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2nd Technical Communication

2nd Technical Communication

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4 views19 pages

2nd Technical Communication

2nd Technical Communication

Uploaded by

nikku
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CHAPTER 13 OBJECTIVES objectives ics of reports egories of, isin which rts can be presented followed for Structure a report types of reports Technical Reports INTRODUCTION examples of reporting in daily! reports to the doctor in the inpatient ward patient. A supervisor, a the end of the the progress of the work carried out in h the manager of a bank sends a periodic the state of deposits, advances, overdraft ‘Another manager posted in a remote office about the difficulties faced in san publishing firm keen on introducing a new the market has to ask its marketing resea current reader preference, The managing d to get'a report on the efficacy of the meas to promote efficiency in the branch offices. _ From time to time, the Government ‘We see many Committee on Industry, Committee on Committee on Environment and Forests, an up to discuss, analyse, and report on various out a detailed plan to conduct surveys The word ‘report’ is derived from the Latin feportare—‘to bring back! Over a period of time, it has evolved to mean that the gathered information is unbiased i based and evidence: technical repor «in the vrter. Reports HOt 8 ce Oe een sls uch 88 the a Objectives of Repo’ O whi Pl mplished w research report/l irrent status (@ +d clarify complex in ston to a large number of people ard information on a particular pie of an organization) i svcd actions that can be considered in sol datory report) report.the | aust have. daily nerally such re ion. Short rept "Introduction, follo ‘vy depending on the soa oon shai sabstractand summery ‘ ab ate summary seat | Entire report in a nutshell i ince of the oP | SelOper cent of the report 1 gssene ’ pe in Pps percent ofthe ee + Meant for all readers 10) BF levant spect specialist oo one eleva e commu «Information is both qualitat Foamation is quate Meee : ve and quantitate - + Informatio + May include certain illus oes notinclude tustrations y trations: Preface an optional element * the preliminary message from the writer to the reader. Iris, See etter of eeansmittal, €xcePt that it does not formally transmit the report: It bie ader appreciate and ‘understand the report. The contents of a preface areas follows: ns adie sort (what was the prevailing situation or earlier studies ca MA pence the nced for this study and report) von ofthe report (what do the-various sections contain) 1 ‘important observations and findings) age ne (how the report would enable the readers in Further study or ses thax the study in the report would help them) « Acknowledgements (Frequently, the acknowledgements can be dispensed with the press In the pretace itself one can express his/her andebtedness to those who helpedin thest Generally, the preface appears only when the report gets published Copyright notice , 7 ic Copyright is a form of protection that covers published and unpublished Htesns aa artistic works, whatever the form of expression, provided such work is executed in " ~~ aateral form, Simply put, it means thatfwe can se it, hear and/or touch init may Copyright laws grant the creator the exclusive right to reproduce prepare tT distribute, perform, and display the work publicly. For example, a COPY reads “© Copyright 2015, OUP, India’ means that the Oxford Univesity monopoly over the work, which was produc in 2015. a : Tar must be clarified, though. The actual nai 1 esult of the idea, which x « 9 “There is one thing ¢ copyrighted, What is copyrighted is the tangible re of the published work. ‘An example © Copyright 2015 by Maxima Institute of Technology: Alli for any proft-driven enterprise mater 97 nts reserved: THS conclu if he sendy Jn the study dl “uch ay 4 oaetie* Main Text "The main text consists is the main body of the data collection methods, an discussions ‘che details @ der whit of the introduction, report, which gives ‘d the constraints « TECHNICAL REPORTS 2B7 mple, unambiguous language, hence, it should rms of poetic embellishment . It should be clear, brief, and Such as figutes of speech Srammatically accurate Clarity 4 Bood rej depends on proper should make their Port is absolutely clear. Clarity atrangement of facts. Report writers purpose clear, define their sources, E of greater clarity. Brevity A report should be brief, Brevity should not be achieved at the cost of clarity Nor should it be at the cost of completeness, Sometimes the problem being investigated is of such importance that it calls for a detailed discussion of facts. Then this discussion should not be evaded, Brevity in a report