Technical Writing

Review: What is Technical Communication?

Information for this presentation adapted from Open Technical Communication by Cassandra Race

A definition of Technical Communication

Specifically, technical writing involves communicating complex

information to a specific audience who will use it to accomplish some goal or task in a manner that is accurate, useful, and clear. Whether

you write an email to your professor or supervisor, develop a

presentation or report, design a sales flyer, or create a webpage, you

are a technical communicator.

Multiple Select

Which of these is NOT an example of Technical Communication?

• Nutritional Information on a cereal box

• A poem about computers

• An email to a teacher

• Instructions on an ATM to make a withdrawal

Characteristics of Technical Communication

• It is focused on the audience

• Has a specific purpose: help a person accomplish some task

• It is professionally written

• Design is important

• Often research is involved

• It is ethical--it tells the truth

Open Ended

What are some of the characteristics of Technical Communication, in your own words?

Standards for Technical Communication

• It has to be honest

• It has to be clear

• It has to be correct--no mistakes or incorrect facts

• It has to be complete--no missing information

• It should be as short as possible

• It should be visually attractive

Open Ended

Why do you think these standards for Technical Communication are important to workplace writing? Why should you care?

Your writing has to be

• Accessible

• Legible

• Readable

• 
  

• 
  

• 
  

Accessible

Your communication has to be understood by people with disabilities. Be sure to use large type, subtitles on videos, etc.

Open Ended

What is one example of how you can make your technical communication accessible to people with disabilities?

Legible

Your text has to be able to be seen to be read. Use a dark background for light text, or a light background for dark text. The picture here is of text that is hard to read!

Multiple Select

Which of these is probably not going to be legible?

• Light blue text on a darker blue background

• White text on a black background

• A fancy font with lots of swirls and frills

• Dark blue text on a white background

Readable

• Keep it simple

• If it's too hard to read, no one will read it!

Open Ended

Why does it have to be readable?

Poll

This is my first time using Quizizz. Should I keep using it? Or is it not good?

• Yes, I like Quizizz

• No, I had trouble using Quizizz