Essentials of Technical Communication Chapter 1 Characteristics of Writing at Work

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Essentials of Technical CommunicationChapter
1Characteristics of Writing at Work
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National Endowment for the Arts Announces New
Reading Study

• http//www.nea.gov/news/news07/trnr.html

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Why Is Workplace Writing Important to You?

• Poorly written applications are likely to doom
  candidates chances for employment.
• Writing remediation costs American businesses as
  much as 3.1 billion annually.
• 50 percent of private employers and 60 percent of
  state government employers say writing skills
  impact promotion decisions.
• http//www.all4ed.org/files/WritingNext.pdf

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Why Is Workplace Writing Important to You?

• The lesson?
• Getting a job, doing well at that job, and being
  promoted are dependent on your ability to write
  well.

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The federal government considers enhanced writing
skills so critical that it sponsors four-day
writing seminars that cost the agency that sends
its employees an average of 3,000 per attendee.

• Yes, 3,000

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Writing at Work Writing at School

• Requires acute awareness of the need for strict
  security procedures
• Poses legal liability for both the writer and the
  organization
• May be read by readers unknown to the writer,
  inside or outside the organization, for an
  infinite time
• Achieves job goals
• Addresses a variety of readers who have different
  perspectives from those of the writer
• Requires a variety of written documents

• Security is limited to confidentiality of student
  records.
• Primary liability, plagiarism, is limited to the
  writer.
• Assignments are returned at the end of the
  semester.
• Demonstrates knowledge gained
• Addresses professor who has detailed knowledge of
  subject/topic area
• Limited variety of written documents

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The most fundamental characteristic of technical
writing rests in the legal liability associated
with workplace information.
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Care should be taken to protect

• Information about customers, clients, and
  patients
• Intellectual property produced by the company
• The knowledge companies produce for clients

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Possible Security Breaches

• Text messages
• E-mail
• Blogs
• Internet sites
• Social media
• Personal webpage

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The Foundations of Effective Writing at Work

• Planning the document
• Determining content
• Arranging ideas
• Drafting
• Revising
• Editing

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The Qualities of Good Technical Writing

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• Clarity
• Conciseness
• Readability
• Usability
• Organization
• Correctness

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On the job, keep in mind that no one wants to
read anything you write means your writing
should

• Make an immediate good impression neat,
  readable, well-organized, and inviting
• Be formatted for selective reading
• Show a plan that reveals the purpose and value
  of the document
• Make sense Ideas appear in a logical sequence
  evident from document design.
• Use visuals when necessary
• Convey an impression of authority,
  thoroughness, soundness, and honest work
• Make sense to people who were not part of the
  initial readership
• Make a positive statement about the writer and
  the organization
• Enable people who need to use your writing to
  perform a task to do so

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Elizabeth Tebeaux and Sam DraggaEssentials of
Technical CommunicationOxford University Press