Technical Writing

1
“Introduction to Technical Writing”

MS. PEARL NOGRA-FABIA

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Technical Writing

Introduction to Technical Writing

• Understand meaning of technical writing.

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Technical Writing
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Technical Writing

What is Technical Writing?

Technical writing is an audience-centered means of
communication that provides a reader with clear and easy access to
information. In the business world, time equates to profit, and profit is
the force behind all business interaction. The technical writer and
reader have a vis-à-vis relationship. The writer recognizes, respects, and
addresses the importance of time in effective and efficient
communication by providing documents written in specific formats,
using unambiguous language to send clearly assessable information.
The reader in turn thoroughly understands the information in order to
give a thoughtful response.
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Technical Writing

Formatting and Language

Formatting and appropriate
language are the basic design
elements of all technical documents.
A format that shows a hierarchical
structure and a coordinate structure
of information leads the reader
through the text. Using appropriate
language is significant in providing the
reader with a thorough understanding
of the purpose of the documents, how
the document relates to the reader’s
needs, and what action is expected of
the reader.
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A document may have one reader (the primary reader) or several

readers (the secondary readers). A primary reader is the person who
ordered the report to be written or the person for whom a report is
intended. These readers will usually read the entire report. Secondary
readers are those readers who will read only the sections of the report
that relate to them, their jobs, their departments, responsibilities, etc.
For example, if a report was sent that detailed funding for different
departments, a piping superintendent may only want to read the section
that relates to piping. This is where format, the use of headings, is
significant in allowing the reader easy access to information. The piping
superintendent can scan though the document and clearly find the
heading that identifies his department, which saves time and avoids
confusion.
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Technical Writing

Academic Writing versus Technical Writing

The definite purpose, strict format, and use of

appropriate language in technical writing define the
differences between technical writing and academic writing.
The academic writer’s purpose may be to write an
assignment, a story, a letter, etc. These works may or may
not have a reader. However, technical writing always has a
definite purpose and will always have a reader. Regardless
of the number of the intended readers of a document who
may or may not read the document, the document will be
read by the primary reader.
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Technical Writing

Cultural Communication
Technical writers need to be aware of the differences within and between
the behaviors, norms, beliefs, and values of specific cultural environments.
According to Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall, In Understanding Cultural
Differences, each culture operates according to its own rules (1990, pp. 3-4). Hall
and Hall add that problems occur when members of one culture apply their rules
to another culture (1990, pp. 3-4). To communicate effectively with other
cultures, the technical writer needs to not only be aware of rules governing
behaviors that can be observed but also of the not-so-obvious rules that govern
the norms, beliefs, and values of the people of a culture. The invisible rules of a
culture dramatically impact the acceptance of ideas, plans, and strategies. The
Cultural Iceberg illustrates patterns of world communication, showing indicators
of Institutional Culture (the obvious behavior of a culture), which can be clearly
seen as the tip of the iceberg, and People Culture (the norms, beliefs and values
of a culture), which cannot be seen and which are the barriers to successful
communication.
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Ethics
Technical writers have a responsibility to
their readers and to their employers to
follow ethics when writing reports. Technical
writers must use words that demonstrate
valid appeals to reason and avoid words and
phrases that appeal to basic emotion instead
of justifiable reasoning. In addition, technical
writers must use valid references to support
ideas and strategies, avoiding referencing
non-experts to sway readers’ support. Also,
technical writers must use accurate numbers
to report data, avoiding charts and tables
that skew data. Using any type of fallacies in
technical writing is unethical and could result
in dire consequences.
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Technical Writing

Not only do technical writers have a responsibility to report

accurate information, they also have a responsibility to credit
accurate sources of information. At no time is it acceptable to
rearrange information in order to attempt to indicate that the
writer is the source of someone else’s idea or to indicate that the
writer read a report that included information he/she cited,
when the primary source of the information was cited in another
report. All sources must be referenced accurately in the text and
cited on a reference page.
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Technical Writing

Daniel G. Riordan (2005), in Technical Report Writing Today, cites Dombrowski to define
three threads of ethics:
One major thread is that the communicator must be a good person who cares for
the audience. Another thread is that the communicator must do what is right, regardless
or possible outcomes. A third thread is that communicators must act for the greatest
good for the greatest number of people.
In addition, Riordan (2005) references the “code of ethics of the Society for
Technical Writers, and cites five of the code’s tenants:
My commitment to professional excellence and ethical behaviors means that I
will:
 Use language and visuals with precision.
 Prefer simple direct expression of ideas.
 Satisfy the audience’s need for information, not my own need for self-expression.
 Hold myself responsible for how well my audience understands my message.
 Report the work of colleagues, knowing that a communication problem may have
more than one solution. (Riordan, 2005, pp. 15-16)
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The Many Contexts of Communicating Technical Information

