Chapter 1 Technical and Professional Communication in the

Chapter 1 Technical and Professional Communication in the Workplace Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

What is Technical and Professional Communication? Communication about complex, highly detailed problems, issues, or subjects in the professional world, which helps audiences visualize and understand information so they can make informed and ethical decisions or take appropriate and safe actions Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

What is Technical and Professional Communication? Includes simple, everyday information § Street signs § Nutritional information § ATM instructions Includes lengthier, more complex documents § Computer manuals § Detailed reports § NASA specifications Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Poor Communication Poorly written technical documents alert us to the importance of effective communication. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Writing in the Workplace “Workplace writers” are all of the employees who communicate with an organization, not only those officially called professional or technical writers. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Writing in the Workplace “Workplace writers” help to negotiate and create the knowledge users need by: § Creating texts that interact with various audiences § Making complex information understandable to audiences who need it § Serving as a bridge between groups, both inside and outside their organizations § Reducing internal costs of production, support, and development Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Genres of Technical Writing § § § Emails & Memos Technical Definitions Websites Manuals Proposals Formal and Informal Reports Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Characteristics of Technical and Professional Writing § Rhetorical § Solves problems, affects an audience, and reflects one’s credibility § Audience Centered § Genre, style, level of formality, level of detail, format and length § Technology Oriented § Produces from and produces for a variety of analog and digital technologies Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Characteristics of Technical and Professional Writing § Ethical § Aware of consequences in the real world § Research Oriented § Gathers information from a variety of sources, from libraries and personal communication § Professional § Clear and accessible, using appropriate forms and content Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Characteristics of Technical and Professional Writing § Visual § Pairs visual and written registers for effect § Design Centered § Combines aesthetics and readability § Concise § Efficient in wording Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Technical and Professional Writing as an Activity § Learning to produce technical and professional documents requires students to see writing as a PROCESS, a series of activities that lead to the production of a document. § The process of producing documents begins by considering the sorts of PROBLEMS writers encounter in the workplace. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Problem Solving § Problems are often defined as: “unfavorable or disagreeable situations. ” § Workplace problems are best thought of as questions to be considered or addressed. § Some “problems” may actually be positive, such as addressing how a company can best capitalize on successes. Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

Types of Problems Writers face two sets of related problems: § Workplace Problems § Issues requiring information and action to solve § Rhetorical Problems § Issues of how to best communicate information Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.

The Problem-Solving Approach § § § Plan Research Draft Revise Distribute Dobrin / Weisser / Keller: Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century. © 2010 Pearson Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ, 07458. All Rights Reserved.