isthe kind of brevity oe secommends fr a précis Include everything e significant and yet be brief. Grammatical accuracy ‘The grammatical accuracy of language of a good report is of fundamental importance. It is one of the basic requisites of a good report as of any other ble piece of composition. Remember that faulty construction of sentences makes the meaning vague oe and ambiguous. he 2 Special format 1g cover, title page, table of contents, , includi The technical report uses a rather involved format including coves ee list of illustrations, letter of transmittal, and appendices, Th set standard, which will be presented later in this chapter. Bn Most tec ‘tain illustration: a al s , drawings, ‘hnical jn illustrations, which may be tables, graphs, maps, drawi lical reports cont ‘Sharts, or photographs. focus on that topic, All the sections of the report should focus on | deal with one main sented by acknowledging sources alue when adequately docu 286 reevmucar communtcation sneain shits in the eile + Reports dedelop wertain § sa Fp he writer io develop e=cain Sh ceremunicate with greater acetracy: ports not only help onganioy such as the ability £0 organing by » ra bay " Objectives of Reports f F “The purposes for which feports are written VAKy widely. Some important purposes of « Present a record oFaccomplished work (project report) "Porta hr report/laboratory report) specifications (a report of the det a % + Record an experiment (primary researc! + Record ‘esearch findings or technica product) * Document schedules, timetables, and miles * Document current status (an inspection report) * Record and clarify complex information for future reference (a report on pols Policies ange number of people (annual report) ized information on a particular topic (a report describi is ing the work a sions of an organization) ne + Recommend actions that can be considered i vertai ee considered in solving certain problems (secon CHARACTERISTICS OF A REPORT Pre { 1n this section we will study the important characteristics thatall =e the cntere nian must have, fee ision gives unity and coherence to the report and makes ita valulk document Effet eflect Should dnc ea Ecc eports mst i See ih fvigation ral, aed peaiyd: Thee fee come clearly, considering ths aoe in the report, Hence, fie the lec oe Tralt ia ca expected response from the audience t is very i aking, inaccurate facts haga 1 8 good report. Sin to disastrous decisions, J view find out all about the ur skills and accomplishments. is 9 preparing for an interview, the employer allows you to play le in an interview. n bright colours for an interview is tools used to research a potential magazines/newspapers. er yes/no to questions in an an interview on time. t important to keep eye contact during SPE EL 3s! Baa oe Ss Ai etched ents rai experience to the job applying for. » to ask an interviewer to repeat or astion. is an opportunity for you to find ut a prospective employer. nt to thank the interviewer once at 124 “TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION jit accept it without a question because he is an authority, sen ae erthe case with Sachin “Tendulkar quoting something, Same is the 38 & y of steely people wae on team effectiveness in cricket, we can q, 1 production add punch 10 01 technolog the field of steel cricket. Therefore, t0 Sachin Tendulkar: sent cricket supposed to be a team s anindividual sport: port? fel people should decide fist whether cricket isa team gun, " ® gote.com/quores jauthors/s/sachin.tendulkar 25, rity who may be a non-expert inj, na journal oF newspaper, some gi, atives/professors, etc. Testimonies also help bul, Whenever we use @ testimony in 2 presentation, we should cite the source zr; ‘ fusing, we should try to paraphrase itil th conf short. IF its Fenty Or oer dy of a speech should be resisted, d y points in “The temptation to include foo many P t ould fi wes to four or five main points: We can help the audience follow 0. should restrict oursel elp the audience presentation by summarizing the points as we BO along. Every main point is 5 unit of thous! ‘and an essential part of the speech. Each point should be clearly stated, in lependent of i evoted to each point according! ther main points. Fence, we need to balance the time di ing the main points so that we can move smoothly from one part ¢! We should plan on bridging r 0 one pa our presentation to the next. We ean ete use of transitional expressions such as therefi dane sin addition to’ apart from that’ ‘on the contrary’, next’, etc. (Source: hutp://w- brainy) fde: remarks made by @ celeb Other testimonies ind 1 y unk ‘on i field, an article written by @ relatively unknown Pers arguments put forth by our colleagues/tel ersuasive Case. Gquote verbatim ifit Conclusion The conclusion of a