Though you may already know a great deal about effective
communication within an academic environment, technical communication
is not limited to this area. You must know how to communicate effectively
in many other settings such as a professional environment

Technical Communication Can Take Many Forms

Many different types of documents are created and used every day by
professionals. The most common and well known of these documents are
memos and emails, which are used in every type of business. In addition to
this, technical communicators also create instructions, product guides and
documentation, graphs, charts, images, videos, and other forms of content.
No matter what medium a technical communicator chooses to use, the
main goal is always to be informative and clear.
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Technical Writing

Technical Communication Serves a Practical Purpose

Technical communication is employed in real world settings for practical purposes.
Whether to instruct, inform, or to persuade, technical communication is used for a
myriad of purposes beyond the sort of straightforward informative writing typical of
educational or certain social settings. Beyond being inspiring or entertaining, technical
writing must be useful to an audience trying to perform a task.
Technical Communication Addresses Complex Audiences
Academic papers are often addressed to a single individual or a small group of
peers with very similar experiences and expectations. Technical writing, because of its
practical and collaborative nature, must often be geared toward a complex audience.
Technical communicators must be careful to be conscious of intended and unintended
audiences, foreign and domestic readers, and individuals with vastly differing
responsibilities, experiences, and expectations of a given document. The context in
which a document is read will differ with each reader and it is important to keep
documents concise and free of bias and excessive or unclear language to ensure that
they are understood.
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Technical Writing

Technical Communication Addresses Complex

Audiences
Academic papers are often addressed to a
single individual or a small group of peers with very
similar experiences and expectations. Technical
writing, because of its practical and collaborative
nature, must often be geared toward a complex
audience. Technical communicators must be careful
to be conscious of intended and unintended
audiences, foreign and domestic readers, and
individuals with vastly differing responsibilities,
experiences, and expectations of a given document.
The context in which a document is read will differ
with each reader and it is important to keep
documents concise and free of bias and excessive
or unclear language to ensure that they are
understood.
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Technical Writing

Technical Communication is Collaborative

Technical communication documents will often require input
or additional work from several co-authors, depending on the
complexity of the document and the nature of the task with which
it is dealing. Paul Anderson’s Technical Communication textbook
relates an anecdote regarding the proposal to build the
International Space Station which contained text and drawings
from more than 300 engineers. This may be an extreme example,
but even when writing a technical document alone, collaboration
and consultation with coworkers or other members of the intended
audience may form a part of an author’s writing process.
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Technical Writing

Technical Communication is Shaped by Conventions and Culture

Much as with academic writing, organizational conventions as well as culture will
shape the style used in technical documents. Organizations may conceive of
themselves and formal and conservative or informal and innovative, and reflect this
self-conception in their communication style. This reflection often extends to social
dimensions within the workplace or the culture of the society in which the
organization operates. A technical communicator’s style will change depending on the
social and organizational contexts that they are working within.
Technical Communication is a complex discipline because it can occur in so many
contexts. It can be encountered in nearly any professional setting from a construction
yard to a courtroom. It is present when you consult a user manual for your car,
microwave, computer, or un-assembled bookshelf. Adaptivity to ever changing
audiences as well as legal and ethical issues and a variety of social factors is one of
the most important traits of a successful technical communicator.
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Technical Writing
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Technical Writing

PR 1.1-1
“ESSAY”

Pen & Paper

none
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Technical Writing

PR 1.1-1
INSTRUCTION : Research for an example of a
TECHNICAL REPORT, then identify the
following :
1.Ethics presented in the report.
2.The collaboration presented.
3.The technical communication context.
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Community Engagement, Solidarity and
Citizenship

Q1.2.1-1
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Community Engagement, Solidarity and
Citizenship

Q1.2.1-1
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Community Engagement, Solidarity and
Citizenship

Q1.2.1-1

For Flexible Distance Learning:

• Screenshot of hand written answer on bondpaper and uploaded at Edmodo
Apps
For Modular Distance Learning:
• Handwritten bondpaper and submitted at AISAT Campus

• Five days after the discussion.

• March 20, 2021
NO. 2
Community Engagement, Solidarity and
Citizenship
 NO. 2
Community Engagement, Solidarity and
Citizenship

Q1.2.1-1

For Flexible Distance Learning:

• Screenshot of hand written answer on bondpaper and uploaded at Edmodo
Apps
For Modular Distance Learning:
• Handwritten bondpaper and submitted at AISAT Campus

• Five days after the discussion.

• Match 20, 2021