INTRODUCTION TO TECHNICAL TEXTS

Unit One

WHAT IS THE TECHNICAL WAY OF DESCRIBING SOMETHING?

Group A: How might a poet describe this object?

Group B: How might an advertiser describe this object?

Group C: Who might a furniture designer describe this object?

WHAT IS TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION?

Good communication is good business. Every day, business people write, read, speak, and listen to do their work – sending e-mail messages, reporting on projects, making presentations, and developing proposals. The success of their work – and yours – often depends on the quality and speed of communication.

Write for Business, pg. iii

COMMUNICATION

The process of sending and receiving messages.

Communication is effective when others understand your message correctly and respond to it in a way you want.

It also helps you manage your work flow, improves business relationships, enhances your professional images, and provides a variety of other important benefits.

Excellence in Business Communication, pg. 2

THE BIG QUESTIONS…

What is the importance of effective communication in your job?

What kind of writing do you do in your job?

*** Let’s ask people in their workforce to get a better idea of what types of jobs are out there and how technical communication is part of any workforce.

FREE-WRITE

Describe any work or volunteer experiences that you have had.

AND/ OR Describe any work or volunteer experiences

that you are interested in having.

Remember: write in complete sentences and answer the question as fully as you can!

TECHNICAL WRITING

Includes everything from business correspondence to scientific reports.

The purpose of this kind of writing is first and foremost to convey information; the conventions that surround its various forms are designed to help writers communicate this information with clarity and brevity (shortness).

The focus is on factual information, but it follows the same writing process as any other type of good writing.

• Technical Communication, pg. ix

CAROUSEL

A) Who is a technical writer?

B) What types of forms of writing are used for technical purposes?

C) What are some characteristics of effective communication?

READING A TECHNICAL DOCUMENT

1) Establishing a purpose for reading

2) Previewing

3) Reviewing

4) Following up on unanswered questions.

CODE THE TEXT – A READING STRATEGY

“Reading furnishes our mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.” - John Locke

The SQ3R Strategy – get used to it! S – Survey Q – Question R – Read R - Recite R – Review

“HOW TO” GROUP ACTIVITY

Choose one of the tasks from the board. Discuss how to complete the task – and

practice. Analyse your audience. Think about what to call things (labeling). Think about the order of the steps. Write down the steps of the procedure. Use diagrams and call-outs. Another group will test your procedure.

Examples – how to knit, how to tie your shoelaces

ANALYSING A TECHNICAL TEXT

WRITING A TECHNICAL DOCUMENT

What do you need to think about before creating a technical document or text?

FREE-WRITE

Write TWO short texts, addressing the new students of Garden City Collegiate. In one of the texts, you are going to focus on all of the positive of GC; in the other, you will focus on some of the negatives. In other words, one text will welcome, the other with warn.

6 CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE TECHNICAL WRITING

Clarity Accuracy Comprehensiveness Accessibility Conciseness Correctness

We will be reviewing these characteristics in more depth in the next three units.

EMPLOYABILITY SKILLS

What are employers looking for? How do you give that to them?

Review of Top 20 Labour Market Skills How can this list be updated? Which ones do you have? Which ones are you interested in updating/ acquiring?