11.1 General guidelines for technical communication Flashcards
What are the basic tenets of effective communication for writing reports and giving oral presentations?
The basic elements of effective communication that apply to writing reports and giving oral presentations are:
- Know your purpose.
- Know your audience.
- Choose and organize the content around your purpose and your audience.
- Write precisely and clearly.
- Design your pages well.
- Think visually.
- Write ethically!
In addition to understanding what the artifact must be and do, what else must we understand?
We must know our purpose. Just as we want to understand what the designed object, must be and must do, we need to understand the goals of a report or presentation.
What must a design team consider when structuring documentation materials?
When documenting a design, it is essential that a design team structure its materials to its targeted audience.
What are two questions to consider as a part of knowing your audience?
Two crucial questions about the audience must be considered:
- What is the technical level of the target audience?
- What is their interest in the design being presented?
Once you know your audience, what must be done?
Choose and organize the content around your purpose and your audience.
How do you best reach an audience?
Select and organize the content around your purpose and your audience, so that it will reach its intended target. The key element is to structure the presentation to best reach the audience.
What are some options for organizing information for an audience?
Different ways to organize information include:
- going from general concepts to specific details (analogous to deduction in logic)
- going from specific details to general concepts (analogous to induction or inference)
- describing devices or systems
What is key to do once an organization pattern is chosen for communicating content to an audience?
Once an organizational pattern is chosen, no matter which form is used, the design team should translate the organizational pattern into a written outline.
What is necessary to avoid when communicating content to an audience?
Avoid unnecessary repetition. The team should develop a unified, coherent document or presentation while avoiding needless repetition.
What three elements allow a reader to understand directly what is being said or done?
The following three elements allow a reader to understand directly what is being said or done:
- effective use of short paragraphs that have a single common thesis or topic
- short, direct sentences that contain a subject and a verb
- active voice and action verbs
What is a consideration for writing precisely and clearly regarding opinion and viewpoints?
Opinions or viewpoints should be clearly identified as such.
How might writers support the organizational structure of a report?
Writers should judiciously use headings and subheadings, often identified by different fonts and underlining, to support the organizational structure of the report.
How does the separation of long sections into several subsections enhance the reader’s experience?
A long section divided into several subsections helps readers to understand where the long section is going, and it sustains their interest over the journey.
How might the writer guide the reader’s eye to key elements on the page?
Selecting fonts to highlight key elements or to indicate different types of information (i.e., new, important terms) guides the reader’s eye to key elements on the page.
As what features do designs often begin?
Designs often start as sketches.
