Download How does Workplace Affect What and How you Write

How does Workplace
Affect What and How
you Write
Chapter 1
Reader Expectations
As a student you would know what I would
expect from an assignment.
 In workplace, you might or might not know.
Your audience might be varied, individual
or group and with different expectations.
 You will have to account for these
differences in your document design.
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Time & Budget Limitations
You will have limited time to spend on a
certain document or given assignment,
much like in college.
 Time and budget limitations might affect
your writing.
 As a professional, you will have to find out
a systematic and effective strategy so that
your writing output is of good quality.
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Ethical Considerations
You will have to be careful about the
language or the information that you use
as part of your writing.
 Example: How will you report the results of
a new airbag design when the testing
shows flawed design and re-designing the
airbag would mean going back on the
production cycle?
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Collaborative Writing
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Planning a document with others.
Writing as part of a team.
Reviewing and revising documents.
Each person is responsible for a particular
section.
One team member generally serves as a final
editor.
Team members write the document together –
word by word.
What makes Technical
Communication Effective?
Addresses specific readers.
 Uses a clear, concise style.
 Uses a professional, accessible design.
 Includes accurate and complete
information.
 Follows the conventions of grammar,
punctuation, spelling, and usage.
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Principle 1: Determine your
purpose for writing
What type of document are you writing?
 What is the purpose of the document?
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Principle 2: Identify your readers?
Who are your primary readers? Are there
secondary readers? If so, who?
 Are your readers internal or external to the
company?
 What do your readers know about the
topic and its related field?
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Principle 3: Determine your readers’
purpose, needs and preferences?
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What questions might your reader ask while
reading your document?
How and where will your readers use your
document?
What time constraints are your readers under?
What style, format, design, and media do your
readers prefer?
Principle 4: Analyze your readers’
attitudes?
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What are your readers’ attitudes toward the
subject of your document? How will they react to
your document? Why?
Have your readers worked with you or your
organization? Have the working relationships
been positive or negative?
What are your readers’ attitudes toward you and
your organization?
Writing for Readers with Different Levels
of Technical Expertise
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Divide the document into distinct sections so that readers can read
only the sections that apply to them.
Use devices that help readers find different information in the
document.
Put the definitions of technical words, explanations of technical
information, and other technical details in footnotes, appendixes, or
other special sections that readers can easily find.
Direct the language and presentation of a single document for
readers with the lowest level of technical expertise. This technique
works especially well for instruction manuals.
Write separate documents for each group of readers if you have the
time and budget.
Put the document online so you can compartmentalize it for readers
with various levels of knowledge.
Brief Exercise
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Choose a small internet article of your choice. It
might be a software or physical process manual,
travel or company brochure, corporate website
etc.
Try and find out whether broadly speaking, the
principles mentioned in the previous slides (that
makes effective technical writing) has been
complied with.
We will complete a practice workshop in class.