| |
| |
| Preface | |
| |
| |
| Ancillaries | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| |
| Getting Started with Technical Communication | |
| |
| |
| |
| Technical Communication: What Is It? | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Is Technical Communication? | |
| |
| |
| Technical Communication and Audience | |
| |
| |
| Workplace Communication and Academic Writing | |
| |
| |
| Communication on the Job | |
| |
| |
| The Technical Communicator's Responsibilities | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Technical Communication | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Technical Communication | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Defining Workplace Readers: Who Are They? | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| Readers and Expertise | |
| |
| |
| Primary and Secondary Audiences | |
| |
| |
| Understanding the Reader's Context | |
| |
| |
| Motivating Readers | |
| |
| |
| Diversity and the Workplace Audience | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Defining Workplace Readers | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Defining Workplace Readers | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Technical Communicator's Tools | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Technical Communicator's Tools: Clear Language | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Is Style? | |
| |
| |
| Specific and General Words | |
| |
| |
| Sexist Language | |
| |
| |
| Tone, Tact, and Bias | |
| |
| |
| Effective Sentence Patterns | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Clear Language | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Clear Language | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Technical Communicator's Tools: Information Design | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Is Information Design? | |
| |
| |
| How People Read Documents | |
| |
| |
| Designing Documents for Your Readers' Needs | |
| |
| |
| Design Strategies for Pages | |
| |
| |
| Design Strategies for Computer Screens | |
| |
| |
| Guidelines for Information Design | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Information Design | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Information Design | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Technical Communicator's Tools: Visuals | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Are Visuals? | |
| |
| |
| When to Use Visuals | |
| |
| |
| The Visual Communicator's Responsibilities | |
| |
| |
| Using Visuals Effectively | |
| |
| |
| Using Software to Create Visuals | |
| |
| |
| Developing and Using Different Types of Visuals | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Visuals | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Visuals | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Technical Communicator's Tools: Technology | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Are Communication Technologies? | |
| |
| |
| Technical Tools for Communicators | |
| |
| |
| Technology That Delivers Communication | |
| |
| |
| Guidelines for Selecting Communication Tools and Media | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Communication Technologies | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Technology | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Technical Writing Process | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Technical Writing Process: Planning and Drafting | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| Getting Started | |
| |
| |
| The Project Plan Sheet: Defining the Problem | |
| |
| |
| Organizing the Project | |
| |
| |
| Introduction, Body, and Closing | |
| |
| |
| Methods of Development: Patterns of Organization | |
| |
| |
| Writing the Rough Draft | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Planning and Drafting | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Planning and Drafting | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Technical Writing Process: Reviewing and Revising | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Is Reviewing? | |
| |
| |
| Reviewing for Global Issues | |
| |
| |
| Reviewing for Consistency | |
| |
| |
| Strategies for Peer Review | |
| |
| |
| Strategies for Reviewing Your Own Draft | |
| |
| |
| What Is Revision? | |
| |
| |
| Testing for Success | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Reviewing and Revising | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Reviewing and Revising | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Situations and Strategies for Technical Communication | |
| |
| |
| |
| Procedure: Explanation Showing How | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Is a Procedure Explanation? | |
| |
| |
| Audiences and Uses for Procedure Explanation | |
| |
| |
| The Author's Responsibilities | |
| |
| |
| Graphics and Other Visuals for Procedure Explanations | |
| |
| |
| Information Design | |
| |
| |
| Procedure Explanations of How to Do Something (Instructions) | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Instructions | |
| |
| |
| Procedure Explanations of How Something Is Done or How It Happens (Process) | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Explaining a Process | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Procedure | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Description: Using Details | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Is Description? | |
| |
| |
| Audiences and Uses for Description | |
| |
| |
| Descriptions of Representative Models and Specific Models | |
| |
| |
| The Author's Responsibilities | |
| |
| |
| Accurate and Appropriate Terminology | |
| |
| |
| Graphics and Other Visuals in Description | |
| |
| |
| Mechanism Description | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Description | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Description | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Definition: Explaining What Something Is | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Is Definition? | |
| |
| |
| When to Define a Term | |
| |
| |
| Where to Place a Definition | |
| |
| |
| Adapting Definition to Audience and Purpose | |
| |
| |
| The Author's Responsibilities | |
| |
| |
| Incorporating Graphics and Other Visuals in Definition | |
| |
| |
