part 1 technical writing.ppt

7/28/2019 Part 1 Technical Writing.ppt

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Technical Writing

The link for good

workplace/professionalcommunication

Part 1


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Technical orBusiness writing isvery different fromAcademic writing.Each has its uniquepurpose and format tofollow.


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Technical writing is

done in the workplaceand centers around

technical topics.

Technical writing hasunique characteristics

and has specific

audiences.


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Why the Differences?

Time management

Variety of Readers

Reading for differentreasons


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Differences

Business leaders dont have the

time in their day to sift through

many pages, searching for theinformation they need to know

and


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Technical writing will have many

different readers, reading different parts

of the work.

- a project manager, financial officer, CEO, andsupervisor might all read parts that pertain to their

jobs, then discuss as a team the merits of the proposal.

Differences


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This PowerPoint will:

Explore the differences

between academic andtechnical writing

Explain the components andstyle of technical writing


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Technicalvs.

Academic

Writing


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Technical versus Academic

Knowledge

You are

the expert

Knowledge

You are

still alearner


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Audience

Technical

background,professionals in the field

Audience

Wide range

of academicsand generalaudiences


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Criteria forEvaluation

Clear andsimpleorganization,

Visuallyappealingand easy to

follow.

Criteria forEvaluation

Depth,logic,clarity,unity andgrammar


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Graphics,charts, and

numbersare usedvery

frequentlyto supportconclusions

Graphics,charts, andnumbers aresometimesused to helpexplain and

demonstrateknowledge


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Characteristics of Technical

Writing Clear, Concise and simply

organized.

Repetitive in nature. Highly defined

structure/format.

Examples: Lab reports,memos, business letters,technical reports, and

proposals


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Compare These Statements:

Looking into

the azure blue sky

one could see thegolden orb of sun

slip gently beneath

the western sky.

The sun setin the west.


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The left-side description ofthe sun setting is an example

of academic writing and theright-side description is an

example of technical writing.


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Notice that the technical

description is clear,concise, and coherent.

These three Cs are

trademarks of technical

writing.


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Assignment:

Find an article out of a PopularMechanics magazine. Compare thefirst two or three paragraphs of thatarticle with a passage from one ofyour favorite novels using thefollowing categories: Content, Organization, Layout, Intended

Audience, Purpose, Tone.

You should notice a distinct difference ineach of the categories, leading to howeach is distinct in its clarity, coherence,and conciseness.


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Style in Technical Writing

Writers have unique characteristics. Sentence structure, word length word

choice, and word order; these are choices

we make without being conscious of it.These decisions shape the way weexpress ourselves

Style is personal choice, there is noright or wrong here

T


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Tone-

Expression of an underlying

attitude that can be:Casual

Objective

Persuasive

Enthusiastic

Serious

Authoritative

Friendly

**Always present your material in a positive

light. Never let the negative be presented.


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The following tips lend themselvesto better clarity and cohesion in

technical writing.


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Sentence Tips Place the main point atthe beginning of thesentence

**Dont make the

reader work tofind it.


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Sentence Tips Use one main clausein each sentence

**more becomes

Confusing.


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Sentence Tips

Examine your copy tomake sure you vary thesentence length but aimfor 15-20 words persentence. If you use thesame length sentences, the

text becomes tedious toread


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Conciseness Tips

Avoid the repeated use ofpronouns, this confuses thereader. Only use a pronoun

immediately following the nounit represents. Try to use specificnouns such as the persons

name, or the specific piece ofequipment, etc. In place ofabstract nouns


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Assessment of-

Classification of-

Computation of-

Development of-

Elimination of-

Requirementof-

Abstract Nouns


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Conciseness Tips

Focus onstrong verbs!

Assess

Classify

Compute

Develop

Eliminate

Require


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Conciseness Tips

Shorten wordy phrases

Replace long words with

short ones Leave out clichs

Cut out extra words thatare redundant


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Language Use Tips

Distinguish facts from opinions

Include supportive statementswhen necessary

Choose your words carefully

Avoid using words like alwaysand neverthese box thewriter in and create finality


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Active Voice

Active voiceemphasizes thedoer or the subject

Joe delivered the pizza within the

specified time frame.

Active voice uses one verb deliveredcompared to passive voice which uses aform of the verb to be + the verb---was delivered

Almost all technical writing should bedone in the active voice, except lab

reports.


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Active Voice helps:

Create less wordysentences

Places emphasis on thesubjecte.g. company orpersons name


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Passive Voice

Passive voiceemphasizes therecipient of the action

Verbs with the to be form

Emphasize the receiver ofthe action

Avoid repetitious use of I

and names

Is it the roses or the receiver of the

roses that is important to the giver?


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Examples of editing

forconciseness


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the passage of the levy wasaccomplished through longand hard negotiations, and

door to door canvassing.

Revised:

The levy pass through longand hard work.


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Confirmation of the votingresults occurred yesterday.

Revised

The voting results were

confirmed yesterday.


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Technical Writing

Provides clearcommunication in theworkplace

Has unique formats and aspecific style of writing

Creates clarity, conciseness

and coherency in writing


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Closure

Welcome to a new style ofwriting. Hopefully the handoutsthat accompany these

Presentations will help you takeyour first steps to become aTechnical Writer.

part 1 technical writing.ppt

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