presentation provides ye aes ence, lence, the conclusion should be prepared and presented with the same int: aaeieieke for the introduction, We can conclude our presentation by reviewing the mi: " points. A signal such as fo sum up, fo conclude, fo review, in the end, etc. to indicate the end the presentation mast be used. As we conclude, we should remind the audience briefly abo: the purpose of our presentation, which could be either to persuade them or 10 inform thes Weshceld tell them what we want them to do, think, or remember based on the presentsttl ‘The temptation to wrap up in haste or add something new in this part of the speech shou! be avoided. wo Ae can ko concudewith a quotation or can recall the earlier story, joke, anecdore 8 change in the pace or pitch pr the voce, They sow Fi fel So a a mark the difference between the main bod Sa cancel and speak in a lower pitch so" ly and conclusion of their presentation. another opportunity for us to impress NUANCES OF DELIVERY All of us have li ears a pela a our share of bad presentations. We have sat the $ leliveres gly ° 1 eee rate ee haltingly that we could not care what was being said. We eee presentations that were delivered smoothly but had practically as the presenter droned on endlessly. f : a ee sent a sssly. However, if deliv cent’ ee eee ee oe ; if delivered effectively set presentations can apr the audience's attention without the risk eee al an reveal our enthusiasm to the audience better than any oth of being shuffled can address their questions or objections directly Sees of communication! FORMAL PRESENTATIONS 125 Modes of Delivery What is it that makes our presentation hold the manner of presentation, our vocal inflections, our and our gestures—all the out to be more inter attention and interest of the audience? Our perfectly timed pauses, our facial expressions, ese are part of an expert delivery. Even a dull and drab topic will turn ting if presented well, whereas a really interesting topic may appear to be dull because of poor delivery. So one thing becomes clear—having somethin, a om is not enough; you must also know how to say it. Good delivery does not eall attention te ieelt. It conveys our ideas clearly interestingly, and without distracting the audience, Most wudiences prefer delivery that combines a certain degree of formality with the best attributes of good conversation—directness, spontaneity, animation, vocal and facial expressiveness—and a lively sense of communication. The following discussion provides some suggestions so as to enable one to select the best mode of delivery for a presentation, There ate four modes of delivery that can be used for making presentations: + Extemporaneous + Impromptu * Manuscript + Memorization Extemporaneous mode Extemporaneous presentation is by far the most popular and effective method when carefully prepared. When speaking extempore we must prepare the notes beforehand and rehearse our presentation, ‘There is no need to learn every word and line by rote. Our presentation will sound quite spontaneous to the audience, as after thorough preparation, we are speaking while thinking. Careful planning and rigorous practice enable one to collect the material and organize it meticulously. Let us look at some of the positive and negative aspects of this mode of presentation. Advantages * As we have enough time to prepare for the presentation, we work hard on the theme/ central idea. We can present the theme in the best possible structured way. * Thorough preparation on our part makes us feel secure and we carry out our responsibility with self-confidence and assurance. Adaptation is also possible if the need arises. In other words, the language of any written text does not bind us. We can be flexible in our use of language. * Supporting material helps to present our points clearly and also adds weight to our agreement. Appropriate selection of quotations, illustrations, statistics, etc., helps us to substantiate our point. * Our delivery sounds natural and spontaneous to the audience as it allows us to establish a rapport with the audience through more eye contact. + Tt enables us to move freely, with ease. Disadvantages + If preparation is inadequate, we can get lost and find ourselves uncomfortable. * If-we rely too much on note cards and start reading out from them instead of just consulting them for reference, then the speech will lose its spontaneity: Manuscript mode In manuscript presentation, material is written out and we are supposed to read it out aloud verbatim, We are not supposed to memorize the speech and then recollect it. Ie is 126 TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION there in front of us to read. But, we should be wise enough not to attempt t0 read a spec, until we have become a proficient