TECHNICAL Lecture# 1
WRITING &
Ms. Rabia Shaukat
PRESENTATION E-mail: [email protected]
SKILLS
Four Skills of Language Learning
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Four Skills of Language Learning
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What is Technical Writing?
• “Involving special knowledge, language, etc., that is used
or understood by experts but usually not by others”
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2015)
• “Relating to the knowledge, machines or methods used in
science and industry”
(Cambridge Dictionary, 2015)
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What is Technical Writing?
• Technical writing communicates specific and factual
information to a defined audience for a defined
purpose.
Specific
Defined Defined
Factual
Audience Purpose
Information
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What is Technical Writing?
Technical Knowledge Written
Communication
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What is Technical Writing?
Technical
Writing “Technical writing conveys
specific information about a
technical subject to a specific
audience for a specific
purpose… The words and
graphics of technical writing
Occupational Professional are meant to be practical: that
Writing Writing Writing is, to communicate a body of
factual information that will
help an audience understand a
subject or carry out a task.”
Business -Michael H. Markel
Writing
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Origin
• Recorded history: Da Vinci, Copernicus, Galileo
• Increasing literacy: need of explaining mechanical
processes
• Second World War: development of weapons
• Computer revolution: communication networks
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Purpose of Technical Writing
• To Inform
• Providing the audience with factual information
• For example: reports, instructions, descriptions, etc.
• To Persuade
• Convincing the audience to draw desired conclusions
from the provided information
• For example: proposals, recommendations, etc.
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What do Technical Writers Create?
• Instructions
• Directions
• For operating a machine or performing a task
• A description of a process – operating or manufacturing
• Company Policies/Procedures
• Memos, Business Letters
• Technical Reports
• Monthly/Yearly Activity Reports
• Proposals, Feasibility Studies
• Summaries of Staff or Team Meetings
• Brochures, Commercials/Advertisements, Job Descriptions
• Memorandum, etc. 10
Recognizing Your Audience
Supervisors
Colleagues
Subordinates
Vendors
Customers
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Examples of Technical Writing
• An instructional manual for repairing machinery
• A memo listing meeting agendas
• A letter from a vendor to a client
• A recommendation report proposing a new computer system
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Technical Writing Scenarios
• Documents you will create include:
• E-mails
• Memos
• Letters
• Reports
• Proposals
• User manuals
• Websites
• Brochures
• Newsletters
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Scenario 01: E-mails
• To set meeting agendas and to ask/answer questions
• As a Computer Information Systems (CIS) employee, you work
at a 0800 hotline helpdesk. A call comes from a concerned
customer. To answer that client’s questions and follow up, a
one-page e-mail documenting the problem and your response
can be provided.
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Scenario 02: User Manuals
• To explain the steps in a procedure
• Explaining the steps for building a piece of equipment,
performing preventative maintenance, or for shipping and
handling procedures.
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Scenario 03: Proposals
• As a trust officer in a bank
• Making proposals for potential clients: to do so, you must
write a 20 to 30 page proposal about your bank’s services.
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Scenario 04: Letters
• You are a customer who ordered an automotive part from a
national manufacturer. Unfortunately, the part was shipped to
you five days later than promised, it arrived broken, and you were
charged more than the agreed-upon price. You need to write a
letter of complaint.
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Scenario 05: Websites
• Your job is to create a corporate website. The website gives
information to clients about your locations, your pricing, your
products and services, your mission statement, and job openings.
The drop-down help screens provide easy-to-access answers for
both customer and employee questions.
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Scenario 06: Brochures
• To sell and inform using six to eight panel foldouts
• As an entrepreneur, you are opening your own computer
maintenance service. To market your company, you will need
to write flyers, brochures, or sales letters.
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Scenario 07: Résumés
• You have just graduated from your university/college and it’s time
to get a job. You need to write a résumé and a letter of application
to show corporations what assets you will bring to their company.
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Conclusions
❑ Introduction to Technical Writing
❑ Origin of Technical Writing
❑ Purpose of Technical Writing
❑ Examples of Different types of Technical Writing
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