| Three Approaches to Definition: Informal, Formal, and Extended Definition | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Definition | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Definition | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Summaries: Getting to the Heart of the Matter | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Is a Summary? | |
| |
| |
| Qualities of a Useful Summary | |
| |
| |
| Types of Summaries | |
| |
| |
| What Type of Summary Should You Write? | |
| |
| |
| Writing and Revising a Summary | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Summaries | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Summaries | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Reports: Shaping Information | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| Multipurpose Reports | |
| |
| |
| What Is a Report? | |
| |
| |
| Workplace Uses of Reports | |
| |
| |
| Qualities of Report Content | |
| |
| |
| The Author's Responsibilities | |
| |
| |
| Formats for Reports | |
| |
| |
| Design Options in Reports | |
| |
| |
| Use of Graphics and Other Visuals | |
| |
| |
| Types of Reports | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Reports | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Reports | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Proposals: Using Facts to Make a Case | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Is a Proposal? | |
| |
| |
| Types of Proposals | |
| |
| |
| Qualities of Effective Proposals | |
| |
| |
| Main Parts of a Proposal | |
| |
| |
| Planning and Writing a Proposal | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Proposals | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Proposals | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Correspondence: Sending and Responding to Messages | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Is Correspondence? | |
| |
| |
| Reader-Centered Emphasis | |
| |
| |
| Audience Considerations | |
| |
| |
| The Author's Responsibilities | |
| |
| |
| Media for Electronic Correspondence | |
| |
| |
| Choice of Correspondence Medium: Memorandum (Memo) and Letter | |
| |
| |
| Types of Letters | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Correspondence | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Correspondence | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| Oral Communication | |
| |
| |
| |
| Oral Communication: Saying It Simply | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What Is Oral Communication? | |
| |
| |
| Speaking and Writing | |
| |
| |
| Informal, Quasiformal, and Formal Presentations | |
| |
| |
| The Speaker's Responsibilities | |
| |
| |
| Coping with Nervousness | |
| |
| |
| Purposes of Oral Presentations | |
| |
| |
| Preparing an Oral Presentation | |
| |
| |
| Student Example: Oral Presentation | |
| |
| |
| Delivering an Oral Presentation | |
| |
| |
| Example: A Speech by a Company Executive | |
| |
| |
| Developing and Scripting Visuals | |
| |
| |
| Preparing and Showing Visuals | |
| |
| |
| Evaluating Oral Presentations | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for Oral Communication | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Oral Communication | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| Reference Sections: The Technical Communicator's Guide to Research | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| The Research Process | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| When Do Communicators Need Research? | |
| |
| |
| Defining Research Questions | |
| |
| |
| Working with Librarians | |
| |
| |
| Beginning the Search: Early Steps | |
| |
| |
| Recording and Tracing Your Steps | |
| |
| |
| Using the Library Book Catalog | |
| |
| |
| Searching: Additional Resources | |
| |
| |
| Interviewing a Source | |
| |
| |
| Previewing Sources: Using Abstracts and Skimming | |
| |
| |
| Taking Notes | |
| |
| |
| Evaluating Sources | |
| |
| |
| Concluding Your Research | |
| |
| |
| General Principles for the Research Process | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: The Research Process | |
| |
| |
| Guides to Information Sources | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| Using the Library | |
| |
| |
| Guides to Information: Indexes | |
| |
| |
| Online Computer Searching | |
| |
| |
| Reference Works | |
| |
| |
| Publicly Available Print Materials | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Guides to Information Sources | |
| |
| |
| Documentation | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| What and Why Must You Document? | |
| |
| |
| Types of Documentation Systems | |
| |
| |
| Style Guides | |
| |
| |
| Parenthetical Documentation: MLA and APA | |
| |
| |
| Works Cited and Reference Lists | |
| |
| |
| Chapter Summary: Documentation | |
| |
| |
| Student Research Report | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| The Assignment | |
| |
| |
| Research Report Project Plan Sheet | |
| |
| |
| Progress Report | |
| |
| |
| Final Project | |
| |
| |
| Student Interview | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Search for Employment | |
| |
| |
| What Is an Employment Search? | |
| |
| |
| Self-Assessment and Career Goals | |
| |
| |
| Finding Job Leads | |
| |
| |
| Applying for a Job | |
| |
| |
| The Job Interview | |
| |
| |
| Activities | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Search for Standard English Usage | |
| |
| |
| Standard English Writing Conventions | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| Abbreviations | |
| |
| |
| Capitalization | |
| |
| |
| Numbers | |
| |
| |
| Plurals of Nouns | |
| |
| |
| Punctuation | |
| |
| |
| Spelling | |
| |
| |
| Symbols | |
| |
| |
| Common Problems in Using Standard English | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| Adjectives | |
| |
| |
| Adverbs | |
| |
| |
| Comma Splice | |
| |
| |
| Conjunctions | |
| |
| |
| Parallelism in Sentences | |
| |
| |
| Placement of Modifiers | |
| |
| |
| Preposition at End of Sentence | |
| |
| |
| Pronouns | |
| |
| |
| Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement | |
| |
| |
| Run-On, or Fused, Sentence | |
| |
| |
| Sentence Fragments | |
| |
| |
| Sexist Language | |
| |
| |
| Shift in Sentence Focus | |
| |
| |
| Shift in Person, Number, and Gender | |
| |
| |
| Subject and Verb Agreement | |
| |
| |
| Verbs | |
| |
| |
| Words Often Confused and Misused | |
| |
| |
| Credits | |
| |
| |
| Index | |