Practical Strategies for Technical Communication

Practical Strategies prepares students to keep up with today’s constantly changing workplace, providing a concise, accessible guide to everything they need to know about audience and purpose, document design, research, style, and more. Full of clear, practical advice and real-world examples from a range of sources, the fourth edition gives students practice with the kinds of writing processes and products they’ll encounter on the job and shines a light on the challenges of writing in a variety of contexts across a variety of media. And Achieve facilitates student engagement with document-based cases tied to writing assignments, practice and assessment opportunities, an interactive ebook, and more. Practical Strategies continues to enable students to become effective, responsible communicators in a technologically saturated world.

Table of Contents:
Preface for Instructors Introduction for Writers      Part 1   Working in the Technical-Communication Environment 1     Introduction to Technical Communication What Is Technical Communication? Understanding Purpose Understanding Audience    Why Technical Communication Skills Are Important in Your Career The Challenges of Producing Technical Communication Audience-Related Factors Purpose-Related Factors  Setting-Related Factors   Document-Related Factors                     Process-Related Factors   Thinking Visually: Characteristics of a Technical Document Thinking Visually: Measures of Excellence in Technical Documents Skills and Qualities Shared by Successful Workplace Communicators ■ Guidelines: Communicating Professionally ■ Focus on Process: Writing Technical Documents A Look at Three Technical Documents Exercises Case 1: Using the Measures of Excellence in Evaluating a Résumé 2     Understanding Ethical and Legal Obligations A Brief Introduction to Ethics Obligations to Your Employer Obligations to the Public Obligations to the Environment Your Legal Obligations Copyright Law ■ Guidelines: Determining Fair Use ■ Guidelines: Dealing with Copyright Questions ■ Ethics Note: Distinguishing Plagiarism from Acceptable Reuse of Information The Role of Corporate Culture in Ethical and Legal Conduct Understanding Ethical and Legal Issues Related to Social Media ■ Guidelines: Using Social Media Ethically and Legally Communicating Ethically Across Cultures Communicating with Cultures with Different Ethical Beliefs ■ Document Analysis Activity: Presenting Guidelines for Using Social Media Communicating in Countries with Different Laws Thinking Visually: Principles for Ethical Communication Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 2: The Ethics of Requiring Students to Subsidize a Plagiarism-Detection Service 3     Writing Collaboratively Thinking Visually: Advantages and Disadvantages of Collaboration Managing Projects ■ Guidelines: Managing Your Project Conducting Meetings Listening Effectively ■ Guidelines: Listening Effectively Setting Your Team’s Agenda ■ Guidelines: Setting Your Team’s Agenda ■ Ethics Note: Pulling Your Weight on Collaborative Projects Conducting Efficient Meetings Communicating Diplomatically Critiquing a Team Member’s Work ■ Guidelines: Communicating Diplomatically ■ Guidelines: Critiquing a Colleague’s Work ■ Document Analysis Activity: Critiquing a Draft Clearly and Diplomatically Using Electronic Tools in Collaboration Word-Processing Tools Messaging Technologies Videoconferencing ■ Guidelines: Participating in a Videoconference Wikis and Shared Document Workspaces Crowdsourcing Platforms Strategies for Online Communication: Jenny Gilbert on Crowdsourcing Data and Information ■ Ethics Note: Maintaining a Professional Presence Online Gender and Collaboration Culture and Collaboration Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 3: Accommodating a Team Member’s Scheduling Problems      Part 2   Planning and Drafting the Document 4     Analyzing Your Audience and Purpose Understanding Audience and Purpose Using an Audience Profile Sheet ■ Choices and Strategies: Responding to Readers’ Attitudes Techniques for Learning About Your Audience Determining What You Already Know About Your Audience Interviewing People Reading About Your Audience Online Searching Social Media for Documents Your Audience Has Written Analyzing Social-Media Data Thinking Visually: Determining the Important Characteristics of Your Audience