Questions and Answers of Essentials Of Technical Communication

5. TEAM EXERCISE Write instructions for one of the following activities or for a process used in your field. In a brief note preceding the instructions, indicate your audience and purpose. Include
4. You work in the customer-relations department of a company that makes plumbing supplies. The head of product development has just handed you a draft of installation instructions for a sliding tub
3. Our company does not currently perform Function X. Is it feasible to perform Function X? For instance, we do not currently offer day care for our employees. Should we? What are the advantages and
2. Our company has decided to purchase a tool to perform Task A. Which make and model of the tool should we purchase, and from which supplier should we buy it? For instance, our company has decided
1. Our company uses Technology X to perform Task A.Should we instead be using Technology Y to perform Task A? For instance, our company uses standard surveying tools in its contracting business.
3. TEAM EXERCISE The following résumé was submitted in response to this ad: “CAM Technician to work with other technicians and manage some GIS and mapping projects.Also perform updating of the
5. The following three graphs illustrate the sales of two products — Series 1 and Series 2 — for each quarter of 2019.Which is the most effective in conveying the information?Which is the least
3. For each of the following four graphics, write a paragraph evaluating its effectiveness and describing how you would revise it.a. Majorsb. Number of Members of the U.S. Armed Forces in 2012 (in
1. Find out from the admissions office at your college or university the number of students enrolled from the different states or from the different counties in your state.Present this information in
4. Find the websites of three manufacturers within a single industry, such as personal watercraft, cars, computers, or medical equipment. Study the three sites, focusing on two or more of these
2. TEAM EXERCISE Form small groups for this collaborative exercise in analyzing design. Photocopy or scan a page from a book or a magazine. Choose a page that does not contain advertisements. Each
4. Provide a topic sentence for this paragraph.The reason for this difference is that a larger percentage of engineers working in small firms may be expected to hold high-level positions. In firms
3. Write a one-paragraph evaluation of each of the following headings. How clearly does the heading indicate the subject and purpose of the text that will follow it? In what ways does it fall short
1. Identify the best organizational pattern for a discussion of each of the subjects that follow. For example, a discussion of distance education and on-campus courses could be organized using the
4. TEAM EXERCISE Form small groups, and describe and evaluate your college or university’s website. A different member of the group might carry out each of the following tasks:In an email to the
3. Revise the following questions from questionnaires to make them more effective. In a brief paragraph for each, explain why you have revised the question as you have.a. Does your company provide
1. For each of the following questions, select a research technique that is likely to yield a useful answer. For instance, if the question is “Which companies within a 20-mile radius of our company
4. TEAM EXERCISE Form small groups and study two websites that advertise competing products. For instance, you might choose the websites of two car makers, two television shows, or two music
3. Study the website of a large manufacturer of computer products, such as Hewlett-Packard, Acer, Dell, or Lenovo.Identify three different pages that address different audiences and fulfill different
2. The following passage is an advertisement for a translation service. Revise the passage to make it more appropriate for a multicultural audience. Submit the revision to your instructor.If your
4. TEAM EXERCISE Your college or university wishes to update its website to include a section called “For Prospective International Students.” Along with members of your team, first determine
3. You have probably had a lot of experience working in collaborative teams in previous courses or on the job.Brainstorm for five minutes, listing some of your best and worst experiences
2. Using a wiki site such as wikiHow.com, find a set of instructions on a technical process that interests you. Study one of the revisions to the instructions, noting the types of changes made. Do
4. TEAM EXERCISE Form small groups. Study the website of a company or other organization that has a prominent role in your community or your academic field. Find information about the
2. You serve on the Advisory Committee of your college’s bookstore, which is a private business that leases space on campus and donates 10 percent of its profits to student scholarships. The head
Have you practiced your answers to likely questions? Do you have good questions to ask the interviewer?
Is your résumé completely free of grammatical and spelling errors? Is it designed for easy reading and skimming?
Have you used active verbs and appropriate keywords to describe your education and experience?
