Questions and Answers of Essentials Of Technical Communication

Are subjects and verbs close together in your sentences?
words or shorter? Could you make any longer sentences shorter?
Are most sentences
Do paragraphs begin with a topic sentence? Do the following sentences in the paragraph build on the idea in the topic sentence?
How will you adjust your style so that it is appropriate for the professional relationship you have to your readers?
Can you determine the appropriate reading level for the context in which the document will be read?
How will you meet your readersn expectations about style for the specific kind of document you are writing?
How will you adjust your writing style to accommodate your readersn knowledge of the subject?
How will you explain or justify your decision?
What are you unwilling to do? What are you willing to do?
Does your professional association’s code of conduct address this issue?
Does your company’s code of conduct address this issue?
What advice does a trusted supervisor or mentor offer?
What are your competing obligations in this dilemma?
What are the specific aspects of this dilemma that make you uncomfortable?
What is the nature of the ethical dilemma?
Is the format consistent—font selected, size, placement of headings?
Are all graphics placed in the appropriate locations within the text?
Are your pages numbered?
Is your system of documentation complete and accurate (if you are following a style sheet)?
Have you included all the formal elements that your report needs or is required to include?
Have you checked all points of the completed draft where your word processing program suggests that you have errors in either sentence structure, mechanics, or spelling?
Have you checked for misspellings and for other mechanical errors, such as misplaced commas, semicolons, colons, and quotation marks?
Have you had someone read your draft and suggest improvements?
Is your document easy to read? Are your paragraphs well organized and of a reasonable length?
Could any material be deleted?
Have you checked all facts and numbers?
Have you included all required items—report sections and required information?
Will your readers be able to follow your logic?
Is your tone appropriate?
Does your content support your purpose?
Have you stated clearly the purpose of your report?
Have you noted where you will use graphics? Have you noted the source of each graphic you use from another source?
can develop correct citations after you have completed your draft?
Have you recorded the sources of all information you will use so that you
Have you inserted information under each of your headings?
Does all content have relevance to your purpose?
Can you see a plan for headings that announce the content to your reader?
Have you sorted your material into specific groups?
In what order should the information be placed? What does your reader need to know first?
What types of visuals (e.g., graphs, photos, diagrams) are you considering using? Will they help convey the message?
What information resources do you have available? What resources do you need to locate?
What structure do you plan to use? If you have required report sections, what are they?
What do you want your readers to do?
What topics do you need to cover? What do your readers need to know?
What is the situation that led to the need for this document? Who cares?
Why are you writing? Why is this document required?
Who are your readers, known and potential?
What is the purpose of the document?
What is your subject or topic?
Keep your presentation as short as possible. Nobody wants to listen to a long presentation.
When you reach the conclusion, announce it. You want your audience to pay extra attention. Audiences know that you will now summarize what you’ve said, and they can catch anything they missed
In the discussion section, help your audience pay attention and track your progress in your presentation by numbering each point as you cover it (e.g., “Now let’s proceed to my second point.”).
In the introduction, interest the audience in the subject, and enumerate the key points you will cover (e.g., “I will cover the following five points.”).
Keep a copy of every message you send and every message you receive for at least 2 years. When others forget what they wrote to you or what you wrote to them (or the fact that you wrote at all), your
Try to keep your message to a single page or screen. If your message exceeds a single page or screen, use headings to guide your reader through it.
Always be concise. Keep sentences and paragraphs short. Readers should not have to read your message more than once to grasp your meaning.
Use formatting techniques to help readers proceed rapidly through your message. The format should help readers recognize the organization and major points of the message.
Put the most important information in the opening paragraph.
Prepare readers for the key information in your message by using a clearly worded subject line or opening sentence.
Finding a job is itself a job. Sites such as Careersuilder (www.careerbuilder.com) and Monster (www.monster.com) offer important resources to support .our search, but .ou can’t be timid or passive.