Communicating Across Cultures Understanding the Cultural Variables “on the Surface” Understanding the Cultural Variables “Beneath the Surface” Considering Cultural Variables as You Write ■ Guidelines: Writing for Readers from Other Cultures Using Graphics and Design for Multicultural Readers Applying What You Have Learned About Your Audience ■ Document Analysis Activity: Examining Cultural Variables in a Business Letter ■ Ethics Note: Meeting Your Readers’ Needs Responsibly Writing for Multiple Audiences Determining Your Purpose Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 4: Focusing on an Audience’s Needs and Interests 5     Researching Your Subject Understanding the Research Process ■ Guidelines: Planning for the Research Process ■ Guidelines: Researching a Topic Choosing Appropriate Research Methods ■ Choices and Strategies: Research Questions and Methods Conducting Secondary Research Understanding Research Tools Types of SEcondary Research Sources Using Social Media and Other Interactive Resources       Evaluating the Information ■ Guidelines: Evaluating Print and Online Sources Conducting Primary Research Analysis of Social-Media Data ■ Document Analysis Activity: Evaluating Information from Internet Sources Observations and Demonstrations Inspections Experiments Field Research Interviews ■ Guidelines: Conducting an Interview Inquiries Questionnaires ■ Choices and Strategies: Choosing Types of Questions for Questionnaires ■ Ethics Note: Reporting and Analyzing Data Honestly Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 5: Revising a Questionnaire 6     Writing for Your Readers Presenting Yourself Effectively ■ Guidelines: Creating a Professional Persona Using Conventional Patterns of Organization ■ Choices and Strategies: Choosing Effective Organizational Patterns Writing Clear, Informative Titles Writing Clear, Informative Headings ■ Guidelines: Revising Headings Writing Clear, Informative Paragraphs Structure Paragraphs Clearly ■ Ethics Note: Avoiding Burying Bad News in Paragraphs ■ Guidelines: Dividing Long Paragraphs Use Coherence Devices Within and Between Paragraphs Writing Grammatically Correct Sentences Avoid Sentence Fragments Avoid Comma Splices Avoid Run-On Sentences Avoid Ambiguous Pronoun References Compare Items Clearly Use Adjectives Clearly Maintain Subject-Verb Agreement Maintain Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Use Tenses Correctly Structuring Effective Sentences Emphasize New and Important Information Write Effective Sentence Lists ■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Lists Choose an Appropriate Sentence Length Focus on the “Real” Subject Focus on the “Real” Verb Use Parallel Structure Use Modifiers Effectively Choosing the Right Words and Phrases Select an Appropriate Level of Formality Be Clear      Use Active and Passive Voice Appropriately ■ Ethics Note: Euphemisms and Truth Telling Be Concise ■ Document Analysis Activity: Revising for Conciseness and Simplicity Use Inoffensive Language ■ Guidelines: Avoiding Sexist Language ■ Guidelines: Using the People-First Approach Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 6: Emphasizing Important Information in a Technical Description      Part 3   Designing User-Friendly Documents and Websites 7     Designing Print and Online Documents Goals of Document Design Planning the Design of Print and Online Documents ■ Guidelines: Planning Your Design Understanding Design Principles Designing Print Documents Navigation Aids ■ Choices and Strategies: Creating Navigation Aids Page Layout ■ Guidelines: Understanding Learning Theory and Page Design Typography ■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Format Columns ■ Ethics Note: Using Type Sizes Responsibly Titles and Headings Other Design Features ■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Create Borders and Screens Designing Online Documents Use Design To Emphasize Important Information ■ Document Analysis Activity: Analyzing a Page Design Create Informative Headers and Footers Help Readers Navigate the Document ■ Guidelines: Making Your Document Easy To Navigate Include Extra Features Your Readers Might Need Help Readers Connect with Others Consider Matters of Accessibility ■ Guidelines: Designing Accessible Websites Design for Multicultural Audiences ■ Ethics Note: Designing Legal and Honest Online Documents Aim for Simplicity ■ Guidelines: Designing