Practical Strategies for Technical Communication

Part 1 Working in the Technical-Communication Environment

1 Introduction to Technical Communication

• What Is Technical Communication?
• Why Technical Communication Skills Are Important in Your Career
• The Challenges of Producing Technical Communication
• Thinking Visually: Characteristics of a Technical Document
• Thinking Visually: Measures of Excellence in Technical Documents
• Skills and Qualities Shared by Successful Workplace Communicators
• A Look at Three Technical Documents
• Exercises

2 Understanding Ethical and Legal Obligations

• A Brief Introduction to Ethics
• Your Legal Obligations
• The Role of Corporate Culture in Ethical and Legal Conduct
• Understanding Ethical and Legal Issues Related to Social Media
• Communicating Ethically Across Cultures
• Thinking Visually: Principles for Ethical Communication
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

3 Writing Collaboratively

• Thinking Visually: Advantages and Disadvantages of Collaboration
• Managing Projects
• Conducting Meetings
• Using Electronic Tools in Collaboration
• Strategies for Online Communication: Jenny Gilbert on Crowdsourcing Data and Information
• Gender and Collaboration
• Culture and Collaboration
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

Part 2 Planning and Drafting the Document

4 Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose

• Understanding Audience and Purpose
• Using an Audience Profile Sheet
• Techniques for Learning About Your Audience
• Thinking Visually: Determining the Important Characteristics of Your Audience
• Communicating Across Cultures
• Applying What You Have Learned About Your Audience
• Writing for Multiple Audiences
• Determining Your Purpose
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

5 Researching Your Subject

• Understanding the Research Process
• Choosing Appropriate Research Methods
• Choices and Strategies: Research Questions and Methods
• Conducting Secondary Research
• Using AI Chatbots
• Conducting Primary Research
• Choices and Strategies: Choosing Types of Questions for Questionnaires
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

6 Writing for Your Readers

• Presenting Yourself Effectively
• Using Conventional Patterns of Organization
• Choices and Strategies: Choosing Effective Organizational Patterns
• Writing Clear, Informative Titles
• Writing Clear, Informative Headings
• Writing Clear, Informative Paragraphs
• Writing Grammatically Correct Sentences
• Structuring Effective Sentences
• Choosing the Right Words and Phrases
• Use Inoffensive Language
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

Part 3 Designing User-Friendly Documents and Websites

7 Designing Print and Online Documents

• Goals of Document Design
• Planning the Design of Print and Online Documents
• Understanding Design Principles
• Designing Print Documents
• Designing Digital Documents
• Consider Matters of Accessibility
• Design for Multicultural Audiences
• Combining Print and Digital Documents
• Strategies for Online Communication: Calvin Jones on Using Multiple Modalities
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

8 Creating Graphics

• The Functions of Graphics
• Thinking Visually: Characteristics of an Effective Graphic
• Understanding the Process of Creating Graphics
• Using Color Effectively
• Choosing the Appropriate Kind of Graphic
• Choices and Strategies: Choosing the Appropriate Kind of Graphic
• Illustrating Numerical Information
• Illustrating Logical Relationships
• Illustrating Process Descriptions and Instructions
• Illustrating Visual and Spatial Characteristics
• Creating Effective Graphics for Multicultural Readers
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

Part 4 Learning Important Applications

9 Corresponding in Print and Online

• Understanding the Process of Writing Correspondence
• Choices and Strategies: Choosing a Type of Correspondence
• Presenting Yourself Effectively in Correspondence
• Use the Appropriate Level of Formality
• Communicate Correctly
• Project the “You Attitude”
• Avoid Correspondence Clichés
• Communicate Honestly
• Elements of a Letter
• Common Types of Letters
• Writing Memos
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

10 Applying for a Job

• Establishing Your Professional Brand
• Understanding Job Search Strategies
• Elements of the Chronological Résumé
• Elements of the Skills Résumé
• Preparing a Plain-Text Résumé
• Writing Job-Application Letters
• Preparing for a Job Interview
• Writing Follow-up Letters or Emails After an Interview
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

11 Writing Proposals

• The Logistics of Proposals
• Internal and External Proposals
• Solicited and Unsolicited Proposals
• The “Deliverables” of Proposals
• Research Proposals
• Goods and Services Proposals
• Persuasion and Proposals
• Understanding Contexts
• Describing What You Plan To Do
• Demonstrating Your Professionalism
• The Structure of the Proposal
• Summary
• Introduction
• Proposed Program
• Qualifications and Experience
• Budget
• Appendixes
• Task Schedule
• Description of Evaluation Techniques
• Sample Internal Proposal
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

12 Writing Informational Reports

• Organizing Progress and Status Reports
• Concluding Progress and Status Reports
• Sample Progress Report
• Writing Incident Reports
• Writing Meeting Minutes
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

13 Writing Recommendation Reports

• Understanding the Role of Recommendation Reports
• Using a Problem-Solving Model for Preparing Recommendation Reports
• Identify the Problem or Opportunity
• Establish Criteria for Responding to the Problem or Opportunity
• Determine the Options
• Study Each Option According to the Criteria
• Draw Conclusions About Each Option
• Formulate Recommendations Based on the Conclusions
• Writing Recommendation Reports
• Writing the Body of the Report
• Writing the Front Matter
• Writing the Back Matter
• Sample Recommendation Report
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

14 Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions

• Writing Definitions
• Analyzing the Writing Situation for Definitions
• Writing Sentence Definitions
• Writing Extended Definitions
• Writing Descriptions
• Analyzing the Writing Situation for Descriptions
• Indicating Clearly the Nature and Scope of the Description
• Introducing the Description Clearly
• Providing Appropriate Detail
• Ending the Description with a Brief Conclusion
• A Look at Several Sample Descriptions
• Writing Instructions
• Strategies for Online Communication: Suzanne Barnhill on Moderating User Forums
• Understanding the Role of Instructional Videos
• Designing a Set of Instructions
• Drafting Effective Instructions
• Revising, Editing, and Proofreading Instructions
• A Look at Several Sample Sets of Instructions
• Writing Manuals
• Writer’s Checklist
• Exercises

15 Making Oral Presentations

• Understanding the Role of Oral Presentations
• Preparing the Presentation
• Analyzing the Speaking Situation
• Organizing and Developing the Presentation
• Preparing Presentation Graphics
• During a Presentation
• Choosing Effective Language
• Rehearsing the Presentation
• Thinking Visually: Delivering the Presentation
• Presenting to All Audiences
• Answering Questions After a Presentation
• Speaker’s Checklist
• Exercises

Appendix: Reference Handbook

A Documenting Your Sources

• APA Style
• IEEE Style
• MLA Style

B Editing and Proofreading Your Documents