Introduction of the Technical Writing.pptx

Intro of the Technical Writing

1. Understanding the Nature of Technical Writing Chapter 1

2. When the world ushered in the 21 st century, many things changed and advanced in various fields and disciplines. These changes and advancement were prompted by the rapid pace of technology. Possessing the skills in technical report writing is an advantage for men and women who are tasked to work on writing technical reports, manuals, brochures and handbooks to represent their company, institution, or place or work.

3. What is Technical Writing? Lesson 1

4. - Anne Lamott “All good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.”

5. Technical writing is writing about scientific subjects and about various technical subjects associated with the sciences.
Technical writing is characterized by certain formal elements, such its scientific and technical vocabulary, its use of graphic aids, and its use of conventional report forms.
Technical writing is ideally characterized by the maintenance of an attitude of impartiality and objectivity, by extreme care to convey information accurately and concisely, and by the absence of any attempt to arouse emotion.
Technical writing is writing in which there is relatively high concentration of certain complex and important writing techniques, in particular description of mechanisms, description of process, definition, classification, and interpretation. Acclaimed proponents of technical writing Mills and Walter (1981) gave several definitions to aid us in understanding the nature of technical writing. According to them:

6. Business Letter - Is a type of written communication. It is written using formal language and follows formal elements of letter writing. People usually write business letters to communicate with companies, organization or individuals with the purpose of applying for a job, making requests, seeking opportunities, etc. To students, perhaps, Technical Writing may just be a requirement to pass an assignment, but to professional, it may be any of the following which is required to fulfill a task. These are the products of technical writing:

7. Contract - Is a written agreement between two people under mutually agreed terms.

8. Monograph - Is a detailed essay or book on a very specific topic. It is usually written by professionals or academicians on topics of interest concerning their specific fields.

9. Printed Action Memo - Is a ready-format memorandum that only requires a checkmark on the appropriate box that contains the message. This is especially useful for busy people who need to make quick decisions and act on the circumstance or situation.

10. Graphic Aids - Drawings, sketches and illustrations that aid the readers in understanding the presented data.

11. Instructional Manuals - Are written to guide the readers on how to assemble, maintain, and operate an apparatus, machine or gadget.

12. Brochures - Are pamphlets or flyers that endorse a product in such a way that the potential customer will be convinced that the product is effective and eventually avail of the product.

13. Proposals - Are written suggestions on how to make the company or organization more productive and successful. Most companies and organizations require this before an agreement is reached.

14. Memoranda - Are inter-office written communication used to disseminate information.

15. 01 In today’s world, the demand for accomplishing more written outputs makes a professional who is skilled in this area all the more needed. In whatever field, a skilled technical writer is needed, thus, taking note of the FIVE IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES in GOOD TECHNICAL WRITING separates a talented technical writer from an ordinary writer. Bear in mind the following: 02 03 Always have in mind a specific reader, real or imaginary. when you are writing a report. Always assume that he is intelligent, but uninformed. Before you start to write, always decide what the exact purpose of your report is, and make sure that every paragraph, every sentence, every word makes a clear contribution to that purpose. Use language that is simple, concrete, and familiar. 04 At the beginning and end of every section of your report, check your writing according to this principle: “First you tell the reader what you’re going to tell him, then you tell him what you’ve told him.” 05 Make your report attractive.

16. 01 On the other hand, while bearing in mind the important principles of technical writing, it would also help to distinguish the purposes of technical writing so that we do not confuse technical writing with other writing forms. So, what are the purposes of technical writing? 02 03 It serves as basis for management decision. It furnishes needed information. It gives instructions. 04 It records business transactions through proposals. 05 It procures business proposals. 06 07 It serves as basis for public relations. It provides report to stockholders of companies.

17. PROPERTIES OF TECHNICAL WRITING

18. The following properties of technical writing are also known as “considerations” when writing technical reports. 1 . Subject matter. In writing technical papers, you must ask the question, “What will I write about?” The subject matter Is an essential element in technical. Report writing. Some examples of this are description of a process, writing about a theory, or submitting a policy. 2 . Audience. When thinking about the audience, ask “Whom am I writing for? Or who are my intended readers?” This is a property whichh pertains to a particular reader of a technical literature.

19. 3 . Expression. This property refers to two basic modes in which a technical report has to be delivered-writing it or reading it. Your expression of the content will depend on your awareness of your audience’s/ reader’s psychology and your style in writing to be able to reach your audience's/ reader’s understanding. 4 . Style. This refers to how the material is written. A technical writer uses clear, specific point of view, objective, impartial, and unemotional style in writing. 5. Arrangement of materials. This pertains to how ideas should be organized in chronological, spatial or logical order, from general to specific or specific to general, and use illustrations to present the information.

20. Earlier, technical writing is treated as a unique form of written communication because of its important qualities, purposes, and properties. Let us elucidate it further by enumerating striking differences between this form of writing which is more formal and academic compared to other writing forms. For instance, writing can be grouped into five basic types: Technical writing conveys specific information about a technical subject to a specific audience for a specific purpose. Creative writing is fiction poetry, short stories, plays, and novels and far different from technical writing. Expressive writing is a subjective response to a personal experience-journals and diaries whereas technical writing might be objective observations of a work-related experience or research.

21. Expository writing “exposes” a topic analytically and objectively, such as news reports. Like technical writing. The goal of expository writing is to explain or reveal knowledge, but expository writing does not necessarily expect a response or action from the reader. Persuasive writing depends on emotional appeal. Its goal is to change one’s attitudes or motivate him/her to action.

22. Differences between Technical Writing and Creative Writing Writers have different writing styles. There are writers who are more inclined to the straightforward or direct form of writing while others are on the creative or literary. Below are differences between technical writing and creative writing based on content. Audience, purpose, style, tone, vocabulary, and organization.