Simple, Clear Web Pages Make the Text Easy to Read and Understand ■ Guidelines: Designing Easy-to-Read Text Create Clear, Informative Links ■ Guidelines: Writing Clear, Informative Links          Combining Print and Online Documents STRATEGIES FOR ONLINE COMMUNICATION: Calvin Jones on Using Multiple Modalities Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 7: Designing a Flyer 8     Creating Graphics The Functions of Graphics Thinking Visually: Characteristics of an Effective Graphic ■ Ethics Note: Creating Honest Graphics Understanding the Process of Creating Graphics Planning Graphics Producing Graphics ■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Insert and Modify Graphics Revising Graphics Citing Sources of Graphics Using Color Effectively Choosing the Appropriate Kind of Graphic ■ Choices and Strategies: Choosing the Appropriate Kind of Graphic Illustrating Numerical Information ■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Tables ■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Bar Graphs ■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Infographics ■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Use Drawing Tools ■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Line Graphs ■ Guidelines: Creating Effective Pie Charts Illustrating Logical Relationships ■ Document Analysis Activity: Analyzing a Graphic Illustrating Process Descriptions and Instructions Illustrating Visual and Spatial Characteristics ■ Guidelines: Presenting Photographs Effectively ■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Create and Insert Screen Shots Creating Effective Graphics for Multicultural Readers Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 8: Creating Appropriate Graphics To Accompany a Report      Part 4   Learning Important Applications 9     Corresponding in Print and Online Understanding the Process of Writing Correspondence ■ Focus on Process: Correspondence ■ Choices and Strategies: Choosing a Type of Correspondence Presenting Yourself Effectively in Correspondence Use the Appropriate Level of Formality Communicate Correctly Project the “You Attitude” Avoid Correspondence Clichés Communicate Honestly ■ Ethics Note: Writing Honest Business Correspondence Writing Letters Elements of a Letter Common Types of Letters Writing Memos ■ Guidelines: Organizing a Memo Writing Emails ■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Use Email for Business Correspondence ■ Guidelines: Following Netiquette Writing Microblogs ■ Document Analysis Activity: Following Netiquette in an Email Message ■ Guidelines: Representing Your Organization on a Microblog Writing Correspondence to Multicultural Readers Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 9: Writing a Memo 10   Applying for a Job Establishing Your Professional Brand ■ Guidelines: Building the Foundation of Your Professional Brand Crafting Your Professional Brand ■ Guidelines: Presenting Your Professional Brand ■ Ethics Note: Writing Honest Job-Application Materials Finding the Right Position Understanding Job Search Strategies ■ Guidelines: Using LinkedIn’s Employment Features Writing Résumés Elements of the Chronological Résumé ■ Guidelines: Elaborating on Your Education Elements of the Skills Résumé Preparing a Plain-Text Résumé ■ Guidelines: Formatting a Plain-Text Résumé ■ Document Analysis Activity: Preparing a Résumé Considering Nontraditional Résumés ■ Guidelines: Planning a Nontraditional Résumé Writing Job-Application Letters Preparing for a Job Interview      ■ Guidelines: Preparing for a Job Interview   ■ Guidelines: Preparing for an Online Job Interview Writing Follow-up Letters or Emails After an Interview Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 10: Writing a Cover Letter 11   Writing Proposals The Logistics of Proposals ■ Focus on Process: Writing Proposals Internal and External Proposals Solicited and Unsolicited Proposals The “Deliverables” of Proposals Research Proposals Goods and Services Proposals Persuasion and Proposals Understanding Contexts Describing What You Plan To Do Demonstrating Your Professionalism ■ Guidelines: Demonstrating Your Professionalism in a Proposal ■ Ethics Note: Writing Honest Proposals The Structure of the Proposal Summary Introduction ■ Guidelines: Introducing a Proposal Proposed Program Qualifications and Experience ■ Document Analysis Activity: Writing the Proposed Program Budget Appendixes