Have you listed your education and job experience in reverse chronological order?
Have you picked the résumé type that suits your experiences and qualifications?
Is your letter completely free of grammatical and spelling errors? Is it designed for easy reading and skimming?Your résumé:
Have you made it clear you would like to be interviewed? Have you made it easy for the employer to arrange the interview?
Have you emphasized the education and experience that suit you for this job?
Does your letter reflect interest in a specific job?
Does your letter show how you could be valuable to the employer?
Do you seem self-confident but not arrogant or boastful?
Do you have permission to use the names of at least three people as references?Revising Your letter of application:
Which résumé format will suit your experience and abilities, chronological or functional?
Do you have all the necessary details about your education and experience (e.g., dates, job descriptions, schools, majors, degrees, extracurricular activities)?
How will the employer reach you?Your résumé:
What will you do for the organization?
What interests you about this company?
Why are you qualified for this position?
How did you learn about this position?
What position are you applying for?
If a client said/did . . . , how would you manage that situation?
If a colleague complained to you about his or her boss, how would you manage that situation?
What is the biggest problem you’ve encountered and how did you solve it?
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Why should we hire you?
Why would you want to work for us?
What do you want to be doing 5 years from now?
What can you tell me about yourself?
Will your audience have access to social media to ask questions and make comments during your presentation?
Do you have a specific time limit for questions? How will you keep track of your time?
How will you keep your answers concise and direct?
If you are speaking extemporaneously, have you prepared a speech outline to guide you? If you will be reading from a manuscript, have you introduced a conversational tone into your talk? Is your
Which delivery technique will be more appropriate? Extemporaneous? Manuscript?
What approach will your audience expect from you? How formal should you be?
What level of language do you need to use, based on your audience’s background and knowledge of your subject?
What kind of tone do you want to use in addressing your audience? What kind of image—of yourself and your organization—do you want to project?
Do these illustrations successfully focus the listeners’ attention and augment and clarify your message?Style
Are these illustrations immediately readable and understandable?
Where should you use these illustrations in your presentation?
What kinds of illustrations will you need to clarify or reinforce the ideas you will discuss?
Does your talk contain sufficient examples, analogies, narratives, and data to support your generalizations? Have you repeated key points? Can you relate your subject matter to some vital interest of
Have you limited your major points to fit within your allotted time?
Do you have a good opening that will interest your audience and create a friendly atmosphere?
Can any ideas be misconstrued and prove harmful to you or your organization?
Based on the audience and the context, what difficulties do you need to anticipate in choosing content?
What ideas do you want to include and exclude?
Handouts?Content
Flipchart and easel?
Chalkboard?
Internet connection?
Video?
Audio?
Slideware?
What equipment, applications, and materials are available to you?
how your audience perceives what you say?
What events will be transpiring in the organization (theirs or yours) that may affect
Where and when will you be speaking?
Given your audience’s background and attitudes, do you need to adjust your purpose to make your presentation more suitable for your audience?Context
What is the situation that led to this presentation?
What is your purpose in giving this oral presentation? Is there (should there be) a long-range purpose?
Does your audience include individuals with limited hearing or vision? What accommodations will you need to make for these individuals?Purpose
Is your audience from a culture markedly different from yours? What adjustments to your presentation will any such differences require?
What is the attitude of your audience toward you and your presentation likely to be?
What do you know about your audience—background, knowledge, position in the organization, attitudes toward you and your subject? What is the relationship between you and your audience?
Who is your audience?
How formal or informal should I be in addressing my audience?
What approach will my audience expect from me?
Chapter 11: Oral Reports
What level of language do I need to use, based on my audience’s background and knowledge of my subject?300
What image—of myself and my organization—do I want to project?
Where should I use these illustrations in my presentation?Style.
What kinds of illustrations will I need for the ideas I will present?
Can any ideas be misconstrued and prove harmful to me or my organization?Illustrations.
Based on the audience and the context, what difficulties do I need to anticipate in choosing what to discuss?
What ideas do I want to include and not include?

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