reader. Unfortunately most speakers are not go, readers. They make it uninteresting by reading in a dull and monotonous way. Howey, wwe can overcome this problem with consistent efforts. We could maybe rehearse wigh friend or colleague. | ; For effective use of this mode, we should go through the material several times beforeha, until we become absolutely familiar with the text. We should strive to choose material desi, to achieve understanding. We should know what is written where. Advantages + Iris a permanent and accurate record of whatever we have to say: + There is no chance of tampering with the facts and figures. «+ The material is organized systematically. We just have to keep in mind the step-by development of main points. + Language gets polished because we can write and rewrite our material until we fey satisfied on all counts. ste Disadvantages + Since we will be reading from the manuscript, we get less time for making proper ex contact, which is essential to feel the pulse of our audience, * Since we will be reading to the audience, we cannot talk to them. There is not muct scope either for non-verbal communication. * Adaptation is rather difficult, if the need arises, to give a different twist to our materi + In the absence of effective reading skill, we fumble over words, lose our pace, and mis, punctuation marks, ete. This adds up to an uninteresting speech and loss of audien attention, * Conversational flavour along with vocal inflection takes a back seat here, which isa ge asset for a speaker. Impromptu mode ‘Theimpromptumode,as the word sugges: is what we use when we have to deliv an informal speech without preparatio” For example, at a formal dinner part) may be invited to deliver a vote of that Do not panic and babble something in unmethodical way. Instead, calmly st your topic and then preview the poit® you are to make. Support your points whatever examples, quotes, and anecd™ you recall at that time, Then bse ummatize of restate your points and & with a smile. Remember, it is not diffi for you to anticipate certain ovis” where you may be asked to speak 1 words. Be as brief as possible during impromptu presentations. Iwish t could have rehearsed this one. © ° yo My Naidu wos called upon after dinner to give an impromptu speech. FORMAL PRESENTATIONS 127 Advantages tural because we do not get enough time to make any claborate We get a chance to express our thoughts irrespective of what others think or say about that particular topic. + We are spontancous as we say what we feel, not what we ought to say. Disadvantages * ‘The presentation lacks organized development of ideas because of the shortage of time. + There is no supplementary material (no data, no statistics, no illustrations, no figures) to substantiate the speech. + Chances of rambling are very high. Various points may hang loose. + There is frequent use of vocalized pauses. + The presentation may turn out to be a failure if the speaker has inadequate proficiency in the language he/she uses. Gaining a reputation for being a good impromptu speaker can do a great deal for our career aspirations. It has been shown that there is a positive correlation between communication effectiveness and upward mobility. Memorization mode ‘This method of presentation is very difficult for most of us. Probably only a handful of us can actually memorize an entire speech, Usually we memorize only the main parts and are in the habit of writing key words on cards to help us out through the actual presentation. In some cases, if we wish to quote somebody or narrate an anecdote or a joke, it is better to memorize these for our presentations. “This type of delivery stands somewhere between extemporaneous and manuscript presentation. Speech is written out beforehand, then committed to memory, and finally delivered from memory. Advantages + tis very easy for such speakers to maintain an eye contact with the audience throughout the presentation. + The speaker can easily move and make use of appropriate non-verbal communication to add extra value to the speech. * Itis possible to finish the speech in allotted time. Disadvantages + Memorization requires too much of time. * There are chances of making it a dull and monotonous presentation because we go exactly by whatever we have memorized. * Even our memory skills may fail us if we have not rhearsed adequately. * No flexibility or adaptation is possible during the speech. * The speaker gets flustered if he/she forgets a word, sentence, or a whole paragraph. Among all the four modes of delivery, extemporaneous is the best because of its flexible nature and its effectiveness, Hence, it is always better to use this mode to make presentations more lively, effective, and memorable.

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