Task Schedule    ■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Create a Gantt Chart Description of Evaluation Techniques        Sample Internal Proposal Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 11: Revising An Introduction for a Proposal 12   Writing Informational Reports ■ Focus on Process: Writing Informational Reports Writing Directives ■ Document Analysis Activity: Writing a Persuasive Directive Writing Field Reports ■ Guidelines: Responding to Readers’ Questions in a Field Report Writing Progress and Status Reports ■ Ethics Note: Reporting Your Progress Honestly Organizing Progress and Status Reports Concluding Progress and Status Reports ■ Guidelines: Projecting an Appropriate Tone in a Progress or Status Report Sample Progress Report Writing Incident Reports Writing Meeting Minutes Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 12: Writing a Directive 13   Writing Recommendation Reports Understanding the Role of Recommendation Reports Using a Problem-Solving Model for Preparing Recommendation Reports Identify the Problem or Opportunity Establish Criteria for Responding to the Problem or Opportunity Determine the Options Study Each Option According to the Criteria Draw Conclusions About Each Option Formulate Recommendations Based on the Conclusions ■ Ethics Note: Presenting Honest Recommendations Writing Recommendation Reports Writing the Body of the Report ■ Guidelines: Writing Recommendations Writing the Front Matter ■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Make a Long Report Navigable ■ Guidelines: Writing an Executive Summary Writing the Back Matter ■ Document Analysis Activity: Analyzing an Executive Summary Sample Recommendation Report Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 13: Writing a Recommendation 14   Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions ■ Focus on Process: Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions Writing Definitions Analyzing the Writing Situation for Definitions ■ Choices and Strategies: Choosing the Appropriate Type of Definition Writing Sentence Definitions ■ Guidelines: Writing Effective Sentence Definitions Writing Extended Definitions Writing Descriptions Analyzing the Writing Situation for Descriptions Indicating Clearly the Nature and Scope of the Description Introducing the DEscription Clearly                  Providing Appropriate DEtail    ■ Guidelines: Providing Appropriate Detail in Descriptions Ending the Description with a Brief Conclusion A Look at Several Sample Descriptions Writing Instructions Strategies for Online Communication: Suzanne Barnhill on Moderating User Forums Understanding the Role of Instructional Videos Designing a Set of Instructions ■ Guidelines: Designing Clear, Attractive Pages Planning for Safety ■ Ethics Note: Ensuring Your Readers’ Safety Drafting Effective Instructions ■ Guidelines: Drafting Introductions for Instructions ■ Guidelines: Drafting Steps in Instructions ■ Guidelines: Testing Instructions for Usability Revising, Editing, and Proofreading Instructions A Look at Several Sample Sets of Instructions Writing Manuals ■ Document Analysis Activity: Presenting Clear Instructions Writer’s Checklist Exercises Case 14: Writing Instructions 15   Making Oral Presentations Understanding the Role of Oral Presentations Preparing the Presentation ■ Focus on Process: Oral Presentations Analyzing the Speaking Situation Organizing and Developing the Presentation ■ Guidelines: Introducing the Presentation ■ Guidelines: Concluding the Presentation Preparing Presentation Graphics ■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Create a Presentation Template ■ Tech Tip: Why and How To Set List Items To Appear and Dim During a Presentation Choosing Effective Language ■ Document Analysis Activity: Integrating Graphics and Text on a Presentation Slide ■ Guidelines: Using Memorable Language in Oral Presentations Rehearsing the Presentation Thinking Visually: Delivering the Presentation Presenting to All Audiences Answering Questions After a Presentation ■ Ethics Note: Answering Questions Honestly Speaker’s Checklist Exercises Case 15: Writing an Oral Presentation    Appendix: Reference Handbook A    Documenting Your Sources Note Taking APA Style IEEE Style MLA Style B    Editing and Proofreading Your Documents Punctuation Mechanics Proofreading Symbols and Their Meanings References Index Index of Features