Jami University
Technical
Communication
Communication
• a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system
of symbols, signs or behavior
Ways of communication
Man to man communication
Verbal Nonverbal
communication communication
Oral Written Symbols ATTITUDE Signs behavior Sound
The importance of communication
Expressing our thoughts, our ideas, our feelings and our views
Give or get information
Share information
Give or get comments
ask questions
express wants and needs
develop social relationships
social etiquette
Technical Communication
• Technical communication is the process
• of transmitting facts and information to
• a defined audience for a specific purpose.
• technical communication is writing
• for understanding
The History of Technical Communication
• Technical writing dates back to the earliest recorded language. Ancient
civilizations drew pictographs on cave walls to describe how they hunted and
where they journeyed.
Factors to consider in Technical Communication
• Audience
• Purpose
• Format
• Style
Audience
• The audience could consist of managers, co-workers, customers and clients, the
general public, or any combination. They will have different levels of understanding
and different information needs that require specific formats and styles of
communication.
• In communication, the ‘audience’ is the person or group of people whom you
expect to read your information.
• Purpose
• The purpose of a technical document could be to inform, explain, describe,
persuade, or record your actions.
Format
Technical communication can be written in the following formats:
• Reports or documents: such as proposals, lab reports, product specifications, or quality-
test results.
• Record-keeping forms: such as service reports, travel and expense forms, or trouble-
shooting logs.
• Instructions: such as user guides, outline help, and training manuals.
• Correspondence: such as letters, memos and emails.
• Presentations: such as interviews, marketing calls, or training seminars.
Style
• Writers base the style of the document on the audience, purpose, and
format. The language can include many technical terms, called jargon, or it
can include general terms and definitions of technical terms. The document
might need a visible structure of headings and subheadings or even chapters
to identify the flow of information, such as a product specification or
manual.
Preferences of Technical Readers
• Generally people who read technical information prefer sentences that get
straight to the point. They prefer words that are functional, exact and clear.
They prefer paragraphs that are short, with each paragraph focused on only
one idea. And they prefer a visible organization with headings, bulleted lists,
and numbered steps, and graphics and examples that illustrate the details of
the subject.
Style Guides
• A style guide is a reference book for writers. It offers guidelines on the finer
points of word usage, punctuation, and mechanics for standard
communication, beyond the basic rules of grammar and punctuation. The
difference between style guides might appear to be slight, but they provide
for consistency in such things as formatting headings, citations, and
quotations.
Focus on the Audience
• The first step in technical writing is to focus on the audience. While you are
in school, you know that your audience is your professor or possibly your
classmates, and you have a good idea of your audience’s technical back-
ground and expectations. In the workplace, however, you must analyse your
audience more carefully by asking the three questions that introduce the
following sections.
• 1. What does the audience already know about the subject:
In communication, the ‘audience’ is the person or group of people whom
you expect to read your information. Even though writers do not know
exactly who will read their documents, they can usually define an intended
audience as either technical, semi-technical, or nontechnical.
Technical audience
•
The technical audience includes practitioners in your field: those with
technical experience and training, such as technicians and engineers. A
technical audience understands fundamental concepts and jargon without
definitions or background information. Readers expect the writer to use
technical language efficiently and appropriately. For this audience, writers use
technical terms and precise data to convey information.
• If you do not have medical training, the example above probably made little
sense to you. It includes many abbreviations common to emergency medical
services (EMS), and it communicates a patient’s condition efficiently to
others in EMS.
Semi-technical Audience
• This type of audience has some technical training or works in the industry,
but not directly in the field, such as those working in related departments or
those with training in technical areas. This might include personnel in
marketing finance, or administration of a technical company. This semi-
technical audience needs some explanation of concepts, abbreviations, and
jargon. Writers use technical terms only if they are common in the company
or industry. For this audience, you might provide an orientation to the
subject and explain or
• interpret the terms and information. The following example is a version of
the first example revised for students in an emergency medical technician
program or a first-aid class:
• Did you understand more of the report this time? Without all the
abbreviations and acronyms, a wider audience can understand the report.
But, without at least some training, you still will not have a clear picture of
the extent of the patient’s injuries or his condition
Non-technical Audience
• The last type of audience is the general public, an unknown audience, or any
combination of technical, semi-, and non-technical readers. It might also
include upper management – a group that is uninvolved with technical
activities, but that must have enough information to make decisions for the
company. This audience expects a clear organization that progresses from the
background to the new information, with examples or illustrations to explain
points that maybe confusing.
• For this audience, writers provide the most comprehensive treatment of the
subject, such as common terminology, simple language free of jargon and
technical data, a full background and orientation to the subject, and a
complete discussion of the main points, To simplify difficult concepts,
writers often compare technical processes to more familiar ones though
analogies and metaphors. The following revision of the prior examples is
addressed to a family member of the victim.
2. What does the audience want to know?
• The audience, whether technical or general might only want the highlights of
the information. For example, a manager might want bottom-line
information, such as total cost, time frame, or budget impact.
Or the audience might want detailed information, including all the back-
ground, procedures used, visual aids, data tables, and your conclusions. For
example, customers will want estimates and explanations for repairs,
especially if it’s bad news, or troubleshooting information to solve or prevent
a problem. Or co-workers might want to provide exact procedures for a
process.
3. What does the audience intend to do with the information?
• This is the critical question. People read technical information for a purpose.
Sometimes that purpose is simply for general interest. If so, you can make the
subject more interesting for this audience by providing graphics, examples, and
colourful details. Journalists and science writers address this audience, as you will see
in a few of the reading articles in this book.
Other times, the audience wants to follow a procedure, solve a problem, or make a
decision. Writers must anticipate questions, and provide the organization and details
this audience needs, For example, a manager might want the information needed to
complete a projected budget for next year. A colleague might want to replicate a lab
procedure. A customer might pay a bill (or refuse to pay for it) based on an
explanation of your service.
4. False assumptions about audiences
• Unfortunately, writers sometimes make false assumptions about their
audiences.
• Assumption: My audience speaks and reads English.
Fact: Avoid those prize winning vocabulary words—stick to the simplest
appropriate terms you can find. And avoid words without a precise meaning,
such as really, very, and nice.
Assumption: My audience will read the complete
report or manual.
•
Fact: People don’t normally read long documents or manuals from cover to
cover. When’s the last time you have read an entire user manual? Include an
executive summary, table of contents, headings and subheadings to help your
readers locate specific information when they might not have time to read
the entire report.
Assumption: My audience will remember what I tell them.
• Fact: Studies show that people forget up to 50% of what they hear within 10
minutes, and memory declines even more after that. They tend to remember
more of what they read, and even more if they take notes or apply what they
learn right away.
• For presentations or customer calls, experienced marketers provide
something for the audience to read and take notes on. They use repetition
and visual aids to help the audience remember. For example, they might
create transparencies to project during the presentation and provide an
introduction, such as a bulleted list of main points that will be covered, and a
summary with a conclusion that reviews the main points.
Assumption: When listeners or readers don’t understand they will ask
questions.
• Fact: Formulating a question requires some degree of understanding. If the
subject is too difficult or too new, the listener or reader might not be able to
put a question into words. You can help by anticipating typical questions or
trouble spots. Also, ask for feedback. Ask one person in your audience to
recap the messages in his or her own terms. Sometimes you can clear up
misunderstandings or clarify points by listening to others paraphrase you.
