5: Technical Communication

Question 1

TO ensure our communications are effective, what framework do we use?

Answer 1

Framework has 3 parts:
- audience
- purpose
- context

Question 2

elaborate on what Audience refers to in our framework

Answer 2

Audience:
- what your audience knows, needs to know, and wants to know
- affects what you say and how you say it

Question 3

Elaborate on what Purpose refers to in our framework

Answer 3

Purpose:
- Refers to our objectives and goals for our communication
- must explain why our communication is important

2 types of purpose:
- inform: describe, review, instruct, explain, demonstrate
- persuade: convince, influence, recommend, change. justify

Question 4

Elaborate on what context refers to in our framework

Answer 4

context:
- format used (report, poster, presentation…)
- location
- time
- resources needed to present
- any other specific factor

Question 5

What are the 7 C’s? Name them all

Answer 5

Clear
Correct
Concise
Concrete
Complete
Courteous
Considerate

Question 6

7 C’s: Describe CLEAR

Answer 6

Clear communication
- easy to follow and understand
- unlikely to be misunderstood
- vocabulary and sentences appropriate for audience
- information presented in an organized and logical fashion

Question 7

7 C’s: Describe CORRECT

Answer 7

Correct communication
- factually accurate
- adhere to the appropriate standards of language formatting
- is grammatically correct and free of spelling errors
- follows established professional standards

Question 8

7 C’s: Describe CONCISE

Answer 8

Concise communication:
- uses language efficiently
- is to the point, but not so brief as to be incomplete
- focuses on what the audience needs to know
- minimizes repetition

Question 9

7 C’s: Describe CONCRETE

Answer 9

Concrete communication:
- uses vivid or memorable language
- is more credible and less likely to be misinterpreted
- communicating in a specific and focused way to include all of the important details and facts

Ex:
It will take a long time to build prototypes
->
It will take 18-20 hours to build each prototype

Question 10

7 C’s: Describe COMPLETE

Answer 10

Complete communication:
- includes everything the audience needs to know
- lets the audience know what to do based on that information
- supports the purpose of the communication

Question 11

7 C’s: Describe COURTEOUS

Answer 11

Courteous Communication:
- is thoughtful towards the audience
- is polite and of appropriate formality
- uses appropriate titles (Mr., Ms., Mx.,), honorifics (Dr., Prof.,) and pronouns

Question 12

7 C’s: Describe CONSIDERATE

Answer 12

Considerate communication:
- takes into account specific circumstances of the situation
- takes into account how the audience might react
- informs when, where, and how we deliver the communication
- focuses on delivering the message in a as positive a way as possible

Question 13

What are 4 common forms of written technical communications by engineers?

Answer 13

Emails
Business letters
technical memoranda
formal reports

Question 14

What is an email used for? What must be included / thought of?

Answer 14

Email
- used extensively in business communication both internally and outside an organization

professionalism is essential:
- use professional email address
- use descriptive subject line
- use a courteous greeting
- use the 7 C’s to construct and format message

Question 15

What is an business letter used for? What must be included / thought of?

Answer 15

Business Letter:
- Similar to emails, but more formal
- used to correspond with someone outside your organization
- require greater attention to details

format:
- senders address
- date
- inside address
- reference line (Re:application)
- Salutation
- Body
- Closing
- Enclosure (list of stuff attatched)
- List of other recipients (CC)

Question 16

What is an technical memorandum used for? What must be included / thought of?

Answer 16

Technical Memorandum:
- for brief communications within an organization
- untended to be efficient and concise
- used to share information relating to technical matters

Format:
- Memorandum as title
- sender + initials, receiver, date, subject
- summary paragraph
- body / conclusion paragraphs

Make sure to reference to appendices if needed

Question 17

What is an Technical Report used for? What must be included / thought of?

Answer 17

Technical Report:
- typically longer and more formal than a technical memo
- communication outside an organization as well as document significant work in an org.
-accompanied by a letter of transmittal (a business letter used to introduce the report)

Format:
- cover page
- abstract
- table of contents
- list of figures
- list of tables
- glossary
- figures incorporated into the body of the report (numbered and labelled)
tables incorporated into the body of the report (numbered and labelled)

Question 18

What are 3 types of presentation engineers give?

Answer 18

Elevator pitches
poster presentations
oral presentation

Question 19

What is an elevator pitch? Goals? limitations?

Answer 19

Brief opportunity to get a person’s attention with the goal of making a good impression and securing later talks

30 sec - 2 min
must be clear, concise, complete
no props/visual aids
unplanned

Question 20

What are the 3 parts of an elevator pitch?

Answer 20

a description of the problem or issue

a description of your solution or idea to address the problem or issue

an explanation of why this is important

Question 21

What is a poster presentation? Goals? limitations?

Answer 21

Poster presentation
- presentation used widely at conferences, trade shows, open houses, community consultations, etc.

goal:
- balance the information to make it engage, detailed, concise, and complete

Question 22

how do you achieve the goals a poster presentation is trying to accomplish?

Answer 22

have:
- large, clear, informative title
- title and body text readable from a distance
- easy navigation
- concise text blocks
- engage, relevant visual
- visual presentation of data

Question 23

What is an oral presentation? Goals? limitations?

Answer 23

Oral presentation:
- involves displaying slides that support a spoken presentation
- used within/outside an organization

goals:
- used to inform, persuade, or both

limitations:
- slides should contain relevant visuals and text, similar to poster guidelines
- speaker: should complement the slides, not repeat them
- 45 sec to 2 min per slide
- body language is a core element!