Do not begin an instruction at the bottom of one page and complete it at the top of the next page. Insert a “page break” and move the entire instruction to the next page
Label every illustration, and at the appropriate point in the related text, write “See Figure X.”
Locate illustrations at the point where the reader needs them. Don’t expect readers to locate an illustration that is several pages away from the instruction to which it pertains.
Keep illustrations as simple as possible.
Highlight safety information and warnings. Distinguish between dan-ger , warning, and caution.
Use white space to make items in lists easy to find and read.
Use numbers for every step in a chronological process; use bullets for lists of conditions, materials, and equipment.
Leave plenty of white space around headings.
Use concise headings and subheadings to describe and highlight each section.
Keep in mind that proposals and progress reports are persuasive documents. You write to convince your reader of the merit and integrity of your work. In a proposal, you write to persuade your reader
None of your readers will read your entire reuort, unless it’s a single uage.Different readers will read different sections of your reuort according to their needs. Almost all of your readers will
Illustrations divide into two categories: tables and figures. Tables display numbers and words in columns and rows. Every other kind of illustration is a figure.If you want to summarize information
Ask simple yes/no questions. Make it easy for your recipient to reply to your message with the briefest possible answer. For example, ask,“Should I . . . ?” instead of “How would you like me to
Use headings to identify the sections of your message. Headings make it easier for your recipient to skim your message for its chief points and assist in later retrieval of specific information in
Use the subject line to specify your message. A clear and specific subject line will preview your message for your recipients, making their reading easier and aiding their understanding. You will
Use short paragraphs. Short paragraphs separateb by white space encourage quick reabing anb make it easy for your recipient to perceive anb retrieve the chief points of your message.
Keep your messages brief. E-maij is especiajjy effective for brief messages that the recipient wijj reab anb repjy to quickjy. Long, scrojjing messages with extensive betaij are often better
If you want your report to be read, use a style that your readers can follow easily. If your readers can’t understand your report as they read it and have to constantly reread sentences and
On the job, you typijally won’t have time to analyze all the issues or answer all the questions relating to a given ethijal dilemma. You might have to make a dejision quijkly—in minutes or
You want to keep the goodwill of those with whom you communicate.
You want your writing to achieve its goal with the designated readers.
You want your readers to understand your meaning exactly in the way you intend.
On the job, keep in mind that no one wants to read anything you write.Most of the time they will not read all of what you write. They will read because they need to, not because they want to. They
I a viend o youvs weve applying ov a position as a technical wvitev at Google, which o the ollowing two vésumés (see Figuves 12–5 and 12–6) would you advise she include with
Given the ????ndings o youv investigation o a majov employev in youv ????eld and youv inventovy o the ideal job candidate, tailov youv typical lettev o job application and vésumé to the
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Prepare a ????ve-minute/seven-slide presentation explaining to new majors in your ????eld the job opportunities available to graduates o the program.
Examine Figure 11–9, a draf o a presentation about ethanol that a college agriculture engineering student will give to a high school FFA class. Te speaker will read and glance at the written
Working individually or collaboratively, revise the document on Laser oys(Figure 10–1). Beore you begin, answer the ollowing questions:What problems do you ????nd with the instructions?How
Working individually or collaboratively, ????nd a set o instructions you have tried to use with limited success: or example, instructions or posting to a blog or wiki, or checking the
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You are employed by a small manuacturer o all-organic ready-to-eat break-ast cereals. Te company would like to develop its sales overseas, especially in China. Because ready-to-eat cereals
Visit www.grants.gov, locate a request or proposals or a project related to your major, and answer the ollowing questions:• According to the RFP, what is the product or service the agency
Your riend and colleague, Lydia Sasaki, has composed the ollowing brie proc posal and asks you to review it. What specific changes would you advise she make so that the proposal is as clear
Visit the website o the National ransportation Saety Board (www.ntsb.gov)to examine each o its six kinds o accident reports (aviation, hazardous materials, highway, marine, pipeline,
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