delays the decision- parts of your work likewise makes your work
making power of any person you want to agree presentable. In addition, focusing your attention
with what you have written. on these basic elements of a written prosaic work;
margin, spacing, punctuation marks, size/style of
AUTHORITATIVE - To describe technical the letter, and quality/size of the stationery or bond
writing as authoritative is to think of it as one paper contributes a lot to making your entire
clothed with full rights, powers, and influence to composition presentable or capable of getting
do a thing, to command or be obeyed, or to serious and favourable attention from your
enforce something on any one. The authority or readers.
power that you technical writing may wield over
your reader springs form the fact that the contents QUALITIES OF A TECHNICAL WRITER
of your output does not mainly come from your In view of these properties and principles of
our intelligence but also from other people’s technical writing, the technical writer should
expertise, knowledge, and experience that could possess the following basic qualification:
command respect or belief.
1. Adequate knowledge of the subject
Proofs of the authoritativeness of your technical matter.
paper are the properly cited and documented ideas 2. Ability to compile information.
of knowledgeable writers of technical writing 3. Ability to organize facts or ideas.
books in your work, specifically, the in-text 4. Ability to analyze and synthesize.
citations, footnotes, and bibliographical entries in 5. Ability to learn and use specialized
your paper. Another proof is the reality that you vocabularies.
are the creator of the paper, and, such as, you have 6. Ability to write at the reader’s
an idea of the extent of its excellence, and have the comprehensive level.
full control over the quality, kind, or extent of 7. Ability to use the inductive and
ideas to go into your paper, including the way you deductive methods of reasoning.
react to inquiries about your output. 8. Accuracy of language.
PRESENTABLE - The physical appearance of a 9. Objectivity in presenting facts and
technical writing output somehow mirrors the issues.
person who produced such kind of paper. A dirty- 10. Ability to write concise prose.
looking technical written work diminishes its 11. Ability to determine the effectiveness
power, influence or authoritativeness. So, if you of words, sentences, and paragraphs.
want your technical paper to have a strong impact 12. Ability to conform to the code of ethics
in the technical writing professions.