SPRING 24 TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION GOSSE LECTURE OK.ppt

TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION CLASS

1. Lecture #1Lecture #1
SPRING 24SPRING 24
COM 2301 A/B , COM 2301 A/B ,
Technical CommunicationTechnical Communication
GOSSE Kouassi Victor, PHD GOSSE Kouassi Victor, PHD

2. INTRODUCTION
•Technical writing is a crucial skill
employers required for potential
employees. It is also nurtured and
rewarded in employees that are
already in the workplace. However, it
is hard to find people with strong
technical writing skills, regardless of
their academic background. A careful
systematic training is required.

3. OBJECTIVES
•Define technical communication (TC)
•Describe the factors involved in TC
•Explain the background of technical
writers
•Show the preferences of technical
readers

4. OUTLINE
INTRODUCTION
I-Defining technical communication
II- Factors involved in Technical
communication
III-Preferences of Technical Readers
IV-Kinds of audiences
V-Purpose of the audience
VI-Use of information for the
audience
CONCLUSION

5. I-What is technical
communication
?

6. Technical communication is
the process of transmitting
facts and information to a
defined audience for a
specific purpose.
In other words it is
”writing for understanding”.

7. Explanation:
•Technical writers present information in
science,electronics or other technical
areas on a professional level, backed up by
data facts, so that information is complete
and accurate.
•Employee who can produce focused, clear
documents often have a competitive edge
over others who are less skilled with
written communication.

8. Ancient civilizations drew pictographs
on cave walls to describe how they
hunted and where they journeyed.
Today we use wide variety of
equipment and computer software to
make our writing, research efficient.
e.g. graphics, multimedia presentation
software and others to process
information into usable forms.
The History of Technical
Communication

9. II-Factors involved in Technical
communication

10. Technical writers must consider
before beginning any type of
technical communication.
•These are
1.Audience,
2. Purpose,
3.Format, and
4. Style.

11. Audience

12. •The Audience could consist of
managers, co-workers, customers
and clients, the general public, or
any combination.
•They will have different levels of
understanding and different
information needs that require
specific formats and styles of
communication.

13. Purpose

14. The purposes of a technical
document could be to:
•inform,
.explain,
• describe,
• record actions.

15. Format

16. Technical communication can be
written in the following formats
Reports or documents, such as
personals, lab reports, product
specification, or quality-test results.
Records-keeping forms, such as
service reports, travel and expense
forms or troubleshooting logs.
Instructions, such as user guides,
online help, and training manuals.

17. Correspondence, such as letters,
memos, and emails.
Presentations, such as interviews,
marketing calls, or training seminars

18. Style

19. Writers base the style (language,
organization, and layout) of document
on audience, purpose, and format
The document might need visible
structure of headings and subheadings
or even chapters to identify the flow of
information
The document might not need visible
clues for structure, such as casual
emails or memo focused on only one
topic

20. •The layout can consist of
condensed paragraphs that fill
the pages of the document,
•or it can provide lots of white
space, with examples, charts,
or graphics to illustrate points
and bulleted or numbered lists
to highlight main points.

21. III-Preferences of
Technical Readers

22. •Generally people who read technical
information prefer sentences that get
straight to the point.
•They prefer words that are functional,
exact, and clear.
•They prefer paragraphs that are short, with
each paragraph focused on only one
(Function, usage instruction, etc.)

23. IV-Kinds of audiences

24. The first step in writing technical
communication is to focus on the
audience.
Because of different mental level,
knowledge , background audience can
be categorized in the following
Highly Technical
Semi-technical
Non-technical

25. •HighlyTechnical
• Audience

26. •A technical Audience understands
fundamental concepts and jargon
without definitions or background
information
•The Reader expects the writer to use
technical language efficiently and
appropriately.
Here is a flavor for such a report for
a technical audience: the medical
staff at an emergency room.

27. • REPORT FOR A HIGHLY
TECHNICAL AUDIENCE.

28. •Subjective: Patient C/O SOB
secondary to MVA.
•Objective: 40 y.o. W/m found
conscious, sitting behind bent
steering wheel of passenger car with
extensive front-end damage.
HEAD: ARWY patent; EYES: attntv ;
PERL;SKIN:W&D; c some cyanosis
presents - - - - - - - - - - - - - --

29. Semi-technical Audience

30. The semi-technical audience needs some
explanation of concepts, abbreviations,
and jargons. Writers use technical
terms only if they are common in the
company or industry.

31. Report for Semi-
Technical
Subjective: patient complains of shortness of breath,
secondary to motor vehicle accident.
Objective: 40-years-old,white male found conscious,
sitting behind bent steering wheel passenger car with
extensive front-end damage.
Head: airway patent (breathing freely);
EYES: attentive, pupils equally reactive to light.
Skin: warm and dry with some cyanosis present. ---- --------

32. Non-technical Audience

33. The last type of audience is the general
public, and unknown audience, or any
combination of technical, semi-technical
and non-technical readers, including
customers, clients, and patients.

34. Report for Non-technical
Audience
Your husband was involved in car accident.
He's alert, cooperate, and oriented. We
are treating him for five broken ribs on his
right side, which are each broken in
several places, called flail chest.
This can cause breathing difficulties and
even lung damage.

35. V-What does the audience
want to know?

36. The audience, whether technical or
general, might want only the highlights
of the information. For example, a
manager might want bottom-line
information, such as total cost, time
frame, or budget impact.
Or the audience might want detailed
information, including all the
background, procedures used, visual
aids, data tables and your conclusions.

37. VI-What does the audience
intend to do with the
information?

38. This is the critical question !
People read technical information for a
purpose.
–Sometimes that purpose is simply for
general interest.
–Other times audience wants to follow the
a procedure, solve a problem, or make a
decision.
Writers must anticipate questions and
provide the organization and details
this audience needs

39. QUESTIONS FOR AUDIENCE ANALYSIS
–How much do my audience know about
the subject?
–How much do they know about me?
–What do they expect from me?

40. QUESTIONS FOR AUDIENCE ANALYSIS
–How interested will they be in what I
say?
–What is their attitude towards me?
–What is their attitude towards my
subject?
–What is their age group?

41. QUESTIONS FOR AUDIENCE ANALYSIS
–What is their educational background?
–What positions do they occupy ?
–What is their cultural/ethnic
background?
–What kinds of cultural biases will they
likely have towards me and my topic?

42. CONCLUSI0N
Technical Communication involves
four factors and encompasses three
levels of technicality. Conciseness
and clarity are basic qualities to
consider for producing a piece of
technical writing. The use of a style
guide will help solve form and content
issues.

43. •References
Lannon and Gurak, Technical
communication, 14th edition
https://www.google.com/search?
q=technical+communication

44. THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING
•ANY QUESTIONS