Technical Writing Lecture 1

Technical Writing - Lecture 1

• Technical writing conveys specific information about a technical subject to a specific audience for a specific purpose.
• The words and graphics are meant to be practical and help the audience understand or complete a task.
• Engineers write many documents, requiring strong writing skills.
• Engineers can learn to write effectively, though "no one can be a good writer - only a good rewriter"
• A typical engineer's day involves a substantial amount of communication (more than 50%).
• The day includes activities like reading/responding to internet messages, meetings (technical and marketing), completing reports, and more.
• The typical work day spans approximately from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM.

Types of Technical Writing

• Technical documents are categorized into four main types:
  • Reports and communications in daily business
  • Technical papers, magazine articles, books, and theses (teaching, education, and knowledge sharing)
  • Patents
  • Operational manuals, instructions, or procedures (for steps and processes).

Noise and Communication Process

• Noise in communication refers to anything that causes hesitation, confusion, or frustration for the reader when understanding the content.
• The communication process includes an encoder (sender), a channel (method of transmitting the message), and a decoder (receiver).

Technical Writing Process

• Technical writing involves the following steps:
  • Planning (Purpose, Readers, Research, Outline)
  • Drafting (Initial Draft)
  • Reviewing (Mechanics, Grammar, Style, Content)

Technical Style Characteristics

• Objectivity (neutrality, absence of bias)
• Precision (concrete language, exact dimensions, and well-defined terms)
• Clarity (word choice, completeness, correctness)
• Economy (fewest words for the desired meaning)
• Audience (general, technicians, experts, executives, mixed types)

Objectivity: Denotative vs. Connotative

• Denotative meaning is the literal or dictionary definition of a word, while connotative meaning is the associated emotional or cultural meaning.
• Objectivity in writing means presenting a topic without bias.
• Example: "Educator" (positive) vs. "Pedant" (negative) are terms for a Teacher.

Precision: Concrete vs. Abstract

• Concrete terms refer to tangible things, objects or phenomena, abstract concepts are intangible, abstract ideas, and general concepts.
• For precise writing, the need to use concrete terms instead of abstract ones.

Accurate Information

• Errors in technical writing can diminish the confidence of the reader.
• Accurate information involves using precise data and distinguishing facts from opinions.
• Example errors: Incorrect references, inaccurate directions, and claims that aren't true.

Orderly Material

• Well-organized material is key to comprehension.
• Order of material can be chronological (progress of a trip report), from most important to least, order of familiarity or difficulty (textbook), and from general to specific (memo).

Clarity Examples

• Misplaced modifiers can make the writing confusing.
• Careful punctuation and sentence structure are crucial.

Clear Expression

• Avoid ambiguity, vagueness, and incoherence in technical writing.
• Sentences should have clear and unambiguous meaning..
• Words must be directly related.

Examples of writing issues

• Examples and explanations are provided for ambiguity, vagueness, incoherence, directness and wordiness.

Economy

• Concise phrasing is emphasized.
• Hints for economical writing: Use single words instead of phrases, remove unnecessary words, and avoid unnecessary constructions (e.g., "there is," "it is").

Verbs for Phrases

• Provides a table with common phrases and suitable verbs (e.g. "Come into contact with" - "Meet/touch").

Efficient wording

• Avoid redundancy (repeating the same concept) and unnecessary words.
• Suggestions include using simpler and more concise language. Avoid passive voice.

Example of wordiness

• Correct examples are provided to clearly show that complex/longer words are not always better.

Wordiness Table (Words/Phrases)

• Lists of single words and phrases that can replace less concise phrasing.
• Gives examples to improve concise writing.

Efficient wording - Redundancy

• Discusses how one can avoid redundant phrasing.

Audience

• Writing should adapt to the understanding level of the audience (general, technicians, experts, executives, mixed)

Your Readers

• Consider reader needs, interests, expertise, and potential reactions.

Additional notes

• Use clear summaries, non-technical language, and appendices to provide details where suitable.

Explore the fundamentals of technical writing in this first lecture. Learn how effective communication is essential for engineers and the various types of technical documents they produce. This quiz will test your understanding of the principles and practices involved in technical writing.